Oceanic

Lately, I have posted pictures of an early prototype, a rusty version and a couple of weird pictures of this boat in strange positions. It is only fair to post a few of the more charming pictures of that particular boat. After all it is a nice boat. It is not a racer, and it won't win a beauty contest, but it is a wonderful cruiser. It's the Oceanic from Motor Loon.

The Oceanic

So here it is. On land. It looks pretty much like a boat from here. Not sure why the waterline stops mid-ship, but you can always paint it yourself. It is probably a graphical designer gone mad. It happens. The keeldesign is kinda weird though. Luckily  you can't see it while you sail, but when you find that island and go for a swim, you'll see this:

Oceanic keel design

After seing this, you'll definately need to go up for more air. It looks like the designer couldn't make up his mind... finn keel or full keel. This is neither. Not that it matters. You can't feel the difference anyway.

Hull shape

The hull shape is somewhat different from what I'd expect. It is less round and more v-shaped. There is way too little underwaterhull to carry that huge boat. Check the boat sailing away in the shot above. Not a big problem, but a round shape looks better, sails better and it gives you much more space inside.

Lower shrouds inverted

As you can see, the mast the spreaders and the sails look pretty nice. The shot above focuses on the lower shrouds, because they are somewhat weird. The lower shrouds are inverted. In reality the mast would break in 5 m/sec or less.

Busy day

However, this is a virtual boat and physical issues like hull shape and shrouds don't matter much. Here's three boats sailing and one moored. Note the guy on the pier, right in the center of the picture. He stood there for ages watching that boat. I wonder what kind of dreams he had. Bluewater dreams maybe? He is also there in the previous picture.

A decision

He finally got away with a decision; Bon voyage. Go see the islands. May the virtual wind Gods be with you. Otherwise, there's a huge engine and there's even a folding prop. Just beware. Murphy says you will run out of fuel at the most inconvenient time...

Sailing it

I sailed the Oceanic too, - here with Becca and her friend. It sails very well. The feeling is good, and it stays on course. It is lively like a dinghy, and the sounds are well made. It might not have currents, waves and local windshifts, but I suspect there are other features that sell well too.

Gizmoes

Gizmoes. Knobs and handles, screens and levers. Things you can look at and click. Here's me behind the wheel, and I have so many gizmoes in front of me. Screens too and stuff, and behind me is...

Engine room

The engine room. Guys will probably love this. Me, I don't like engines, and I particularly don't like engines in sailboats. They are noisy, they smell and they're no good once you are out of fuel. Oh, and they are heavy. The fuel is too, I mean... Who would want 500 liters of fuel placed this far aft? Besides, they are a pain to operate and maintain. Never the less... here I am checking out the diesel. Power it up and you have the drool of a huge engine in your ears. Eeeew :-D

Back to sailing

Close hatch. Sails up. Lets go sail. After all, that's what this baby does best. Here's a better view of the gizmoes available to the helmsman. There's also a view of the sheets dangling over the cockpit, making it extremely dangerous to sit in the cockpit while sailing. Those sheets and halyards are bound to catch a foot or even a neck sometime. They should definately not run like that. Put them on the side where they usually are. This is hazardeous.

Spinnaker

The cabin is very nice. Very spacious and loaded with features. Almost like a flat or something. You can see the cabin in this old post. Right now, it is about the sailing, so here's a shot of the Oceanic with the spinnaker up. Not too bad. Not too bad at all. I took this picture on my way back from the virtual optirace. The Spinnaker is really easy to "operate", so no danger there.

That shot from the Shelly makes another important point: Windvane and telltale missing on the oceanic. It's sail by numbers, staring at a hud. Not a big problem to cruisers, it seems.

Cruising

All in all, if you always dreamt of the ocean and never really went there, this boat is for you. It has all the features you need. Not only the the sailing itself, but engine, living quarters, poses, gizmoes and what nuts... It might not support currents, waves, local windshifts and windshadows, it may not have a realistic polar, there's no telltales, but it is a great  cruiser, and it will safely take you anywhere in the virtual waters of the Blake Sea and the North Sea. Lotsa water to sail. Plenty of islands to explore...

Rust for the ice cream man

Back in february I posted a few shots of a beautiful, sleek, wooden ten meter, the Ten by Manul. Just the type of boat, many sailors dream of. I hate to admit it, but usually it is the female part of a relationship that goes, where's the walk in closet. After a few years the man can't take it any more, and he swaps the racer for a "Bavarian Beauty". Peace restored. Universe left unbalanced...

A rusty boat

Well, not my cup of tea. My dad used to tell me "It's a SAIL-boat, not a fashion-boat". So even as a teen I left most of my wardrobe at home. Cruised in old jeans and tshirts. Brought one dress just in case we'd hit a beach party. Whole family crammed into a boat with no standing headroom for weeks. Wouldn't do it any other way now...

Anyway, Doc here wasn't really able to handle the beauty of all the virtual boats in mint condition. In fact Doc was so unhappy, he even left a comment about it. So, I promised to find a rusty boat for him. I've seen a rusty Shelly Fizz, the virtual optimist, sailing somewhere. Doesn't really make much sense to build an Optimist out of iron. Then I remembered this... You've probably seen it before...

Again

A iron boat this size makes much more sense, so here it is... just for you Doc. Enjoy the thought of endless and overdue work removing rust, priming and then repainting. It has full living quarters down below. That'll probably need a complete overhaul too. To be fair, this is not a  "B-Boat". They're made of plastic, hehe. Honestly, I sailed the release version yesterday, and this is a truly wonderful cruiser. The first commercial BWind 2, I am told. Very lively and fun to sail. I'd better do a full review sometime...

... and on land

And here it is on land. You can see all that underwater work that needs to be done. Woohooo... It is gonna be a great couple of weekends at the Marina. Full of joy. Noisy tools, poisonous liquids and lukewarm  burgers. Of course, in SL it is just clickety click et voila... all the rust is gone... I feel a poem coming on. Let's call it:

Blues for old boats

Sad old rusty boat
All my time I will devote
Let's give you an antidote

Sad old rusty boat

Clickety click, new primer coat
Once again, you are afloat

I know. The clickety click never happens in RL. Unless you're Larry or sum ding...

A normal boat

What's a normal boat? Easy question, right?. It's a boat that's built to conquer the sea. So, would that be a Vikingship? Let's get a little more modern... Soling, no wait, -  an X79, - or could it be a Melges 24? Nah, it's  clearly a J80. The more I think about it, the blurrier the answer is. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to try something entirely different:

Sailing Motor Loons sailboat

It's from Motor Loon Watersports, and it sure is different. The sailing-script is the very popular BWind, so I expected it to sail well. It did. It has the livelyness of a smaller boat; Despite it's size, details and many functions, it doesn't feel sluggish at all. Steering is precise and it reacts instantly. It's a little different but in a good and interesting way. Sounds are good. The trimming sounds are great. Winches clicking. Trimming is easy too, or is it too easy? The spin autotrims and autogybes, and jib and main run on the same sheet.

Looking good

On the cruising side all that's missing is really bat-slides and lazyjacks for the main and possibly also auto-reefing. The underwater hull is pretty good. There's even a folding prop. (It doesn't yet unfold. I checked). On deck there are fittings everywhere. The cockpit is detailed, and there is even engine room with a hatch that opens. All in all it's a really nice cruiser.

What about the looks... It's clearly not a Q2m, but is it sexy, is it pretty? I suppose it's a matter of preference. I love sailing, I love  cruising, but cruisers... Honestly? To me cruisers are in the department of acquired taste.

Cruising with Motor

So it's a cruiser. Nothing wrong with that, but it means certain things have been given lower priorities.  There is no windvane, no compass, no telltales, no instruments, no balancing, easy sheet handling, no sail shape trimming. This really means you can enjoy sailing without thinking of all those things, - as Motor rightly noted. And he is right. It does sail very well. The livelyness and those well made sounds sure add to the sailing feel.

Cruising interior

On the inside you'll find just about anything you need. Didn't see an icecube dispenser, but there's a nice kitchen, a "living-room", bathroom and nice bed out front. You could live on this boat. Have spices grow in the vases, and you'r ready to invite the neighbours over. However, I wouldn't recommend plants. Where I come from, plants onboard kinda means bad luck. Some people say that women on board means bad luck too. Such crap. This boat is all about cozy and comfortable.

Island ahead

Back to the question: What is a normal boat? I grew up in a competitive sailing environment, so I never really looked at those floating family campers. You know, - the "Tired-of-life-42" types such as Dufour, Hanse, Bavaria. Eeew. To me  Solings or H-boats are perfectly normal boats suited for day cruising as well as racing. Even Lasers might be normal. (Though crazy people sail them). Going cruising for more than a week calls for something bigger. Around 40 feet. X-34 is a good start. Bigger gets you more luxury, but sadly... less feel. 

My conclusion? Well, - defining a normal boat is just as hard as it is to define normal, or am I wrong... Moth, Elliot or Camper32? What's your perception of a normal boat? Care to share... click comments right down there...