With the drift-off that is also known as the NSW states but a distant memory, I have skipped out of town for a week. Does this mean that boat stuff has stopped … well no.

On Tuesday I caught up with Andrew Landenberger, and checked out his new house / loft on the River, and got inspired with a few new ideas to try when I get back home …

The other thing that amazes me in Grafton is how easy it is to get access to some really great machinery. There almost seems to be a secret society of retired gentlemen who have fully decked out workshops in their basements. (Almost every house in Grafton proper was raised out of flood in the 1930′s so they have a whole “workshop floor” below the house.)

I am not just talking hobby equipment either, I am talking full scale, ex-industrial metal work lathes that some of these guys served their apprenticeships on capable of making parts for powerstations. And they know how to use them.

So I spent an hour or so with Dad watching a lathe bring some new custom parts to life, designing on the fly as we went. Then, once finished it was back to another full scale workshop in Dad’s basement for the finishing touches.

Now I just need to fit them on the boat and learn how to use them before next season.
If only we had a club which included a bunch of mad moth scientists … oh wait … we do.

On a side note my laptop is currently back at the manufacturer being reparired, and Mothcast is currently on hiatus as well until it comes back.