Splash Time 2014
by John Urban
Splash time. After months of diligent work, the old wooden boat is ready to start a new season on the salt. All exterior surfaces – the hull, decks, cabin sides, coach roof, cockpit, transom, mast and boom – have been sanded and recoated.
Those quiet moments in the shed offered considerable time for thought. Here’s a sample of what the mind comes up with from the combination of too much time, fatigued arms, and inhaled paint fumes:
• Has anyone else noticed that the Federal Reserve must exclude boating supplies from its inflation index? Is it just me, or are the prices for marine parts and paint rising as if they’re tied to the Argentinian peso in a currency crisis?
• Will this be the year that Christies and Sotheby’s become market makers in driving up the price of old wooden boats? Economists say some inflation is good. We’ve had the dot.com bubble, the housing bubble. How about a wooden boat bubble? Come on, what’s the downside?
• Is it possible that Viking Funerals were simply recognition there has never ever been a resale market for wooden sailboats, even way back when?
But enough talk about labor, markets, and economics. Let’s get on the water. Time to do some research for the next Decatur book. Maybe head to Martha’s Vineyard in August for the 1st Annual Vineyard Haven Harbor Classic Boat Gathering on August 14- August 16.
There will be some boating eye candy over there in Vineyard Haven. Check out Nellie:
Yes, after a very long winter, but in the words of James Taylor:
Summer’s here.
I’m for that.
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