What's Going On In RoamerVille???

My only beef is the lack of conversation or lack of response when you do throw something out their. It seems we are being charged by the post. Lots of people are looking at it but not adding their two cents.
Clop clop clop clop, BANG clop clop clop
An Amish drive by.
W.

Dear Roam No Mo
See what I mean. 30 lookers and no talkers. OK I know, your all out at Costco looking for deals on cases of Navel Jelly for the spring splash but surly there is time to complain about something. Price of gas or the smell of the used French fry cooking oil your trying to burn?
Vented
W.

RNM, Does that mean you sold the boat?
Just you and me babe.
I'm not sure about the used veggie oil but I do remember reading about it and it does have a strange smell when burned. Some eco types run their cars on the stuff but I don't know if they are diesels or not. Good thing to search for instead of looking for Paris Hilton pics but right now I'm writing an English paper for my lazy kid.
W.

http://www.greasecar.com/
OK here you go. One less excuse to leave your 56 footer tied up to the dock this summer
And you thought I was kidding.
W.

Actually Kevin, there have been 440 posts since the Roamer Club switched over to YachtForums. If the forums seem slow right now, you might consider this is the time of year when most people log-off and head for the marina. This is typical with most boating websites.

Regarding your concerns about receiving new posts, I had hoped that I answered this question for you once before, located here...

http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7557

On a side note, while many of the threads in the Roamer Club are getting a large number of views, but only a few posts, remember... there are A LOT of people on this site that do not own Roamers, but still enjoy following along with your conversations.

And finally, I'm going to poke a little fun at you... "One should not gripe about a lack of participation, when one has only made 4 posts".

POLL US!

I've hung on but also miss the interactions of the old site. I don't mind this site but I'd rather get the posts direct to my inbox and be able to reply to them from the inbox like the old days. (HINT HINT, Mr. Moderator!) I'm surprized Eric didn't chime in on your post. I think the best way to find out how the "regulars" feel is to do a poll. If the majority wants to stay on here, then I'll quit my moaning and groaning and shut up. If the majority wants to bail, then maybe Eric would give us his blessing...but then again maybe 2/3 vote would be more statesmanlike, but then maybe the majority would want to change the rules...go with a NUCLEAR option...but I digress!

ONE thing I know for SURE.....NEED MORE STORIES BY WALLY.

Come on Wally...isn't ROAMERVILLE the title of your new book?
Yana

Guys (and ladies too)...

I'm not sure what more I can do to help. I've given you instructions on how to subscribe to threads, even if you are not participating in them.

Eric has done a remarkable job with the Roamer website and I hope everyone appreciates his efforts. I'm not sure everyone realizes the amount of work he has put forward. Also, I hope everyone will take this into account when considering the right format for the Roamer Club, as he spent considerable time researching this before approaching me with the idea.

Frankly, I was more than happy to host a forum for the Roamer Club because Eric had contributed so much to YachtForums. You might consider trying to work with him (and our format), as a way of showing him your appreciation.

A couple of things to consider...

1. The traffic and exposure you are receiving can only help the Roamer Club to grow. In April, we exceeded 6 million hits.

2. You have a full time IT staff and professional moderators maintaining the site, standing ready to address your needs.

But... it's not my job to sell you on this. Hosting the site has been complimentary to Eric and we respect the wishes of Roamer owners.

If anyone is into Formula 1 racing check this engine test out. It's almost unwatchable. http://www.smele.com/video/

Yana, why don't you write a story, something like 'Revolution in Roamerville' 'Comrades rise up and throw off the oppressive yoke off Mega
yachtdom.'
It could open with you leading a group of tattered Roamer owners up the stairs to the palatial offices of yachtforums on the top floor of the YF Towers. Up and up, past the Hatteras offices, past North Star floor, past Millennium Super Yachts till the golden double doors of Yachtfourms, Your group burst through and have to ask the pretty receptionist which office the Administrator is in. She was alerted that something might be happening with the unter menschen but wasn't expecting such a show of force. She jumped up, spilling her nail polish onto her teak and glass desk. She tried to block the mob but her stiletto heels and tight skirt prevented her from moving fast enough. Leaving a guard to keep her quiet the group moved on, pausing at the closed doors to listen for voices. At the third door voices were heard, Italian and Dutch and the clinking of glasses.
"This has got to be the one" Yana hissed and turned to the skipper of Dark Rock, "Break it down!"
The doors yielded to his husky shoulder and reveled the scene within. One wall was complete covered with large scale drawings of a mega yacht that looked like a space ship. The marble desk was completely flat, all the monitors were flush with the top, not a wire was showing. Casting her eyes around after they became accustomed to the bright light poring in from the floor to ceiling windows she spotted Eric in the corner, duck tape over his mouth, hands tied behind his back.

Eric's eyes became big as saucers at the sight of Yana (Who he never saw before) but recognized her by the pickup bed liner paint still on her deck shoes.

W.

ROTFLMAO!!!

I'll take Wally's vision of YachtForums over reality ANY DAY!

Ouch!
Yes, I really do want a wood-hulled Connie........ or any other wood-hulled boat. Some of us that read this forum have boats other than metal hulled Roamers. Not all are FRP boats either. But I'm a fan of classic Chris Crafts, of any/all material. I read this forum because we all can learn from each other in a common interest of classic Chris Crafts. I've had a dozen or so FRP boats, a couple metal boats (if I count my aluminum row boat as one). For the last twelve and one half years I've owned a mid-sized wood-hulled Connie Express of mid-sixties vintage. I'm presently working on purchasing my next boat which will also be wood-hulled. Some of us prefer wood boats. In my opinion they are infinately repairable, have an exceptionally good ride and the maintenance of KEEPING and wood boat in proper condition is an insignificant increase in effort. Trouble is boat owners ignore preventive maintenance. I think they just don't know any better. When a wood boat starts to go bad it sneaks up quickly. And most are not knowledgable enough to see this. When a FRP or metal boat starts to go bad there is time to dump it on some unsuspecting poor sole. I view the modern day boats over and over during my annual trek to the Lauderdale boat show. Sure the megayachts are impressive. Certainly none could be built efficiently or affordably in wood. Strength considerations kill that. They are intended for people of extreme wealth. Then I look at the mid-size cruisers of new vintage. They all look the same. Boring! But the general public buys them so have at it. There is a good thing about modern day boats. They permit the average American to own one.
Okay; off the soapbox, I'm done with my rant. But hey Administrator, I for one think you're wrong.
tumblehome

You know... I made the disclaimer "all in fun" before making the analogy. I was afraid someone would take me to task over that statement.

Before you fire any shots over the bow...

We've had two wood-hull Chris Craft's. The first, an old bull-nose, double cabin flybridge 46' and the second... a 65' Constellation. Later, we had a 57' Roamer.

As I said, my comment was strictly "fun" in nature, knowing full-well we have Connie owners following the forum. Trust me... I love wood. I love classics. And I love Chris Crafts.

BTW... the name is Carl. The administrator is his evil twin.

Carl, "all in fun" is cute. But, it's very similar to asking the trial jury to disregard a very shocking statement. If you truly want to make a comment "all in fun" you might make your comparison to a material that is truly impossible to make a boat from. Wood hulled boats too much maligned and have captured a stigma that some of us feel is unwarranted. I listen to these for a time until one day I've had enough and I step up on the soapbox for a good rant and I challenge these statements. tumblehome

chap 2

(thanks Wally - I got my fix! I knew if I goaded you enough you'd write something stellar! Certainly didn't figure on getting center stage but here goes....)

...Holding out dirty mops and wet paint brushes, the rag-tag group of Roamers owners quickly backed the Don Johnson look-alike Yacht Forums personell up against the wall, then herded them and their International friends in their expensive suits into the Administrator's large private bathroom. They slammed the door shut, and rammed a chair under the brass handle. Their cries of indignation and frantic thumpings were rendered futile by the massive raised panel mahogany door. The group turned to Eric, quickly begining to untie his hands and stripping off the duct tape from his mouth.

"Eric, we were wondering what had happened to you!!!, are you alright?"

A cheerful look of relief swept his face..."Yes, yes, I am fine, but I was wondering if you guys would ever figure it out!"

"I knew something was up, I just knew it!" Yana exclaimed. "You weren't responding to the posts complaini - er - wondering about the site!" All we kept getting was sermons about how great the site is, how lame we must be to not just figure it out, about how everyone in megayachtville adores the site just fine!" Dark Rock added "And they kept insinuating that we were somehow ungrateful for your efforts, that we were being disloyal to you for not liking it!"

Wally chimed in -"Yea, and they say they have this full time IT staff who stand by to assist us, yet when we say we liked getting all posts in all threads direct to our in-box, whether we are subscribed to them not I mean how hard would that be, we are told that their way is the best way and stop complaining, because we are getting TONS of exposure!!!

Yana dropped to her knees before the group's beloved and venerable leader, "Oh, Eric, you are our very reason for existance, and you know we would follow you to the ends of the earth...But what can we do? Do they normally charge people to host sites on Megayachtville? Because the moderator Don Carl left me with the impresssion that they have been kind enough to host your site for free?"

"Yes", Eric said nodding,"For that we should be grateful"... Dark Rock, who had been busy untying Eric's hands stood up, held out the ropes, and let them drop to the floor..."Yes, its free, but as what price?".

Suddenly the sounds of a large group of heavily booted feet could be heard tromping with military precicision in the hallway...

Tumblehome,
Lighten up on our Administrator. Old wood boats kind of give me the creeps. They usually smell of rot and mildew down below or just by walking by and the bilges are always full. The pumps are the only thing keeping them afloat. The truth is that letting a bunch of wood with tenmillion metal screws or worse nails soaking in sea water for 30 years is going to take it's toll and if it's not held together with good paint will generally drift apart in various directions. Floating antiques are fine but I wouldn't trust my life with one.

OK, soaking steel in sea water for thirty years kind of does the same thing but this is a site for steel boats. No jokes about rust or corrosion are allowed here.

I drilled a hole in a 30 year young GRP hull and the plug that came out was kind of dusty, crumbly. I thought one good thump and down we go. I read somewhere that boat prices are determined by the rate of sink. The closer that the boat is to that the cheaper it is. I think that's true. I also think a wood sheathed GRP hull might be the answer. Needless to say I don't think the Administrator will be calling on me for Yacht building advice.
W.

Hull Truth

Now thatz a good formula.
If only boat surveyors would put it so succinctly.
Now aluminum, hey, it just forms a self-protective patina.
No rot, no rust.
(And keep those **** loose wires and less noble metals away from me).

It's a funny thing, I've never met a boat, or ship owner for that matter who wouldn't fight to the death to protect the good name of their vessel, no matter what material it is built of, or from. It's something that they all have in common. They can curse the day that they ever set eyes on the **** thing, but God help anyone else who dares to say the same thing.

Truth is, boat owners are just proud to be able to own the boat that they own. It's more than just a symbole of status in the world. It shows that this person has taken on awesome burdens that other mere mortals haven't dared to presume they can handle. And within those burdens comes an unparrelled freedom in an alien environment that most people don't understand any better than they do space travel, or space exploration. To these people both are just a waste of good hard earned money that could be spent on more important family concerns, like taking care of their kids. But the truth is, kids grow up, and at 18 become adults that are expected to make it out in the world on their own, or further their education, to better make it on their own a few years later. And wouldn't it be great if those kids learned what responcibility was all about before they turned 18? And what better way to teach responcibility, and good habits than by taking good care of a boat, learning, and using safe navigational skills, paying, and working on the continuing maintenence of that same boat, or the larger boats that follow as you trade up. And isn't trading up a whole bushel basket full of skills to lead the next generation into learning as they follow our leadership of example.

Yes, all boat owners have a lot in common. But what they have most in common is that they own their own boats.

Capt John S. Keller
Great Lakes Pilot