Messages

1

Travel, Trips, Destinations / Re: Cancun

« on: February 10, 2020, 08:29:56 AM »

Ok, but what about foilers? Any swell that seemed rideable?

I was only there one day and the beach break looked rough.

There is an outfit advertising foil lessons in the laguna behind a boat. 

2

SUP General / Re: 360 Cameras - Have they arrived? Ready to be an everyday camera?

« on: February 06, 2020, 04:50:17 AM »

Clay,

Video looks great.

How new or powerful of a computer do you need for the processing and editing?

How much does every minute of video need storage wise?  On the chip in the camera and then once you have edited it on a computer?

Thanks

3

Travel, Trips, Destinations / Re: Cancun

« on: February 06, 2020, 04:46:59 AM »

For those interested in surfing, I did look into that but the hotel zone seems to have a pretty steep beach gradient.

The day I was there was 6 foot plus waves but it just made for a nasty shore pound.

I didn’t see much in the way of beachfront board rentals either.

4

Travel, Trips, Destinations / Cancun

« on: January 21, 2020, 11:03:29 AM »

Short stay in Cancun and made it out on the water for $20.

Aquaworld in the hotel zone rents all rounders for use in the Laguna.

Couple of other outfits do SUP tours into the mangroves on the north or south end of the Laguna, I’ll try those next time and report back.

5

SUP General / Re: Recycled water (purple pipes)

« on: December 07, 2019, 09:09:08 AM »

The regulations for discharge water from any kind of plant are weird. When I worked at the Trojan Nuclear Plant most of the water we discharged had lower levels of radionuclides than the water we took in. We used river water for everything. We'd flocculate it (add goop to make the major contaminants stick together in clumps) and run it through a sand filter then chlorinate it a little for drinking water, then deionize it for secondary water (steam plant and such) and do secondary deionizing and degasification for primary water (reactor coolant). we filtered the reactor coolant before discharge, but fundamentally the water that everyone outside the plant was scared of--primary coolant--was literally H2O and nothing else. Everything else was more contaminated with something. The worse being water that came right out of the river which we could not put back.

Probably some of the many regulations that drive up the costs of nuke power.  Some of course are definitely necessary, but it would be nice if they were reasonable and we had nuke power and electric cars everywhere. 

6

SUP General / Re: Recycled water (purple pipes)

« on: December 07, 2019, 09:07:24 AM »

It's still in purple pipes. Reclaimed water isn't dangerous. No nasty bugs or anything. It can have higher levels of nitrogen and phosphorous but that's usually about the only concern. That's why golf courses like it...free fertilizer. Reclaimed water is cleaner than what can be normally discharged to a body of water. It has to go through tertiary treatment and then chlorine or UV disinfection.

Bottom line....if you don't drink a bunch you'll be fine.

Oh I understand it’s probably safer than what used to be discharged into rivers in the 50’s.

It’s just that I was surprised the developers are doing this on the down low.  No exposed purple pipes and no signs saying recycled water.  Just signs saying don’t drink, don’t swim, don’t eat the fish, don’t let your dog swim in the water, etc.

7

Random / Re: Electric Surf Vehicles in 2020

« on: December 03, 2019, 07:09:38 AM »

Independent, like all Teslas. There's no real way to even make a solid axle unless you have a driveshaft.

Well I hope you’re right, I would much prefer independent suspension at all four corners.

I wonder what that will do to the dually / 5th wheel crowd though with respect to tow ratings and tongue / axle weight?

8

SUP General / Recycled water (purple pipes)

« on: November 30, 2019, 10:27:41 AM »

Anyone flatwater paddle regularly in a lake with recycled water? 

The kind that used to be marked by purple pipes? 

Just wondering because I’m seeing more and more subdivisions that use it for their lakes, streams, and water features.  They have also moved away from the purple pipes and the “stink” that people associate with poo water by having a sign with all kinds of rules posted: no swimming, catch and release only, no pets allowed in the water, etc.....but no mention that this is because the water is recycled (kinda sneaky if you ask me).

I found this interesting because the use of recycled water is apparently becoming more widespread and some might not be aware that their local spot is using it.

Yes I know all water has flowed through multiple people and animals, and that the use of recycled water for things like golf courses saves the more filtered and treated stuff for our drinking supply.

Also wondering what the standards are for determining when water is “recycled” versus when it’s cleaned enough to be discharged into rivers, lakes, etc.

9

SUP Advocacy / Re: SUP – Accessibility to Kids

« on: November 30, 2019, 10:01:37 AM »

Resurrecting this old thread to see if anyone has a list of small child sized flat water touring SUPs and paddles?

And by small child I mean 3 foot and 35 pounds.

So far this is the smallest I have found (kayak)

https://www.amazon.com/Lifetime-Youth-Kayak-Paddle-6-Feet/dp/B07CMTQZ8L/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Child+pink+paddle+kayak&qid=1575136774&sr=8-1

10

Random / Re: Electric Surf Vehicles in 2020

« on: November 30, 2019, 09:42:51 AM »

With a bit of makeup and mood lighting it is almost attractive and worth a test drive.

Bob

Did you get a test drive?  How was it?

Their website is a bit lacking in details.  It says air suspension but that’s it.  Just wondering if it is independent suspension or solid axle(s).   

11

Foil SUP / Re: Wing shaping and wing washout

« on: March 01, 2019, 05:15:03 AM »

That’s too bad you crashed your ultralight.

Generally it’s dihedral that is used to improve stability, maybe you lost some of that too?

Having the wingtips washout tends to make stalls more gentle, especially if it is progressive as it goes outboard.  First, just the center of the wing stalls, then the stalled area moves farther out, then finally the whole wing is in a stall.

In aircraft this can allow for more reaction time which is nice for entry level flying.

So if the OP is suffering from sudden full foil stalls, then washout could be beneficial as I stated.  But he will need a bigger wing to produce the same lift as a non washed out wing. The bigger wing will have more drag.

12

Foil SUP / Re: Wing shaping and wing washout

« on: February 22, 2019, 06:45:19 PM »

What is washout, you ask?  Washout is when the wing tips are slightly twisted down to decrease the angle of incidence  when compared to the root of the wing.  If all wing segments are in the same angle of incidence, there is no washout. 
Washout is used in airplanes to decrease sudden stall in low speed situations. Though in the world of hydroplanes, there may be no benefit. 

Twisting the wingtips down is also done on airplanes so that as they enter a stall you still have roll control and can stop any roll while simultaneously pitching down to break the stall.

On traditionally configured aircraft roll control is achieved through the ailerons, which are out towards the tips of the wings (on the trailing edge), thus the desire to have a lower AOA on the outer portion of the wing than at the root.

This doesn’t really apply to foils since they don’t have ailerons.

I’m not saying don’t try it, but you shouldn’t try it just because airplanes have downwashed wingtips.  It might be beneficial so that your entire wing doesn’t stall at once, but is stalling wings a problem when foiling?

Any washout you design in will result in less total lift for your wing area.

As to the thread drift about high aspect ratio wings, I would suspect they would work well in downwind situations right up until people push the wings longer and thinner and then they break (if constucted with traditional foil wing layups).

13

Random / Re: Retiring But where?

« on: February 17, 2019, 11:42:49 AM »

So what are your ideas on where? Given this is going to be a low budget affair?

Since you got screwed financially, will you still be working some to make ends meet?

These are the only states that don’t have income tax:
Alaska
Florida
Nevada
New Hampshire
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Washington
Wyoming

The only savings a state gets from not taxing income is the elimination of the costs associated with collecting income taxes. If they eliminate one source of revenue, they will likely have to increase others in order to meet expenses. You have to look at the overall tax burden. Lack of income tax is a pretty good indicator; 3 of the lowest 10 states ranked by tax burden have no income tax. But there are other factors that cause some of the states (most notably TX and OK) to be a lot further from the bottom of the list than you would expect:

https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-highest-lowest-tax-burden/20494/

This table is misleading...it shows California Individual Income Tax Rate at 3.65%...

The California State Tax Bracket for <4% is only for those earning $38,990.00 or less. It is 8% or above for middle income earners. 

Check State Income Tax Brackets here: https://www.tax-brackets.org/californiataxtable

The new limit of State and Local Income Taxes (SALT) as a Federal Income Tax deduction makes living in Taxifornia even more painful...which is why many of us nearing retirement are developing our exit strategy.

MAX

It is really difficult for these articles to apply to multiple audiences. According to this 2016 article, the median income for retirees is ~ $32K:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/powell/2016/07/14/retirees-low-income-social-security/83934392/

so for the majority of the population, the chart is accurate. However, most retirement articles do have an expected audience of high earners and the median income of people who actually look at that chart is probably much higher. It's hard to say what numbers to go with in a simple chart. It would be nice if it were interactive - what income, will you rent or buy? What price range? etc...

Just trying to help the OP with his predicament..... low savings due to business partner, lost his house, etc. 

I stand by my advice that avoiding state income tax is important to his situation and that the article and chart someone else posted is not accurate.

14

Random / Re: Retiring But where?

« on: February 17, 2019, 11:04:01 AM »

So what are your ideas on where? Given this is going to be a low budget affair?

Since you got screwed financially, will you still be working some to make ends meet?

These are the only states that don’t have income tax:
Alaska
Florida
Nevada
New Hampshire
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Washington
Wyoming

But there are other factors that cause some of the states (most notably TX and OK) to be a lot further from the bottom of the list than you would expect:

https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-highest-lowest-tax-burden/20494/

It’s always good to look at the big picture, but that chart is flawed. 

Just at a quick glance, California income tax is higher than the chart number, Texas property tax is lower than the chart number, real life sales taxes are almost double the chart number (NY, CA), etc.

Back to the original question, the OP sounds like he will have low savings hence my question about working for income. 

It is highly likely most of his money will be coming from Social Security and part time work, so state income tax is a much bigger deal than those fortunate enough to have savings, tax free accounts (Roth), municipal bonds, paid off properties, etc. 

15

Random / Re: Retiring But where?

« on: February 17, 2019, 06:37:08 AM »

So what are your ideas on where? Given this is going to be a low budget affair?

Since you got screwed financially, will you still be working some to make ends meet?

These are the only states that don’t have income tax:
Alaska
Florida
Nevada
New Hampshire
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Washington
Wyoming