Hi Guys, Finally found some time.
I've been thru the financial wringer in the past month. Bought a dual zoned property here in town w/ HIGH hopes of opening a boat storage/repair center, and a bike/small engine shop.
After closing/clearing the property the town notified me the property was no longer dual zoned (dwelling/commercial).
This should have been disclosed at or before closing but... We're working on re-couping the money, and reversing the deal.
Plan B:
I installed a carport for shade in the back yard of my house when I first moved in. That carport has now been closed in, and slabs poured making that my shop.
I let the storage buildings I was using go, and consolidated everything to the house. You never realize how much crap you have till you have to move it.
This is where it all gets interesting. I've mentioned my buddy before, the fella that works overseas in a job that doesn't exist. Security Specialist is the title he prefers.
Anyway this guy has been a wind surfer since the beginning of the sport, and has always had some wild ideas for board designs, and continued evolution of the sport.
we got to talking/sketching some ideas, and it hit us both like a bolt of lightning.
Dual sport boards. I'm talking about a completely new genre in water sports. Tri-hull sail board designs that quickly convert to hydro-foil sit down sail boats.
Sort of a combination of a sail board, and a Moth.
I've been building boats my entire life, and have a few tricks under my belt. I am talking about a watercraft powered by sail that will break world speed records in several classes using the same board/boat.
The most important aspect of the entire idea is related to the "Golden Ratio".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratioBasically a mathematical formula for creating beauty/function. almost everything in nature is able to be reverse engineered into numbers that equal the numbers in this ratio.
The all new designs don't stop w/ the boat. I have sail designs that double the amount of energy in the same footprint, automatic anti pearling systems built into the board, hand controls for rudder/mast brake on the boom ect... .
Along w/ the boat itself there is a solid business plan to introduce the design. It involves one of the best know surfers on the planet, and the single largest resort chain.
We have begun setting up the LLC/business plan/web site, and ad campaign.
The company name is RayMaran Tri Foil Technologies. The web site is under construction, and that is raymaran.com The name is a combo of manta Ray, and tri Maran.
I can't go into details of board design until we acquire Copy rights, and perhaps patents but I can say there are at least a dozen models in the first 3 years of production, and they are all designed using the Golden Ratio as a basis.
The kicker is at the end of the second years production the whole she-bang is moving to Brazil. Floranopolis to be precise. I have been talking to a Brazillion-aire who is interested in my fuel column, and started researching the cost of doing business there. Guess what? It's a no brainer (perfect for zombies) Hopefully I can kill two birds w/ one stone
You all know how I feel about the superstructure of America so I won't go into the reasons for taking a multi million dollar industry out of this country. Bottom line is I don't like paying for other people to have kids that grow up having kids for other people to pay for.
Life is changing, priorities are changing..
Just thought I would fill you all in.
On another note... I found a 1969 Triumph 650 engine, and a hand built hard tail rolling chassis.
I traded the owner for a chopped up Rat Scooter I built from a 2004 Tao Tao.
Sooo at the moment I am preparing my shop for building a prototype of the sail board/boat, and setting up a bike table to build the '69 hard tail.
If all goes as I hope I will have a prototype board built by December 30, and will be taking my dog, and pony show on the road by April 2015 to promote the design. Passport in hand, materials in the shop and Triumph parts ordered. Life is never boring.
Sorry for the long wind. Just thought I'd fill you all in.
Hope everyone is doing well, and life is treating you all fair. Love you guys... Z