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Boaty McBoatface II

5 (13.5%)

Float 'n' Chill

3 (8.1%)

Lady Claire

5 (13.5%)

My Other Boat Is A Tin Bathtub

2 (5.4%)

Gone Fishin'

0 (0%)

Queen Faye's Revenge

7 (18.9%)

Don't Judge Me, Kids! You'll Be Here Soon Enough!

2 (5.4%)

Pintsize's Excellent Adventure

3 (8.1%)

To Have and Have Not (Yes, a literary reference for Claire's sake)

4 (10.8%)

I Survived Jaws!

1 (2.7%)

Other (please specify in comments)

5 (13.5%)

Total Members Voted: 35

[BenRG]

Okay, as random a poll as I'm probably able to come up with here: Martin and Steve seem to be thinking about getting a boat for relaxation purposes. However, what should Marten name this proud maiden of Massachusetts' inland waterways? Yes, all the options are silly to a greater or lesser extent but I like all these names and, or at least so I hope, they're all 'in characters' for Marten's somewhat-snarky world-view.

What would I choose. Marten is a bit of a sap, so I imagine him calling it 'Lady Claire' and trying to paint all flowers around the name-plate. Claire later points out that, as a librarian who loves cyberpunk, she'd vastly prefer a robotic skull and crossbones but thinks that the effort is 'sweet' anyway!

Naturally, the boat could ultimately be a plot device. Maybe Pintsize is always hinting that he is using it for smuggling bootleg recreational DLL thumb drives?

[thedevilissix]

If our country can’t have a Naval ship named Boaty McBoatface in spite of popular poll opinion, may I offer it up as an option for Marten and Steve?

I feel that way true justice will be served. 

[thedevilissix]

Just seen the poll. You read my mind. 

[Gyrre]

If our country can’t have a Naval ship named Boaty McBoatface in spite of popular poll opinion, may I offer it up as an option for Marten and Steve?

I feel that way true justice will be served. 

I still find it hard to believe that that actually happened and I'm under 40yo.

[cybersmurf]

C'mon guys, his little pet robot is called Pintsize. The dinghy he'll be able to afford is going to be called "Nutshell".
(in English, you do call a tiny boat a nutshell, right? Also, the possibility of puns for Claire...)

[zisraelsen]

I've never heard anyone in America call a tiny boat a nutshell, but we definitely SHOULD be.

[BenRG]

An inland waterways fishing boat does not have to be anything elaborate. Take, for example this Avocet-17, known technically as a 'dory'.



The Wilson Flyer here is actually on sale for $4k, which is somewhat cheaper than most kinds of car. That said, the ancillary costs are what are killers for boat ownership: Hull maintenance, navigational and communications kit (radar and VHF radio), the transport trailer and a car powerful enough to tow it.

[Gyrre]

Cleaning out the intakes to prevent the spread of invasive species....
Oh wait, that one's cheap.

[Cornelius]

It'd surprise me if radar is required for something that size. I know that over here it's entirely optional for pleasure craft. Also, your nav and comm is a one time cost - unless you go with electronic charts, in which case you'll need to pay for the updates. Main cost is hull maintenance, and berth, really. Edited to add: and fuel, depending on the boat and how often you use it.

That being said, radar, if you really know how to properly read it, can be a great safety aid. Though, personally, I'd go for an AIS transponder for something that size, as radar utility is really rather limited this close to the water.

Cleaning out the intakes to prevent the spread of invasive species....
Oh wait, that one's cheap.

Also just a good idea even if you just value your engine.

[thedevilissix]

If our country can’t have a Naval ship named Boaty McBoatface in spite of popular poll opinion, may I offer it up as an option for Marten and Steve?

I feel that way true justice will be served. 

I still find it hard to believe that that actually happened and I'm under 40yo.

It didn’t. They named the ship itself the Sir David Attenborough, but named one of the boats upon it Boaty McBoatface as an appeasement measure 

[thedevilissix]

If the boat was called Lady Claire, I’m half imagining a repurposed version of the Rolling Stones’ “Lady Jane” addressed to Claire to be sailing out of some loudspeakers as the boat goes past.

Or if it’s like a narrowboat I encountered travelling along a canal near me one time, the loudspeakers could be playing “Mundian To Bach Ke” 

[Skewbrow]

May be something more musical, like Riff Raft or Aquarius?

[Zebediah]

The boat is named “Questionably Content”.

[shanejayell]

"The Baroness" after Steve's EX.

[Gyrre]

If our country can’t have a Naval ship named Boaty McBoatface in spite of popular poll opinion, may I offer it up as an option for Marten and Steve?

I feel that way true justice will be served. 

I still find it hard to believe that that actually happened and I'm under 40yo.

It didn’t. They named the ship itself the Sir David Attenborough, but named one of the boats upon it Boaty McBoatface as an appeasement measure 

I meant that 'Boaty McBoatface' became the most popular name.

[DSL]

The Motor Vessel Reed-Augustus Floating Instrument Repair Shop and Bookmobile.
Though anything they could afford would be too small to be a documented vessel -- that is, one formally registered under a name -- and would formally be MS(four digits)(two letters).
It should probably be a houseboat, but it will likely be a little dinghy.

[shanejayell]

Awww, poor Tai.

[Torlek]

So I just want to comment on the prices on the menu: It looks like $1.00 for a burger, no price for cheese (free?), $16.00 for bacon and $0.50 for mushrooms. So you're saying I can get a mushroom cheese burger for $1.50? Unless the burger is a pile of ash grilled into a hockey puck by a surly Russian guy named Vlad and the $16.00 bacon is the only thing that makes it palatable then HELL YEAH.

[Near Lurker]

...they're acting like getting a boat together is like booking a honeymoon suite... if it's moored, it seems downright sensible...

[BenRG]

Oh this is so cute. Don't feel bad, Tai. If anything, this proves that all the people who used to make fun of you in school were wrong. You are very, very normal in so many ways, right down to falling deliriously in love and having a remarkably elaborate fantasy about how you're going to make a public statement about it to your wider community!

Now, I don't trust Steve's smile in panel 3. He's getting a kooky idea in his head about how he and Marten can make the 'boat' thing work and I suspect that it's going to be either embarrassing, semi-legal or just plain needlessly elaborate. Or maybe all three. You can take a man out of the super-spy biz but you can't take the super-spy biz (and it's methods) out of his head!

Oh, and hello, Brun in panel 1! It's been a while since we last saw you!

[andrybak]

— We are not buying a boat together.
— Unless...

Unless it is for hot gay sex.

[Dngrsone]

I just love Dora skritching Tai's head in panel 2...

[Tai Fanboi]

You know what's better than owning a boat?  Having a FRIEND who owns a boat 

[Wingy]

That said, the ancillary costs are what are killers for boat ownership: Hull maintenance, navigational and communications kit (radar and VHF radio), the transport trailer and a car powerful enough to tow it.

One of my former bosses - who has a tinkerers bent - rigged up a used side-scan sonar for use on his boat.  He doesn't fish, so I'm not quite sure why he did this.  OTOH, he also created his own scanning electron microscope...

[JoeCovenant]

Is "owning a boat" really so prevalent in the US???

[BenRG]

Is "owning a boat" really so prevalent in the US???

Depends where you are, I guess. Some parts of the US (Northern Florida, especially), I'm sure that it's much harder to get around without one. The area of the Great Lakes is probably similar as is the East Coast.

[Zebediah]

Is "owning a boat" really so prevalent in the US???

Depends where you are, I guess. Some parts of the US (Northern Florida, especially), I'm sure that it's much harder to get around without one. The area of the Great Lakes is probably similar as is the East Coast.

The only place I know of in the US where it’s “hard to get around” without a boat is the Mississippi Delta region, particularly southern Louisiana. And even in the deep swamps of Cajun country there are roads (of varying quality) to most places.

A boat in Northampton is probably purely recreational. Even a small single-outboard fishing boat would be a lot on the Connecticut River. They’d be better off buying a canoe.

[DSL]

Is "owning a boat" really so prevalent in the US???

Yes -- though the great majority of them aren't transport necessities, but recreation. And a significant number of them rarely leave the dock once they're in the water for the season, being floating party places for people who think it too common to have a camper-trailer ("caravan" as some call them). This is a good thing, as I see a great many plastic toys out on the water under the "command" of people who have no business being in charge of a boat.

[JoeCovenant]

Is "owning a boat" really so prevalent in the US???

Yes -- though the great majority of them aren't transport necessities, but recreation. And a significant number of them rarely leave the dock once they're in the water for the season, being floating party places for people who think it too common to have a camper-trailer ("caravan" as some call them). This is a good thing, as I see a great many plastic toys out on the water under the "command" of people who have no business being in charge of a boat.

This is what's throwing me.

I would imagine owning a boat would be expensive, but everyone's treating it as if it "ain't no thang!"... and fairly standard fare!
 

[BenRG]

I would imagine owning a boat would be expensive, but everyone's treating it as if it "ain't no thang!"... and fairly standard fare!
 

That's the thing: I don't think it is expensive, from what I've seen. If anything, it is cheaper than owning a car in most cases!

[Stoutfellow]

Boat-owning is fairly common where I live, in the St. Louis metro area. There are plenty of small lakes hereabouts.

[Cornelius]

Well, boat owner here. For me, it comes out cheaper annually, than my car. Though, I should add, that's because I have a berth in a small inland boating club, and she is from 1946, so I pay the lowest tax rate.

Is "owning a boat" really so prevalent in the US???

Yes -- though the great majority of them aren't transport necessities, but recreation. And a significant number of them rarely leave the dock ...This is a good thing, as I see a great many plastic toys out on the water under the "command" of people who have no business being in charge of a boat.

And that is exactly why I applaud our new pleasure craft legislation, that sets higher standards on licensing, as well as rationalising the mandatory equipment.

[Wingy]

Is "owning a boat" really so prevalent in the US???

Google is suggesting 1 in 10 households own a boat (17 million boats in the US).  Of course, what counts as a boat becomes an immediate question.  Some people consider a pontoon a boat, though I don't; I think they're more of a navigable dock.

https://www.boatsetter.com/boats/mqczlwh

[jwhouk]

Is "owning a boat" really so prevalent in the US???

There are people in the Phoenix metro area that own boats.

Think about that for a moment or two.

[JoeCovenant]

Is "owning a boat" really so prevalent in the US???

There are people in the Phoenix metro area that own boats.

Think about that for a moment or two.

:::Thinks about it...:::
:::gets nowhere:::
...
:::Looks up Phoenix Metro Area on Google Maps:::

Ah! Right! Quasi Desert!!!   

[Zebediah]

It should be noted that Arizona is one of the few desert areas on the planet where people regularly die by drowning.

[TheEvilDog]

Is "owning a boat" really so prevalent in the US???

I think it depends on what you define as a boat.
I'd imagine far more people own a small outboard than those who have a 40 foot yacht. Plus, I'd also imagine that a lot of them are owned by fishermen (or people who call themselves fishermen).

[rtmq0227]

Is "owning a boat" really so prevalent in the US???

I think it depends on what you define as a boat.
I'd imagine far more people own a small outboard than those who have a 40 foot yacht. Plus, I'd also imagine that a lot of them are owned by fishermen (or people who call themselves fishermen).

Yeah, if you stick to the broadest definition of a boat, the statistics are about as useful as the statistics on how many people own or operate any wheeled vehicle.

[TheEvilDog]

Yeah, but if you try using them as boats, you'll end up with a lot of submarines instead.

[rtmq0227]

Yeah, but if you try using them as boats, you'll end up with a lot of submarines instead.

"Look, I said it would go underwater, I never said it would make it back out."

[SeaWoodStage]

I actually just spent ages trying to think of the perfect present for my father-in-law. I suggested a book about making model boats (something he likes to do), and asked my husband's opinion. He had no suggestions other than "get him something he'll like". I said "yes, he likes building model boats, right?" "Yes, he loves doing that." "Right, I'm ordering this book about builsing model boats, it seems perfect for him."

[SordidEuphemism]

I humbly submit "Bros! Bros! Bros!" as the boat name.

[SeaWoodStage]

I was mad sneaky and wrote this: "Hi (father-in-law), merry christmas! Lots of love, (son and daughter in law). Eh, you gotta lose a few.

[SeaWoodStage]

Oh and he'll probably name a model boat after me. Which I think is fair enough seeing as I've sent cards and presents to my in-laws every year for 8 years, while my husband treats his own family as an inconvenience.

[jwhouk]

:::Thinks about it...:::
:::gets nowhere:::
...
:::Looks up Phoenix Metro Area on Google Maps:::

Ah! Right! Quasi Desert!!!   

Nothing's quasi about it. Sonoran Desert, in fact.


And yes, many people die of drowning in Arizona, but not because of  all the backyard pools in our major cities.

There's this thing called "flash flooding" that happens in arid environments like ours.....

[shanejayell]

New Strip up.

I;m VAGUELY worried Dora and Tai are gonna end up wedded right there....

[Near Lurker]

...no bet.

...wait, what's this about gift baskets?

[Dinaverg]

New Strip up.

I;m VAGUELY worried Dora and Tai are gonna end up wedded right there....

only vaguely? tsk.

[Mordhaus]

People drown in Arizona because it typically only rains during what they call monsoon season. During that time, quick building strong rain storms can drop a ton of rain in a short time. There are also a lot of crossings in Arizona called 'washes' where the road is either at ground level or close to it in dry riverbeds. You can easily go to an urban center and get caught out, meaning on the way home you might have to cross one or more of these riverbeds. If you misjudge the current or get too cocky, you end up a statistic as your vehicle is washed downstream and shredded.

Quite a bit of the blame is on the Arizona government for not properly building safe crossings. It is a lot easier and cheaper to just put signs out warning about the low water crossings.

I can recall when I was growing up and still living in south Arizona near the Tohono O'odham nation reservation, a couple of times I was almost a statistic. One was when I was 10 or 11 and my aunt came to visit. She took me to Tucson for some reason and on the way back she decided to shoot across a wash in her 65 mustang after she saw a larger truck go through it. The car started drifting to the left from the water pressure and we just barely made it out because she had hit the water fast, ending up in the opposite lane. Another time was when I was with my family in our ltd station wagon about a year later. We had went to town for groceries and I was sitting in the back in the flip up seats. My grandfather was generally pretty good at judging the washes, but we got hit by a small surge as we were going through and the car stalled. The back of the car where I was started taking in water through the semi open rear window. Some of our grocery bags were sucked out and I was lucky I had my little waist seat belt on. Some people on the other side noticed and were able to wade out to hook up our front with a chain, pulling us out.

Rushing water is scary and extremely dangerous. Sadly a lot of people find out only too late.

[Gyrre]

I would imagine owning a boat would be expensive, but everyone's treating it as if it "ain't no thang!"... and fairly standard fare!
 

That's the thing: I don't think it is expensive, from what I've seen. If anything, it is cheaper than owning a car in most cases!

What kind of boat?
I imagine flat-bottom boats, canoes, and kayaks are fairly cheap.