Plastic Classic Forum

For those of you interested, I have a new website online which covers my 1960 Lyman 23 Sleeper.

www.lapstrake.com

Nice design Tim. I dig the colors. That opening photo is a killer!

I cannot believe that "lapstrake.com" wasn't already taken! Was that your first try, or was it your fallback? I suppose "oldyellerlyman.com" was already in use?

;)

I was also surprised that lapstrake.com was not taken. My first choice, though, was tumblehome.com, which has a nice ring to it regardless, and the tumblehome is one of my favorite features on this old boat. I thought about barrelback.com, since these sterns are often called that, but of course that was taken by an antique Chris-Craft site, as it should be since the Chrises were the true "barrelbacks".

But I'm pleased with lapstrake.com.

Many thanks for the new website. Looks great so far!

Any thoughts about a forum for the new site or possibly a link to this forum? No doubt you would attract a lot of attention from people interested in classic powerboats.

Personally, I'd like to have just one forum to check on but the organization might get complicated.

Lyman

PS What camera are you using these days? Did you get the Canon fixed? How do you like it?

I have no plans to link this particular forum to the Lyman 23 site. It's not my intention to lose sight of what this forum is about, nor to dilute it unnecessarily with unrelated topics. There are a number of forums already available covering wooden boats, Lymans, and similar craft. They seem to be filling the need quite well, but depending on the activity on the new site over time and other factors, perhaps I'll add something later. It's too soon to say.

I plan to let the new site mature on its own, so we'll see where it all goes. I'm just getting my feet wet in this classic powerboat arena, so there's no need to rush how the site grows or changes. I promise nothing, and rule out nothing. For now, I'll leave it be, and I'm sure the path will become more clear as things move forward.

I'm still using the Canon A70. I got it repaired successfully, though the process took longer than it should have. (Send the camera to them, wait for them to look at it and notify whether it was a warranty issue or not, and then wait for the repair and return shipping. 3 weeks total, give or take. When I had my old HP and had a warranty problem nearly 2 years in, I received a brand new camera overnight after filing my claim, for $5, and then I sent back the damaged one--done. Now that was warranty service!)

The Canon takes good pictures, but I feel that it's more of a "camera person's" camera--in other words, I don't think it holds up so well under less than tender use. I think it's more for people who treat their cameras with the utmost care and consideration, which is something I have never done. For me, that defeats the usefulness of any camera. I don't baby the camera, and never will--it's not how I use a camera. I demand that it be available when I need it, and close at hand for all aspects of my work. That means being carried in my pocket a lot of the time, or stored in dusty or dirty conditions. I can't (and won't) treat it like it was made of gossamer. I don't think this camera has withstood that sort of use (abuse, some might say, but I disagree) very well. I still have some problems with it--I usually have to press the battery door in tightly when taking photos, as otherwise I get black photos.

Anyway, it's a pretty nice camera--but I am not sure that it was necessarily the right choice for how I use it. Maybe that's my fault, but why does everything have to be so fragile? I don't ask for much, but I demand that what I ask for be provided. I haven't even had it for one year yet, and I don't think I'm that hard on it overall.