Good on em.

[Alan Wheeler]

So a Gaff rig schooner is not a have to have??? There is a big steel yacht down here in Havelock for sale. I don't know what they are askign for it, but I don't think it is a lot. PM me if you are interested in me finding out info and I can also send you a photo of it.

[mudnut]

Originally Posted by brian and clare

Hi Guys! Thanks for the support to the folks who have given it. I can understand why some people first reaction is not positive, but I promise we are not trying to cheat anyone. The idea is that we trade something and through goodwill, and peoples understanding of what it is to have a crazy dream, we keep trading for things that people have that they no longer want. With luck everyone gets something they want out of the deal.

I dont particularly like the idea of using cash, but trademe will not allow us to trade one for one, so the deal is that we will take the highest bidder after a 2 day auction (the shortest one they will allow) and we use his or her high bid to purchase an item they themselves have listed. With luck no money will change hands at all, but trademe still gets their fee from us, which is around a dollar I think.

We dont expect to get some fancy yacht out of this, and are instead hoping to work our way into some bare hull, ferrocement cast off, or abandoned project that is destined for a chainsaw. I know that in some cases the project boat can turn into a nightmare for the owner, and ends up costing them month after month for storage. Recently a steel hull was sold for 3000 NZ Dollars in the south island, and that is the kind of thing we are hoping to get into.

For the record, our dream is to have a schooner that we can sail the pacific islands on, bringing supplies to the smaller islands that arent very much visited. Some places only get a cargo boat once or twice a year, and friends that sailed the pacific last season found that in some cases the children were all being taught out of one school book that was falling apart, with each child copying it word for word. Hard to believe in this internet age but it happens. We would like to bring supplies, schoolbooks, and perhaps get hooked up with doctors without borders (an amazing orginization) for heathcare and dental for the remote islands. If anyone is headed to the south pacific, bring some schoolbooks and spare clothes for the kids on the far flung islands, as they need it out there, and dont be afraid to get off the beaten track because they need the help the most, and they for sure dont need cigarettes.

Incedentially, if any of you are going to Panama any time soon, the indians in Bocas del toro can use t shirts and shorts. You can buy them in secondhand shops by the pound, put them into what is called a stuff sack (used by climbers) and they take up almost no space. The stuff sack is good for spinnakers too, but they get a little wrinkley and must be dry when they go into the bag. In Bocas, contact Mary of Marina Carenero, as she will know how to get the clothes to the people who need it.

For the record we are rich. We have each other and both have the same passion, and we have a hell of a lot of fun too. If a person does not love what they do (sometimes unavoidable), they should plan to do what they love as soon as possible, and thats what we are trying to achieve.

Thanks folks!

G'Day fellow Pacific'ans.

This has been done before,I think you realise that,so it is acheivable.Unlike the bloke that ended up with a house,you seem to want to get/do more with your prize.

It is a pitty more people don't think on your level,the world would be a better place for it,kinda makes a bloke want to sail a little bit further than I/he wanted to in the first place to lend a hand.

Wishing you and the kids the best of good will.Mudnut.

[GordMay]

Asking for a hand-out? I think not. Seems to me they are merely following the very same business model* applied by every retail store etc., albeit they’ve a slightly unique marketing hook.
* Buy low - Sell high(er).

[cooper]

And That Gord is the truth...in fact it is a bit more transparent than most "sales". It is indeed the basis of "profit". Go for it guys a few years back l had a crazy dream....to be able to own a yacht.....with no money. Well now l have owned one for years and l have nearly finished another..it does happen if you really want it. l used luck, scrap materials, tips, help from friends, and a million other things. If l was "saving dollars" to buy this dream l would still be years away. The pressure of taking out a bank loan and servicing it would kill off the enjoyment. On top of that, by "creating" your dream you have fun (sometimes) along the way. l know that a heap of people who use this site have and are still creating bits and or boats........Get that extra large piece of paper and coloured pencils out and start dreaming ........... lm going home to finish off the design of my running rigging blocks !!

[mudnut]

Originally Posted by cooper

And That Gord is the truth...in fact it is a bit more transparent than most "sales". It is indeed the basis of "profit". Go for it guys a few years back l had a crazy dream....to be able to own a yacht.....with no money. Well now l have owned one for years and l have nearly finished another..it does happen if you really want it. l used luck, scrap materials, tips, help from friends, and a million other things. If l was "saving dollars" to buy this dream l would still be years away. The pressure of taking out a bank loan and servicing it would kill off the enjoyment. On top of that, by "creating" your dream you have fun (sometimes) along the way. l know that a heap of people who use this site have and are still creating bits and or boats........Get that extra large piece of paper and coloured pencils out and start dreaming ........... lm going home to finish off the design of my running rigging blocks !!

Hello,yar Cooper,"Where are your rigging blocks running too?"Sorry Coop"That last line reminded me of the a post on here somewhere about"Hello,zis is the german coast gaurd,what are you SINKING about.Mudnut.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by RichT

... Is Don Imus worth 10 million a year? ...
... I would personally rather see these guys get money for a boat than to see some guy make 5 million a year to toss a ball into a hoop.... but, that's just me.
RichT.

As Evan Esar quipped, “America believes in education: the average professor earns more money in a year than a professional athlete earns in a whole week.”

[ssullivan]

This is one of the very few cases where the people certainly are NOT asking for a handout... and I know a little something about jerks asking for handouts in order to go sailing.

These folks are just doing what every other business person in a capitalistic society does: trading/selling (in this case trading) something of lesser value for something of greater value, realizing a profit. It's not a handout, just a different and more "in your face" approach to capitalism.

Every time you buy anything at a store, you are paying into somebody at that store (or its shareholders) schooner fund. This is no different, even though it's more transparent.

For sure, it will be a lot of hard work for them to pull this off, if they can at all. They need all that PR and have to spend plenty of time writing and dealing with people who will give them a hard time. It's not unlike running a small business.

Best of luck to them.

And rebel_heart... I share your disgust with those begging to go yachting. For once... these people aren't them.

[Alan Wheeler]

(in this case trading) something of lesser value for something of greater value,

No no no, not true. You guy's don't get it. It's not about the paper clip. The paper clip is a representation only. What is really being sold is quite complex. It is themselves and their dream that is beign sold. The Paper clip is just a tangeble item representing the couple and their dream. I am not sure what they will actually do with the clip. But say it gets framed. Say I buy it. I can hang it on my wall and it represents them. It's kinda like winning a cup. The cup is worth nothing more than the cost of making it. And then it probably decreases in value. Take the Americas cup for instance. It's value is nowhere even close to the value of winning the race it'self. Thr real value is elswhere. So back to the Brian and Clare, the real value they are asking you to buy into is them and their dream and I think that's priceless.

[Trim50]

I'm lost! I thought I was buying a paper clip.

[brian and clare]

Hi Guys,

Well our first auction has been completed. The winning bidder is a mom who has some baby things that she no longer needs. She is going to tell us what she wants to trade for tonight (again, no real cash being traded here except to trademe for their fees, our final price buys the high bidders stuff).

After talking to her, we came up with the idea that if the next winning bidder does not have a child or actually need the item, we will arrange to donate it on their behalf to a childrens charity (Toys for tots or the like, with documentation posted on the next trade of course). That way, its more then just us and the person who trades with us getting something out of the deal, a child or family in need gets something too.

One trade only and good things are already happening!

Brian and Clare

[RichT]

Alan,

I am so glad you cleared that up. Like Trim50, I thought they were just asking an exorbitant mark up (yeah for unbridled capitalism) for a paper clip.
Now that you've explained it, I'ld like to throw my dream in the ring for the next auction. Bidding starts at $50,000.

Gotta get that tongue fixed, keeps winding up in my cheek....

Rich

[Alan Wheeler]

As long as it stays in the cheek, I think we can handle it. :-)

[RichT]

Maybe you could donate your old mast to me, then all I would have left is to build a boat under it.... I'll even give you some of those realllly big paperclips in exchange......
Rich

[Alan Wheeler]

Yep your right about that tongue. It just seems to go from side to side. :-)

[brian and clare]

Hi Guys,

Well we have moved on to our second auction. We have moved into a used VHF radio if anyone in NZ needs one. It is working already!

Thanks,

Brian and Clare