Book Reviewsday Tuesday: ASPOL, Y'all.

        "Mingle with the good people we meet..."
                           -Bob Marley and the Wailers


      I am a reader.

     Fiction, non-fiction, thrillers, romance, suspense, science fiction, horror, humour, the classics, high-brow, low-brow, I'll try it.

     But I might not finish it.

     Life is too short to invest time in an artless read.

    (When I hear someone pat themself on the back  for plowing through a boring doorstop of a book  they didn't enjoy, I mutter to myself,  "It isn't a badge of honour- it's a sign you need more life in your life.")

    (( Of course, it  could be argued that muttering to one's self about the empty accomplishments of others is a sign one needs more life in one's life.  It could  be argued.  Not that I would.))

      Sometimes, a book sneaks up on me.   I pick it up, certain I'm gonna toss the worthless waste of pulp back on the shelf before the first page is turned, and four hours later wonder why I hadn't read it sooner.

      "A Salty Piece of Land" is that kind of book.

      I was positive, absolutely sure, unwaveringly adamant that I would not like this book simply because of the author:

      Jimmy Buffett.

     See, here's the deal:  I can't stand his music.  It's like nursery rhymes for adults.

     So, my hopes were well and truly damped when I picked up this book in my local book store's remainder rack, and read the first line:
 
      "It all simply comes down to good guys and bad guys."

      Well, it doesn't suck so far.

       Within minutes I was well and truly stuck into the laid-back adventures of seafaring cowboy- on- the- run Tully Mars, Lost Boys fishing guides, the crew of the schooner Lucretia and the search for a Fresnel lens for a lighthouse in need of help.

        It's a book I re-read at least once a year, usually when winter is at it's deepest, darkest and coldest, when the Dock is farthest out of reach.

         ASPOL isn't Big L Literature.  It's never going to be taught in ivy-covered halls.  It's just a tale, told well enough, about characters that a reader can care about.

        And that's enough.

        If you can get past the Parrothead packaging you discover  that Buffett can write more than three- minute rhymes. There's not a whole lot of art on the page but there is a ton of heart.  He can set a scene and his dialogue may not always sing, but it doesn't clunk- it's obvious the man loves his characters and loves the settings and the adventures he tosses them into.   Yeah, it's occasionally far-fetched, yeah, some of the characters are thin on detail, thick on stereotype, so what?

      So are Hobbits and Hogwarts.

      Pick up a copy.  Toss it up on the bookshelf until the next rainy, miserable, holed-up kind of day.  Pour yourself a couple of fingers of rum, settle into your favourite chair, and get dug in.

      There are worse ways to spend a few hours.

       Like golf.



     "Talk The Dock!"

     

Long-Term Gear (P)Review: Crocs. Huh, What?

     "You keep samin', when you should be changin'..."
                                            -Nancy Sinatra




         Like most sailors, I like to think of myself as a romantic traditionalist, carrying the torch passed down through generations of seafarers.

         SWMBO thinks I am a creature of habit, resistant to change.

         One of us is right.

         On very, very good days, it's even me.

         Take shoes, for example.

         Boat shoes, in particular.

         For decades I have worn Sperry Topsiders ™ in a variety of permutations- slip-ons, laced, leather uppers, canvas uppers, you name it.  They are solid, sturdy, dependable, shoes that all have a common set of characteristics:

        They always stink by the end of the first season.
        The soles always harden and get slippery by the end of the second season.
        They aren't cheap, even on sale.

         3 years ago, I rotated my latest pair of stinky, slippery Topsiders ™ into service as "boatwork shoes" and moved a new pair of West Marine Topsider-like shoes into regular use.  Same styling, slightly lower price....
       .... and same result- slippery as teflon covered-snot, and as stinky as bleu cheese aged in a diaper pail, by the end of the second season.

        So, they rotate into the "boat work shoes" slot and the Topsiders ™ rotate into "lawnmowing shoes" role.

       All of which means I need a new pair of boatkicks for this season.

       This time around, I decided that I might maybe, possibly, break with tradition.
     
        I knew what I wanted:
        Grip.
        Ventilation.
        Toe protection.
        Support.
        Comfort
        Durability

         Last season, I had the chance to check out a pair of Vibram Five Fingers ™.

   

     
    I liked the concept, but didn't like the lack of toe protection, and I like shoes that I can slip into with a quickness if necessary- these ain't that,  when you gotta make sure your piggies park in their own pocket.
  
And, although I rarely get invited to places that have a dress code, on the odd chance that an invitation to an event requiring a jacket is issued, deck shoes are acceptable, and mark one as a man of the sea-  Five Fingers™?  Er, maybe not so much.

   So, is there anything new that might meet my needs?

   Maybe.

  Meet my new Crocs ™  boat shoes: 

   Yeah, I know what you're saying. 

     I said the same thing.

   "Crocs?"

   "Crocs??? "

   "Crocs makes boat shoes?  Like, on-purpose boat shoes, not just I-wear-my-Crocs- on-my-boat shoes?"

    Yep, it turns out they do.  

   And the Crocs folks are so confident in the quality of their shoes, they sent SWMBO and I a pair of pairs to test this season.

    

           I ordered up a pair of  Cove Sports  while my better half opted for a pair of Above Decks.


      When our new footwear arrived at Stately Jones Manor, the first impressions were largely positive.

      The stitching was nicely finished, the leather uppers were soft and supple and the shoes were light- the Cove Sports weigh about half  of what my previous boat shoes weigh.

     Do they meet the requirements, though?

     Ventilation?  Got it.

     Check out the scuppers on these bad boys:

     Water gets in, water gets out.  Air gets in, air gets out.    See the way the moulded sole wraps all the way around the side of the foot  and caps the toes?  Looks like it might be a toe-protection winner.  Big burly boaters don't cry- but jamming your toe on a cleat will make one's eyes water and cause the hurling of creative epithets to the world at large.

   Support?
   Comparing them side-by-each, it looks like the SWMBOs shoes have more support than mine:

  But, looks can sometimes be deceiving.  More on that later.

  One feature that I appreciate is that the removable insoles are all polymers.  No cloth, no glue, nothing that is going to come loose and end up polluting the lake or end up in the garbage... and one less "gets wet and stays wet" area.

    Both shoes have real-world usable "pull tabs" on the heels.  You can actually hook a finger in the tab loop to pull your shoes on.  Nice touch.

   Two minor gripes-  the laces. SWMBO finds the laces on her shoes to be kinda cheesy.  The laces on mine are kinda slippery looking.  More on that later, as well.

  Got grip?  Sure looks like it.  Nice tread pattern, good siping around the perimeter allowing water to
escape under each footfall.

  Okay, cool- first impressions are largely all good.

  So, let's put them to work.


   For the last 10 days, SWMBO and I have been wearing our new Crocs everywhere.  To work, to the marina, walking the dogs, riding our bikes, everydamnwhere.

    Initial impressions of these Crocs boat shoes under load?

   Better than expected, and in this traditionalist boat shoe-snob's view, far, far better than a pair of Crocs has any right to be.

     There has been no break-in period.  No blisters, no stretching, no issues- from the first day, it felt like I had been wearing them for years.
   
     They are WAY more supportive than they look.  I have been working some long days, on my feet for up to 12 hours at a time, and my feet don't hurt.  That is a Very Big Deal.  I have feet so flat that ducks go "damn!"  and the end of the day often finds me popping pain relievers and soaking my feet. (Yeah, middle age sucks.)  I have been foot-pain free for the last ten days.

      The initial grip is excellent.  Better than expected, which can take some getting used to, after shuffling around on slick soled shoes.  Will it last?  We'll see.

     The ventilation is great-  After taking these shoes off at the end of the aforementioned 12 hour workday, my shoes, and my feet, do not smell like the end of a 12 hour workday.

     They look good.  I've had people ask about them, and everyone is floored when SWMBO or I give up the maker.  The response is always the same:  "Those are Crocs?  Where can I get a pair of Crocs like those?"

      The laces are mildly annoying-  SWMBO thinks hers look cheesy but stay tied without getting stretched out or knotted, mine look better but need frequent retying.

     So far, neither pair is showing any noticeable wear.  On the dirt, they are doing the job they were hired to do.  However, one key component in this long term test is missing-

      These are BOAT shoes, and they have yet to do their thing aboard a BOAT.

    Will they  be up to the task to which they have been tasked?

     Will they  hold up over the long haul?

     Whiskeyjack splashes on May 15th.  Then, it gets serious.
 
     We'll keep you posted throughout the 2013 boating season.  If they work, we'll let you know.  If they don't, we'll let you know that as well.

      Meanwhile, it looks like the shoe roster has just added another player to the rotation:

 
   "Talk the Dock!"


 

Book Reviewsday Tuesday: "Under a Gypsy Moon" - Reflections and Revelations

   "Through the mirror of my mind...."
                        -The Supremes




    I once read somewhere that salt water has the power to heal , whether as sweat, tears, or the sea.

    This week's Reviewsday book  reminded me once again of the belief in the restorative power of the sea.


   Michael Hurley's Once Upon a Gypsy Moon  is, as described, a memoir.
 

 

  Here's what it's not:

   A travelogue.
   A tale of adventure.
   A tale of an "improbable voyage" as described on the cover blurb.


    Okay, stop me if this scenario sounds familiar:

     A sailor's marriage has hits the skids, his/her successful career has flamed out, his/her post-adolescent kids hate him/her,  his/her 50th birthday is in his wake,  She/he's feeling failure and the tap of fate's finger on his/her shoulder as he/she takes stock of his mortality and  contemplates that She/he is in the latter half of her/his life.

     This is when a sailor heeds the voice that has been calling to him/her since he/she first set foot on a boat, the voice that beckons one to cut the lines and sail over the horizon, to see what one can see and be what one can be. The voice that goes from beckoning to demanding:

     "If not now, when?"
    
       That sailor sets off to that fabled paradise known loosely as "The Islands".  Could be the Carribbean, could be the South Pacific, could be Mexico or Marathon Key.  All we know is, it ain't here, and neither is anything that the departing sailor needs or wants.  Maybe the sailor will find what he/she is looking for.  Maybe he/she will be back.
   Yeah, of course this is familiar- this drama plays out in every marina, on every shore, every year.

    It's hardly  "improbable."
   Hell,  it is a statistical certainty.

    It's only "improbable" to those with no connection to the water.

     "Once Upon a Gypsy Moon" is a collection of letters the author wrote to folks back home, lightly polished and edited and wrapped with a preface and an infuriatingly tragic final chapter.

    I can identify with a large portion of the author's backstory and his motivation  and his travails because, quite frankly, he is a jerk.

    And as a self-admitted semi-reformed jerk, I can spot another jerk.

    Which made the first two thirds of this book so damn hard to read.

    The author is unlikable.

    And, make no mistake, the author is where he is at the beginning of this memoir precisely because he is, indeed, a jerk.

   Think my description is too harsh?

   Here's the facts as the author lays them out in the first two chapters:

    He moved his family all over the country furthering his law career, always putting his aspirations first.
    He cheated on his wife.
    He got caught.
    His wife threw him out.
    He discarded the woman he cheated with, and is proud of that fact.
 

     What a great guy.  Unfortunately, the author doesn't quite get this.  He turns first to faith as the solution, apparently in the belief that a sinner is cleansed simply by showing up.  Not unexpectedly, the solution remains unfound.


     This man needs some saltwater redemption.

      Luckily, the author soon figures out that  he is a jerk, and he is not ashamed to let the reader know, and he admits that his ego, his pride and his selfishness were his downfall.

       So Hurley sets off aboard his anonymous 32 foot sailboat, Gypsy Moon, from the Magothy river in Maryland to points South, on a leisurely 2 year cruise...

       Which turns out to be about a 5 on the "Perils and Adventure" scale.

        His passages under sail,  (occasionally interrupted by flights back home), are largely uneventful, with the exception of maintenance issues directly related to the author's disdain for maintenance and stubborn disinterest in all things mechanical.


       As the author puts it:

             “True Salty Dogs- those self-sufficient Lords of the Deep who write books on navigation and the finer points of sail trim and boat mechanics- have long been a source of intimidation and annoyance to me.  As best as I can tell, there is not a poet among them.  They are math-science folk and engineering types all.  For them a clogged fuel line, battery overload, or electrical malfunction is a thing of rapture, and they set about solving the problem with a kind of Yankee ingenuity and determination “that built this country, by jiminy.”  For me, however, these malfunctions are all signs from a benevolent God that man was meant to sail across oceans by oil lamps, not motor across them with enough spare amps to power a refrigerator and a satellite weather station…” *

   So rather than join them, and become a self-sufficient "Salty Dog" himself, he'd rather beat them.  

   Not a good plan.  Mechanical and gear failures and the impact on the author's finances, timtetable and enjoyment of the ports visited are frequently explored topics.

   

        Along the way, somewhere about the Carolinas,  the author discovers online dating, and what starts as a verbose ship's log now becomes a love letter of sorts to a woman he woos with keyboard and , later meets...

   ...  and weds.
 
       The newlyweds continue the journey occasionally together, in fits and starts,the bride chronically seasick, the author occasionally flying home to build a new law firm, Gypsy Moon finally ending up in the Dominican Republic n the spring of 2011.

   Along the way the author may have found a redemption of sorts.  A great bulk of the book is taken up with spiritual  introspection and a great bulk of that introspection  is justification and rationalization and religion and the impact that all of it, and none of it, had on the author's life...

... Until  he came to grips with something that many of us have discovered:  a change in latitude does not cause a change in attitude.  If you were a jerk when you left home, you will be a jerk when you reach your destination, unless you commit to change.
 
    At which point, the book becomes an easier read- the author does a lot less hiding behind excuses and his quest for faith and grace, and focuses more on not screwing up and appreciating those around him.

     And only when you decide to stop being a jerk, will you find someone you love more than you love yourself, and someone who loves you right back.


     As a sailing odyssey, "Once Upon a Gypsy Moon" charts no new courses.  If you're looking for a well-written account of a journey through the eastern Caribbean or a cruising guide, this is not your book.

    If, on the other hand, you like a personal story of a man's firsthand account of his  journey to being a better man, this might be the book for you.








   * This passage stuck in my craw- I'm going to explore it further in a future blog post.


"Talk the Dock!"

 

 
 

   

Gear and Tool Review: Short Money Hand-held VHF Radio

      "I'm on a wavelength far from home..."
                                  -Wall of Voodoo


 

    At the beginning of the 2009 season,   I  we figured  I  we needed a handheld VHF.  A handheld comes in, er, handy  for dinghy comms and shortrange comms from the cockpit, when dropping below to use the fixed mount radio in the cabin is inconvenient.

   So, in June of 2010, we I bought one.

   We  I bought a Uniden Atlantis 250 handheld VHF radio.

     Here's why:
 
     The fixed mount VHF on Whiskeyjack is a no-frills Uniden unit that is over a decade-and- a -half old and still going strong, the local chandler recommended the Uniden 250, and the radio seemed like it had everything   I  we needed, and nothig we didn't:  Rechargeable battery,  AC adapter and 12 v DC charger,  addtional battery mag to load AA batteries, 1w and 5w power, channel priority selection with a channel 9 panic button, belt clip... and a 2 year warranty.  At $95 and change it wasn't the cheapest radio, but it wasn't the most expensive either.  It appeared to be a decent value.

 

   My  our impression over the following two seasons is that it was a great radio.  It held a charge forever, had decent range and great sound...

    ...right up until the middle of July of 2012, when it suddenly had no sound at all.

   Which is decidedly ungood, since a radio that will not produce sound is no longer a radio, but a paperweight.

   The upside of this radio is it had a 3 year warranty.

   The downside of this radio is it only had a 3 year warranty.

    The chandler shrugged when I presented him with our my newly mute radio.  Our radio was rendered speechless one month past the warranty end date.

    ONE MONTH.

    So, we I now needed a new radio.

  (For those of you wondering about the strikeovers, let me clarify-  when good ideas succeed, they are a team effort, a collaboration between SWMBO and I.  When the poop hits the paddles, I'm on my own.)

    The new radio search sat on the backburner until the 2013 Toronto Boat Show, for reasons both economic and emotional.

   See, we I felt a little burned.

    We I did my job as a marine consumer.  We I didn't jump at the cheapest option, and I didn't dish out the dosh for all the bells and whistles that  I  we don't really need and will likely never use.  Instead we I was prudent and played it safe...

   and 37 months later we  I need to do it all over again.

    So, this time, I decided  I was going to go with my gut, and go low-buck.

    We I wanted the cheapest handheld VHF radio we I could find that had 5 watts of power, a rechargeable battery  with charger and a belt clip.

    (Actually, scratch the we part.  This time, I was on my own.)

     So, after investing some time in perusing the boats on display at the aptly named Boat Show, I made a beeline for the Radioworld booth.  I told the guy behind the counter what I needed, and a minute and $65 later, I walked away with a Midland Nautico 1 package.

  Here's what $65 got us:

   1w/5w Radio
   Rechargeable battery
   12 volt charger
    AC charger
    Storage bracket
    Belt clip
    Boom mic
    Waterproof storage bag
    Owner's Manual... thankfully.

      Our my initial impression is favourable. We I notice that the radio itself if smaller and lighter than the Uniden Atlantis, and the LED screen is about half the size...  and there is one fewer knob and one extra button than the Atlantis, and most other marine handhelds:
     What jumps out immediately is that there is no squelch knob. The Nautico has an "Auto Squelch" feature, which apparently kills static and background noise without having to dial it in manually.  This could be a cool feature... but it could also mean that weaker signals are lost.

     We'll see how it works in practice this season.
 
    I charged the battery, as per the owner's manual, on January 21.  To date, over 4 months of inactivity later, the radio is still holding a full charge...

...  I think.

  While this radio doesn't have a squelch knob, it also doesn't have a full time battery strength reading.  Instead, there is a "low battery icon" which appears on the LED screen when, as the description implies, the battery level is low, but one doesn't know the battery is low until the icon comes on. I kinda like the reassurance of knowing how much battery life I have, not just that I am almost out of juice.  This may not be a big deal in practice.  We'll see.

   As mentioned, while lacking a squelch knob, the Nautico does add a "Menu" button...

...  which makes things interesting.

   The "Menu"  button  is where the owner's manual becomes necessary.  Without it, this radio is barely functional.

    See, the upside of this radio's size is... it's size.

    The downside is that, with less real estate to display info, the LED screen cannot report on  all of the systems all of the time.  Thus, one has to learn how to navigate the menu to figure out how to access weather info, scan channels, set channel priorities, call tones, etc.  Upon perusing the menu, I discover that this radio has some cool features, if one can figure out how to use them by manipulating the "menu" button on it's own or in conjunction with other buttons, for example:

 -The option of traditional PTT (Push To Talk) communication or two Vox (hands free) settings.
- A "roger" beep at the end of each transmission
- 3 call-tone choices, to alert the user to incoming calls.
-A keypad lock, to prevent inadvertent setting changes.
-WX monitor, Channel Monitor and Channel Scan functions.
-Instant Channel 9 AND Instant Channel 16 buttons, when you absolutely, positively, need to reach out and touch someone NOW.
-A choice of high or low power settings.

   So, more features than the Atlantis, but less intuitive.  This radio is gonna require some homework to get the most out of it.


   Okay, so what is the deal with the form-fitting  bag included with this radio kit?

    According to Midland, this radio is water resistant.  In other words, you can likely use it in the rain or occasional spray-over-the-coamings conditions without issue, but if there is the possibility of submersion, like a dingy ride in choppy water, it behooves you to bag it.  The bag also addresses a shortcoming of the radio, whihc is that while there is a belt clip, there is no lanyard.  The bag has an attached lanyard, allowing one to hang the radio around one's neck whilst making a dingy run to the beach with the mutts.

   Along with being water resistant, this radio also does not float, which is another advantage to the baggie/lanyard combo:  Any air inside the bag adds some supplemental flotation, and a couple of floaty keychains snapped onto the lanyard will at least keep the radio floating long enough to grab it, if dropped overboard.

  I'm not sure of the value of the included boom mic/earpiece combo.  I wouldn't have paid extra for it, but, I didn't have to pay extra for it; it was included.  I'll try it.  If it works well, I can see some advantage in not having to give up  a hand to holding a radio mic button in a shorthanded situation.

 
I'll keep you posted on how this low-buck radio performs this season.  

 The key phrase here, as it so often is on the Dock,  is "low-buck."

  This is a short money radio, and the price point does have an impact on one's expectations.  If  I had invested $200plus in a radio I would expect submersibility and flotation and long term warranties and all the features easily accessible on an easy-to-read screen.

For less than the cost of dinner for 2 at The Keg?  I'm happy if it lasts through the 3 year warranty, and I don't mind having to study the owner's manual to figure out how to get a weather report.





"Talk the Dock"




   
 

Opening Day Magic!

   "I love my sunny day, dream of far away."
                                                       -Pilot


     This winter was like a goth girl I dated in high school:

   Kinda gloomy and dull and cold and dismal and hung around way too long.

       It seemed like this winter would never end.  Last year, we were wearing shorts in March...  this year, we had temperatures below freezing into April.

     But then...

   Abracadabra!

     The arrival of the Marina's Opening Day brought sun, warmer temperatures, and the promise of better days ahead.

     Hang in there.

   






"Talk the Dock!"

Book Reviewsday Tuesday: "The Perfect First Mate" - Bad Title, Better Book

   "Ain't nobody else can do it like we can."
                                      -Jordin Sparks


       It's time to discuss the elephant in the room:

       Boating is a pretty damn sexist pastime.

       Okay, maybe not as sexist as Augusta National.

       Or Bohemian Grove.

       Or the Vatican.

       But sexist nonetheless...

       ...and it is a kinda sneaky sorta sexism.

       Okay, look, put down the pitchforks and flaming torches and hear me out, then try to tell me I am wrong.

        Look around your  mooring field or marina-  what do you see?

        Lots of boats, owned by couples.

        But...

        Who's usually at the helm?  The Captain.

        Who plots the course?  The Captain.

        Who makes the new gear choices?  The Captain.

         Who is always shopping for the next boat?  The Captain.

         Who's yelling?  The Captain.


          Meanwhile, who's hanging fenders, throwing docklines, winching halyards,  fending off the dock when somebody plows into the slip too hot (again), ignoring the yelling, shopping for provisions, stowing the provisions,  packing clothes, unpacking clothes, hanging towels and bathing suits to dry, managing laundry, cooking, passing tools, scrubbing decks, sanding hulls and, most importantly.... tending bar?

           Yep.

         The First Mate.

          It just doesn't sound like a real fifty-fifty partnership, does it?


             The title of this week's Reviewsday Tuesday book doesn't help the cause...

          The Perfect First Mate

                                                                  - image courtesy of Amazon.ca

       The subtitle, "A woman's guide to recreational boating," sorta soothes the sting, but, as SWMBO pointed out, when I asked her to help me review this book,
     "If I was in a bookstore looking at a choice of books on boating fundamentals, I'd probably pass on this one, just on basic principle."

      So I picked it up and read it instead.

    (I'm not sure what this says about the equality, or lack thereof, in our personal and boating relationship, but I am sure it says something.)

    It's too bad about the unfortunate title, because,  if you can get past the cover, you discover there's a lot of solid information  packed inside.

    Joy Smith brings some solid credentials to the party.  A long time boater, Ms. Smith now serves as first mate on a Farr 50, Joy For All, and is a Salty Dawg Rally veteran, with a variety of fiction and non-fiction works under her belt.  It quickly becomes obvious she knows her stuff.


Originally published in 1999, The Perfect First Mate is now in it's second edition.  Logically laid out, "...First Mate" is loaded wiht good info for  the novice boater- The introduction is titled "So You've Bought a Boat."   Subsequent chapters demonstrate an exhaustive approach to boating that provides value to more experienced boaters as well, cover everything from stowage to storage to provisioning to pets to hygiene to ...sex.

   First mate Smith's writing style is breezy, conversational, comprehensible, and deceptively in-depth; there is little jargon, and the information is clearly presented and easy to understand.  For example, want to know how to get rid of mold and mildew and prevent it from coming back?  It's in here, and the author explains not just how to deal with it, but what causes it.

 
    The author is a sailor, but the information presented is largely applicable to both sail and power boats.

  That breezy writing style is subversive- without directly spelling it out, First Mate Smith makes it clear who really  runs a boat... which maybe why a First Mate is often more correctly known as The Admiral

    If you've just bought a boat or are considering a boat purchase, this is a good place for new boaters of both sexes to start.

    Just get past the cover.





   "Talk the Dock!"




     

       



     
     

     



   

Gear and Tool (P)Review: A New Twist On Cordless Tool Kits

       "Is this what you deserve?"
                    -Tears for Fears


       My cordless drill is, like me, starting to show it's age.  It's banged up, nicked, scarred, starting to lose it's grip and no longer has the stamina that it used to and needs more time to recharge than when it was newer.

       It's built boats, boat parts, decks, garden sheds, VW camper interiors, kitchen cabinets, work benches, book shelves... 10 years on, it doesn't owe me anything.


       After taking three times as long as it should to drill lightening holes in paddleboard parts, due to short battery life, I knew I finally had to get serious about finding a replacement for the 12 volt NiCad workhorse.


       "Hmmm"  I pondered to myself, "Self, if you're gonna buy a new drill, maybe it is time to buy one of them 18 volt Lithium Ion cordless kits you've been thinking about for a while."

      Of course, there were a number of reasons why I had not yet made the transition from "thinking about"  to "stepping up."

 1.  $$$.
      Every time I get close to pulling the trigger on buying a bag o' tools I just can't justify the $250-           $350 cost.  After all, my old drill is still working, and I haven't really needed  a cordless circular saw or  jigsaw or reciprocating saw...
          ... yet.

 2. Unnecessary yet inevitable package padding:
      To get the tools I want need in the kit, I also have to pay for tools I don't need want- like a vacuum cleaner, or flashlight.
   

3. Serviceability:
     Ryobi's One+ tool system is a great idea, addressing my objections outlined above, and the warranty is solid, but the nearest Ryobi dealer is 45 minutes away.  If I need to replace a tool or buy a tool, it will inevitably occur while I am using a tool, and I don't want to have to take a 90 minute road trip to solve the problem.

 4.  Space:
      One reason why I am leaning toward cordless tools is to be able to accomplish boatwork on the boat.  While Whiskeyjack is on the hard extension cords plugged into our portable generator work fine...  but on the Dock it is a whole lot less convenient.  So, I want tools that I can keep on our boat.  Our small boat.  With even smaller storage space.  Stowing another tool bag filled with a drill, a saw, a sander and the accessories is a non-starter.

    All good excuses reasons for not owning a bunch of shiny new tools. But, with paddleboards to be built, and a drill with the staying power of a Vegas wedding,  it was time to get serious about finding a solution.


     I may have found it.

   Welcome to the Black And Decker Matrix.

    What B&D have done here is rethink cordless tool design.

     Basically, the handle is the heart of the system.  The lithium-ion  battery slides onto the butt of the grip, and the rest is pretty straightforward variable speed cordless drill ergonomics-  the motor is cantilevered to the rear off of the top of the grip,  the gearbox above the trigger, and the drive direction switch is just above the trigger.

   Forward of the trigger is where things get interesting. Standard included matrix equipment is a 3/8" drill chuck/ 11 position clutch assembly.   Pretty  typical, with one difference:- the chuck is removable, and can be replaced with an assortment of other Matrix tool heads.  Press a button,  remove the chuck and replace it with the appropriate tool head, and you have a detail sander, an impact driver, an oscillating saw, a router, a trim saw, or a jig saw...
... sort of.

More on that later.

I bought the "Starter Kit."  (For those of you playing along at home, available at Canadian Tire $149.99 )

Inside the box was the drill, one battery, battery charger, detail sander head, jigsaw head, one saw blade, a small assortment of pre-cut sandpaper and manuals.

So, how does this new 20 volt* drill compare to the old venerable 12 volt it is replacing?

  First, let's clear the air about that * above.  B&D bills this tool as 20 volts, BUT, upon  perusing the manual,   I read "Maximum initial battery pack voltage (measured without a workload) is 20 volts.   The nominal voltage is 18." ...  in other words, it is a real-world 18 volt powertrain.

  Even though it is 50% more powerful, the Matrix is a smaller overall package, at least according to my Sharpie-assisted testing:

  The chassis presents the workhead at a lower angle as well.  The rubberized grip fits nicely, and feels well balanced.  Whether there is any advantage to the shallower workhead angle will be seen over the next few months of testing.

   What is definitely an advantage is the difference in weight.  Although more powerful, the Matrix is noticeably lighter:

    The Matrix's Lithium Ion battery is also noticeably lighter than the OldDrill's 12 volt NiCad brick.  lerss weight, and better weight distribution means less user fatigue and more accurate work.

    The battery charger provides charge info, including  "bad battery" notification.  smack the abttery into the charger, and if the battery bad, the LED blinks red.  If the battery is good and charging, the LED blinks green and when charged glows a constant green.  A full charge takes 3-5 hours.  I will report back on real-world real- project battery life over the next few months.  A second battery may be a prudent investment.

"So, it seems like a decent drill."  Faithful reader says, " How about the other tool heads?"

This is where the "sort of"  part comes in.

  Press a button, remove the drill head and install the jigsaw head and you have a variable speed jigsaw...

  ...   An ergonomically unique jigsaw.  With a relatively small footprint and an unconventional grip, the saw may have a tendency to climb or wander.  Two hands may be required to get acceptable cutting performance and accuracy. 

     We'll see.

      On the plus side, changing blades is a quick toolless exercise. and the blades are standard items.

Need to sand the pieces you just cut?  No problem.  Push the button, pull off the saw head, install the sander head...

   Wha-bam!  You're sanding.  As with the jigsaw, the detail sander is ergonomically different than a traditional palm sander.  

    Better?  Worse?  

    I'll let you know over the next few months.

  I bough the starter kit (apparently unique to Canadian Tire) on sale for $99 plus tax.  Additional toolheads and batteries run $24-$59 each.  Add a router, trim saw and oscillating saw and a pretty comprehensive compact package can be had for under $250.

    The space savings over other cordless options is obvious. Will  the ergonomics help or hinder performance?  Time will tell.

    

"Talk the Dock!"