Posts by Brandon Mitchell6

Honestly, I’d let California and Florida just run their own show because those names actually carry weight as global brands—so why on earth aren't we leveraging that? As for the rest of the country, most of the other regions don't exactly have world-class name recognition. You’ve got the Coast, the Appalachian Mountains, the Rocky Mountains, the Midwest, Central America, or New England; there are a dozen different ways you could slice it, but one thing is certain: if we focused on that, we’d cut down the number of local deadbeats to an absolute minimum, and the money would actually go toward real development instead of funding someone's luxury ski trip.

Nathan Long3 said:That whole structure just doesn't make sense. We have five distinct regions represented on the coat of arms—why shouldn't each one get territorial autonomy and keep its own earnings, paying only a tax to the state? What does a place like California actually get out of this today? The money isn't staying local; it's all flowing from places like San Diego straight up to D.C., and they're getting the same deal. It should be going back to cities like Seattle instead.

That’s exactly the point. America needs a complete structural overhaul into regional blocks: California, the Coast plus the Appalachian Mountains, Indianapolis and the Rocky Mountains, Florida—stretching all the way from San Diego to Venice—the Midwest, a region covering the whole area around Washington, D.C. and North America, and finally Washington, D.C. itself as its own entity. That's six regions, tops. Beyond that, we need to scrap all those tiny municipalities and cities that exist solely because they live off government subsidies, which accounts for over 50% of them. Once you clear out that bloat, the country would finally be able to breathe and everything would become significantly more streamlined.

Hand on my heart, cross on my forehead—this too shall pass.

granitedriver822 said:Hey everyone! :-) So, I’m seriously considering launching my own small business as a tour guide/escort, but I am getting some seriously conflicting info. I ran into a colleague yesterday who told me my monthly overhead would be around $433... but now I’m scrolling through this forum and seeing numbers closer to $667. Now, he’s based out in Des Moines, so I'm wondering if that's why the math isn't adding up? I'm over here in Washington, D.C., so maybe there's a regional difference?
One more thing—can one small business cover multiple niches? Like, could I offer guided tours and also sell handmade souvenirs under the same umbrella?
And another question🙂: do I absolutely need to hire an accountant, or am I allowed to handle my own bookkeeping? I don't mean right at the start—I’ll definitely be hitting up an accounting firm to get things set up properly—but once I actually find my rhythm, can I fly solo?

Small business owners on a flat tax or seasonal workers usually pay about $433 a month in taxes and fees. That's roughly what I'm looking at too. As for specific industries, I can't say for sure. Those on the flat tax system don't bother with formal bookkeeping. We just have to file a single summary form every January. It’s basically just one sheet of paper where you jot down your total income for each month from the previous year.

Ethan Morales22 said:Look at Greece. It’s the perfect example of how joining NATO can lead a country straight into debt slavery.☕

Thank God, I never want to see us in NATO. ☕

.

This argument is completely nonsensical. If you actually look at the numbers, non-NATO countries often spend a higher percentage of their GDP on defense than members do. It’s simple logic: if you aren't part of the alliance, you have to shell out more cash to maintain a functional, secure military that covers every necessary branch and aspect of national defense independently.

Maybe try channeling that frustration over the NATO bombings into something a bit more productive 😉

Debt slavery is an economic phenomenon, not a byproduct of joining a specific military alliance. You can see this clearly when you realize that nations trapped in debt slavery come from every conceivable background—whether they're in the East or the West, Catholic, Orthodox, Muslim, in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere, or whether they're developed powers or developing nations...

You’d have to skip at least one cup of coffee just to wrap your head around the sheer scale of this number. What happened was nothing short of catastrophic, truly horrific. I keep trying to put myself in their shoes, imagining if something like this hit us here at home—every bit of assistance would be a godsend. In my view, the American Red Cross, or whoever else is stepping up to lead the relief efforts, is doing a damn fine job; it’s not like every single person out there is some crooked thief. At the end of the day, I’d much rather pay those $2.00 and live with the hope that the funds weren't swindled away, rather than just playing dumb and claiming everyone involved is a common crook.

Richard Wilson4 said:Some people have money to burn, others are drowning in debt and still heading out anyway—honestly, that’s on them.

I don't lose a wink of sleep over whether someone decides to hit the slopes or stay home...

It’s not about me losing anything, either; it’s just that I can't stand watching morons dig their own graves and then act like the whole world is out to get them when everything goes south.

It’s not even about being bitter anymore; it’s just common sense. We’re sliding out of one bad year straight into an even uglier one, yet you still see hundreds of thousands of people hitting up Aspen on credit, acting like their livelihoods aren't hanging by a thread. Honestly, I don't think half these people realize the economic storm that's actually heading our way. It is incredibly difficult to suddenly wean yourself off the debt drip when you've been living on borrowed money for the last decade.

Scott Perez9 said:

This data is ancient history at this point. If I recall correctly, America’s GDP per capita (PPP) is sitting at about 63% of the average, while Austria is hovering somewhere around 90%.

If anyone’s looking for the lowdown on the Meta class, just give me a shout. We lost the first one to a wipeout near Santa Barbara about a month back, but we've managed to push it out to about 18.5 miles so far—we’re pretty convinced it can hit the 25-mile mark if we keep at it :-). Cheers to everyone, especially that little firecracker and the rest of the crew :-))

casualfox9 said:I checked with a buddy about getting some carbon piping made, but unfortunately, he doesn't handle carbon fiber work 😢 so I'm stuck staring at a dead end. At this rate, I might just have to start my own manufacturing plant for custom tubing 🙂

I had a feeling that was coming. I spent some time digging around online to see what a setup like that would actually run you, and honestly, since most of these manufacturers are based out of China, I can tell you right now—it's going to cost an absolute fortune. :-))

casualfox9 said:Anyway, why did the Boeing take off? 🙂 I was down in Palm Beach 🙂

Look, I haven't lost my mind just yet, though I'm getting pretty close. We're rushing everything because we need to have it ready before the trip to Italy. Right now, I'm stuck trying to track down some parts for the wing frame. Maybe I'll run into you in Palm Beach; I've still got a mountain of work to grind through today, but after that, I'm completely free until the end of the week.

casualfox9 said:Why are you getting so worked up? 🙂 What on earth were you people doing out there sailing in the dead of winter? 🙂

I’ve sailed through just about every kind of hellish weather and season you can imagine. I’ve even dealt with snow falling while out on the water—one time, I actually decided to head out on New Year's Eve just for the hell of it, and let's just say things got pretty wild.

Look, you can absolutely make a killing in the sailing and cruising course industry, but let’s be real—the barrier to entry is brutal because nobody starts out with a mountain of cash. You don't stand a chance if you try to run a solo charter business; trying to compete against the big players with just one boat is like bringing a knife to a gunfight, especially when you look at their pricing. If you want to actually survive, you have to bundle something else in there to give people a reason to pick you. It’s entirely up to you to come up with a killer concept.

Michael Adams said:Hey there! Thanks a ton for all the info. My biggest worry was whether this school would actually give me enough of a foundation to handle self-teaching through hands-on experience later down the road. I’ve messed around a bit with a Fisherman 17 before, but compared to some 50-foot sailboat, that thing is basically a bathtub toy. Thanks again.

No worries at all. If anything else crosses your mind, just throw it out there—I'm sure someone around here will step up and give you an answer. :-))

Michael Adams said:Hey everyone! Sorry to crash this thread, but I have a few questions that I figured you guys could help me out with. I’m looking to enroll in a skipper training program, so I’m wondering what the standard procedure looks like? I heard you have to pass an exam for small motorboats before moving on to sailboats? I assume there are different categories based on length—I’m planning on building something between 40 and 50 feet, so which category would that fall under? Also, is the radio operator certification included in the school curriculum or is that a separate thing? Are there any decent schools in Chicago, how long does the course take, and what’s the ballpark price? Most importantly, how solid is the knowledge base you actually get from these schools? Thanks in advance!

I'll give you the rundown based on what I know. Whether it’s a small motorboat or a sailboat isn't really the deciding factor here. For a vessel of that size, you need to pass the exam for a boat operator, which essentially lands you in Category C.

With that Category C certification, you are authorized to:

-- operate all types of watercraft
- handle yachts up to 20 BT (which basically means boats up to about 65 feet, assuming roughly one ton per meter), regardless of their purpose or where you're cruising

As far as I know, the radio operator exam and course are being phased out starting this year, and honestly, even before that, nobody was really doing it in practice. The cost for the course is around $3,000$1667. It lasts about seven days. After that, you head to one of the Coast Guard stations for the actual exam. What the school teaches you is fine and useful, but the real trick is to soak up as much information as possible. In my opinion, the absolute essentials are knowing everything about onboard safety, reading nautical charts (plotting courses, etc.), and mastering collision avoidance rules. The school will cover all that. The part that gets tricky is the hands-on experience—actually handling the boat on the water, especially docking and undocking in marinas. Our marinas can be pretty tight and absolutely packed during the summer, so if you don't know how to handle a boat properly, you can cause absolute chaos. Your best bet is to have the boat ready to go with an experienced skipper who can show you all those little tricks for docking and maneuvering in tight spots.

I'm not sure if there are schools in Chicago. I'm originally from Cleveland, and there's one here.

Hey casualfox9, Ivan and I were just catching up today and we came to the exact same conclusion: you get what you pay for when it comes to gear. 😬 Honestly, I don't think it would be a massive deal to sail a Moth that isn't made of carbon, provided we actually knew how to handle it, but since we’re amateurs, we’d probably end up with some chaotic rigging failure or something equally disastrous where a shroud snaps and takes our heads off—or at least a leg if we're lucky :-). Carbon fiber is just significantly more robust, so you really need a thick skin to handle the kind of carnage that happens when things go wrong.

I'm not sure if you guys caught that last post from Luka Damic, but he's claiming he was pulling 20-22 knots with only a 10-12 knot breeze??!!!

I'll keep you guys posted on how things are moving along.

Anonymous said:Hey there, Ozren.

I caught your post over on that Australian forum and saw you've actually started building a Moth. I’ve been kicking around the idea of building one myself for years now, but honestly, tracking down the right materials has always been a massive headache.
If you're up for it, I’d love to hear how the build is coming along—what kind of design are you running with, and what kind of materials are you using?
Drop me your number so we can chat on the phone.
My email is: Ivan.BozicMAKNIOVO@post.com

Ivan Bozic

Best from San Diego

Hey Ivan, I sent you an email, but I'm not sure if it actually went through because my provider is acting up and throwing errors at me. If you didn't get it, shoot me a message at river21@net.com and I'll try to get back to you that way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6TecnJiUX8

Check out these surf crashes. It’s actually a pretty solid compilation, especially with how well the soundtrack fits the chaos.

Oh, I totally forgot to mention—the Moth project is moving along nicely. If everything stays on track, I’m planning to hit the water for a regatta near the Coast Guard by the end of June.🙂 🙂

Brian Moore67 said:Look, if you’re going to obsess over hydrofoils this much, here’s the fastest production sailboat out there right now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y91vkBUvHw
It's the Hobie Trifolier. But honestly, once that initial speed rush wears off, you realize they aren't all that great because you aren't actually sailing anymore—you're just sitting in a cockpit using two pedals instead of a rudder and a bunch of lines instead of a stick.

Then there’s this other production foiling trimaran, the Windrider Rave: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO-NdFYiYa8

Personally, I don't get too carried away with these types of boats; I’d happily take one out when the conditions are perfect, but I wouldn't buy one, and here is why:
a) You need a minimum wind speed just to get those foils to lift, which isn't something you're going to find every single day on the Atlantic, especially not during the summer. Most of these boats require enough wind to hit about 15 knots without the foils just to get them to engage.
b) They can't handle rough seas at all.
c) Those foils snap easily and are a massive pain to fix.

To get a Moth up on its foils, you need at least 7 knots of wind—unless, of course, you weigh 220 pounds. Out in places like San Diego, you rarely deal with anything more than a small chop, so even that isn't a huge issue, particularly in the summer when you get those steady breezes coming off the coast that don't kick up massive swells. As for the foils, it's not like they snap like twigs; if they're made of carbon, you really have to work at it to break them, but let's be real: if you do snap one and you don't have a buddy nearby who knows how to work with carbon fiber, you are absolutely screwed. That said, the experience on these boats is incredible; once you hit 15 knots, which is basically their standard cruising speed, anyone sailing a traditional cruiser is going to look like they're standing still. And don't forget, the record for a Moth is 28 knots!