Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Basic Information (Boats For Sale)

"Boats For Sale" - a phrase common in shipyards, fish ports, fishing villages, sailboat and yacht club docks.

Boats come in different shapes and sizes. They are used to transport passengers and cargoes. Those that carry fuel, oil and other such liquids or gas are called tankers. There are also ocean liners that offer leisure-and-entertainment voyages to vacation destinations, commonly known as luxury cruises.

Planning to buy a boat? It is important to know what type of boat suits you best, whether in terms of budget or for fulfilment of a "lifelong dream". If it is of any help, the following information on types of boats may guide and inspire you in making a "buy boat" decision you will not regret.

· Abora is a reed boat.

· Cabin cruisers are 25- to 45-foot power boats for small crews and passengers.

· Canoes are narrow paddle-propelled boats with pointed ends and normally open-topped.

· A dory is a squat lightweight shallow boat used as fishing boats (for centuries), with a sharp bow planked up from its flat bottom to its high sides, and propelled by rowing.

· A gondola is a flat-bottomed boat rowed as the most common watercraft and chief means of transportation within the Venetian lagoon.

· Inflatable boats are lightweight boats with inflated tubes for its sides and bow, and maybe paddled, rowed or motor-powered, normally used by the military for commando operation or by rescue teams during floods, typhoons and other calamities

· Kayaks are small boats similar to the canoe but with covered decks except for cockpit(s) that each fit a man propelling the craft with a double-bladed paddle.

· Launches are large motorboats with a square transom, without an engine in the 1700s, carried by warships for use in setting the large anchors.

· Lifeboats are small crafts carried by ships as rescue vessels in times of distress or sea mishap.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Create An Affordable Boat Building Workshop

Boat building has long been a passion for many people. The relaxation of crafting something from hand, the pride in accomplishing a project and the joy of sailing away on a boat you made yourself all add to the excitement of boat building. However, some never get to experience this leisurely pursuit because they think they have nowhere to build a boat.

The launch of the television show NCIS has heightened the awareness of boat building as Mark Harmon's character, Special Agent Gibbs, pours over his boat plans in almost every episode. Granted, building a boat in your basement might not be the best idea (Gibbs never explained how he got the boat out of his house), but there are other ways to create an affordable boat building workshop.

A Little Space Will Do Ya

Building a boat doesn't require a large amount of dedicated space. Most boat builders use whatever is available and will make due in a temporary situation. A garage or shed, a pent roof or tent, even a few pieces of PVC pipe glued together with a few tarps tossed over the top will do. The important thing is not the space itself, but what you put in your boat building space.

Stocking Your Workshop

When deciding where to build your boat, here are some things of importance to remember. You'll want your workshop to be a bit larger than the boat you want to build. Three feet of free space around the boat is optimal, but less would certainly do. You will want enough space to be able to freely move around all sides of the boat. You can use your boat plans to determine the finished size. Then add two to three feet to each side to calculate the size of your workshop.

Climate Controlled

The only reason (other than your own, personal comfort) to work in a climate-controlled area is the use of epoxy, which can only be used in temperatures of 41F (5C) and above. Therefore if you are not able to heat your workshop, make sure you build during seasons where the lowest temperatures don't fall below 41F (5C).

For those working in spaces that are not climate controlled, you can start building during wintertime when the temperatures are low. This will give you time to loft, cut and assemble the pieces from your boat plans. Then, once the weather gets warmer, you can move on with using glue, fiberglass tape and epoxy.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Ways to Play Basketball

The basketball hoop that each team shoots in is 18 inches in diameter and is 10 feet high and is attached to a backboard which is usually made of glass. Every time a team shoots and makes the basketball in the hoop is called a field goal. A field goal can be either two points or three points. A two point field goal is made inside the three point arc line. The three point arc line varies in length. The different lengths are: the NBA arc radius is 23 feet 9 inches, the WNBA arc radius is 20 feet 6.25 inches, the FIBA arc radius is 22.1 feet, and the NCAA and high school arc radius is 20 feet 9 inches for men and 19 feet 9 inches for women. Any shot that is made behind those three point arcs are worth three points. The team that wins is the one who has the most points after the time runs out and if both teams are tied at the end then additional time is added for overtime. The game is consisted of four quarters. Depending on what level and league you play in is what determines how long each quarter is. The NBA has four 12 minute quarters.

The basketball is brought up the court by bouncing it on the ground, which is called dribbling, or it can be passed to teammates. It is a violation to walk with the ball without dribbling it. That is called traveling and the result of that is a turnover and the ball is given to the other team. Another violation is if you pick up the ball after dribbling it and then begin to dribble it again. This is called double dribbling and it results in a turn over. Physical contact to an opposing player is called a foul. If it is done while they are shooting it results in a free throw for that player. A free throw is an unguarded shot from 15 feet away from the hoop and is worth one point each. Fouls can happen on offense or defense. One example of an offensive foul is called a charge. That is when the player dribbling the ball is runs straight into the defender. An intense foul can result in a technical foul, which usually is caused by an unsportsmanlike conduct by either the player or coach. A technical foul results in a free throw for the opposing team.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Here Badminton Accuracy and Running

Badminton is one of the most popular sports around the world. Just like lawn tennis, it needs a lot of accuracy and a lot of running too. But for female athletes who are serious with badminton, the little space confined by those lines means battlefield.

Singapore is proud to have produced a top-notch badminton player. Li Li won the singles category in the Commonwealth Games in 2002 and took home the gold medal. It was then that she made a great bang by defeating Tracey Hallam of England in the fourth set, which eventually upset the English team. Li also took part in the 2004 Summer Olympics but was defeated by Gong Ruina from China.

Another badminton superstar from Asia is Gong Ruina from China. A consistent Olympian, Ruina had swept the awards of almost all of the competitions that she had participated in. Ruina's victory may be considered as a destiny. Why? It is because Ruina has a meaning in Chinese. "Rui" means clever and very wise while "na" is an character they use for a girl. It seems Ruina was born to be a champion. Even the legendary Susi Susanti was defeated by this girl in their match in Brunei Open.

Susi Susanti is one heck of a superstar Indonesia and in the world of badminton. She was awarded with a "Hall of Fame" award in 2004 by the International Badminton Federation. She was the very first Indonesian to take home gold medal in the single event in the 1992 Olympic Games.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Are They The Best? (Yonex Badminton Rackets)

Yonex Badminton rackets are used by more top players than any other manufacturer. Yonex are the dominant force in badminton today. The question is, are they the best?

The latest Yonex racket is the ArcSaber 10 and it retails at around £160, which just about makes it the most expensive badminton racket ever made. Other top end Yonex rackets are the Armortec series and the Nano speed series. The muscle power series are also still going strong. Prices for these rackets range from around £80 to £110, which is a significant amount of money to invest in a badminton racket.

In my opinion, Yonex badminton rackets are quality products, but i do think the prices are a bit too high. There is no fun in breaking your badminton racket in a clash with your partners racket, especially when your new bat has just set you back over £100. This happens time and again, and no warranty on this earth will cover accidental damage. I know this from personal experience, and at that moment, no racket is worth the money, especially if only your racket has broke.

I have used many Yonex badminton rackets over the years, from the early CAB 8DX, CAB 20 and CAB 21. The CAB 21 is one of my favourite rackets of all time, an absolute classic. I then moved to the Yonex Aerotus series, which proved to be a big disappointment. I had 3 of these and they all snapped, and not on someone elses racket i might add.

After this bad experience i started to use Carlton badminton rackets, and i can say that they are excellent badminton rackets. If you are looking for an alternative to Yonex badminton rackets then i recommend giving Carlton a try. I still use the Carlton Airblade Tour, as well as Yonex rackets.