Gil's Blog

I had noticed those odd-shaped knives before, but really got interested in purchasing one after reading the excellent James Clavell book, “Whirlwind” where, among a flurry of characters, a few British Gurkhas roam Iran on a covert operation during the 1979 revolution. They are armed of course with Nepal’s “official” knife, the Kukri, or Khukuri. After some research on the web, I decided to trust Khukuri House with my hard-earned money, and settled on the Raw Panawal model.

I didn’t want a highly polished blade because it was to be used for camping and, as it turned out, a few other unexpected chores around the house. The knife is hand-made form a truck suspension spring, and let me tell you, it is a heavy chunk of steel. As you can see on the photo, the tip is a wide drop-point, perfect for chopping, as the handle shape also suggests. The box arrived from Kathmandu a couple weeks after I paid the $45 plus $35 shipping on the site. Now, how often do you receive parcels from Kathmandu? The mailman must have scratched his head about that one.. The whole knife was nicely wrapped in heavy paper and plastic, fully oiled. My first impression was “It’s big,” then “It’s heavy.” I tried to shave hairs off my arm (if you ever noticed, I often have bold patched on my forearms , but to no avail. I took it to the sharpening stone right away, coarse, then fine, then cardboard; still, no shaving, but more on that later..

My friends and I were going to have a bonfire in the backyard, and I decided to clean-up the area of low palm frowns. The ten-inch blade cut through like a hot knife in butter; well, not quite, but I certainly didn’t have to exert much effort to accomplish the task. The weight of the blade did the work for me. I am not so worried about sharpness anymore, this one is a chopper and a keeper!

The rosewood of the handle seems to be affected by changes in temperature and humidity. I noticed the problem when the rivets felt as if they were slightly bulging out, and the wood separated from the handle on one side by maybe half a millimeter (not much at all). It isn’t really a problem per say on a work knife. I would be pissed if it happened on a $200 knife, but let’s face it, I paid $85 total. The assembly feels as solid as ever, so I am not worried about smashing it on a log with all my strenght. This is what my friend Ted did when he borrowed it from me to spilt logs! He brought it back in one piece, and without any dents. To whomever built it and heat-treated it, my hat off to you sir..

I haven’t used my Kukri for camping yet, but it will certainly be with me on my next trip. I have abused it removing baseboards in my bedroom, chopping through nails and all, without visible harm. If someone broke into the house at night, it would be high on my list of things to grab to go investigate (I always have a few other choices at hand).. As to getting it to shave hair, I gave up. The concave edge makes it difficult, or maybe I am not using the right method. Anyone? I even dropped it at a shop to have it professionally sharpened, it came back just the way I brought it in, reasonably sharp, but not “razorly” so.. That said, a razor edge is not needed on such a beast.

I may sandblast and parkerize it, if I get bored enough.. It would give it a nice dark-gray finish impervious to the elements, and I wouldn’t have to oil it very often. I’ll post my method if I ever get to it.

This knife will come with me every time I hit the woods. It is well built, with a very strong edge. Get one and you’ll be the coolest looking camper around with that thing on your belt! If that’s all you have, and you camp in remote areas, it will give you some piece of mind on dark lonely nights. Now, I’m ready for a trip, who else is coming?

Update October 17, 2009: I just used the knife to cut a tree! Not a bush, a real tree. The trunk was about five and a half inches in diameter. It took mere minutes to chop through it. While cutting it to pieces, I even accidentally hit the cement below in the driveway, twice. No chipping of the blade! I didn’t even bother resharpen it after, it was just fine..

James Clavell’s book is a great adventure novel that, although from a British perspective, sheds a lot of light on middle-east politics and religion. I highly recommend it..

This Playmobil set is slightly disturbing:

I just can’t believe it! I guess you shouldn’t let actors near guns, not in Bradenton anyway. I live in Sarasota (a few miles away), and can’t help but comment on this perfect example of ignorance and stupidity when it comes to firearm safety:

BRADENTON, Fla.: Tragedy nearly struck a group of actors in Florida when authorities say a loaded gun was accidentally used during a rehearsal. Bill Bordy, vice president of the Sarasota Senior Theater in Bradenton, was rehearsing a scene from John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” Monday evening when he picked up a pistol he had borrowed from another cast member. Bordy pointed the loaded revolver at the head of another actor, Fred Kellerman, and pulled the trigger. Bordy’s aim was off and only grazed Kellerman’s ear.

We have three nominees for the award here; only one was nearly removed from the gene pool.

First: NEVER point a real gun at anyone you don’t want to kill, even if you think it’s empty. This is the first thing any firearm instructor will teach. Too many people bit the bullet (no pun intended) because someone thought a gun was not loaded. It is especially true of semi-automatic pistols, which can have a round left in the chamber even if the magazine is removed. There are rare exceptions to this rule, but then no ammunition should be allowed anywhere near the area and the firearm must be checked multiple times.

Second: If you loan your gun to someone who is going to point it at a friend’s head, unload it first.

Third: If you are an actor and the play calls for a gun, check first to make sure it isn’t loaded. Don’t you know how Brandon Lee died? After verifying it a couple times, press the trigger with the barrel pointing to the ground. Note to Bradenton actors: Only do this if you are on the first floor, nobody is laying on the ground in front of you and do not aim at your feet. Oh, and you don’t check the gun by looking in the barrel to see if a bullet is there. Just making sure here, I don’t mean to be patronizing..

Fourth: If someone wants to point a gun at your head and press the trigger (I can’t believe I am writing this!), make sure it is unloaded. The “gunman” should show that to you, and then you should re-check for yourself. In doubt, ask him if you can shoot him first, if he says no, have a third party check the gun again.

Fifth: If you think you are pointing an empty gun at a friend’s head, and he hasn’t slept with your wife or doesn’t have an insurance policy you would benefit from, do not actually aim for his head, but at least a foot off to the side. This might not apply to certain people however who are bad enough to actually miss by a foot..

Accidents usually happen because of a succession of failures. Here, three people lacked the most elemental common sense in handling a deadly weapon. I would not be surprised if none ever had any firearm safety instruction. Blame it on ignorance if you will, but there has to be another factor in this picture. When you think you’ve seen it all, there is always someone to top the chart.. But three at the same time in the same place, WAOH!

Article source.

Building a sailboat may seem like a daunting task, but like any big project, if you keep at it, you eventually finish. People build houses, airplanes, barns, cars, you name it, they build it in their backyard. You used to be able to buy a sturdy boat ready to cross oceans. Early fiberglass boats were thick and strong because nobody knew how epoxy and fiberglass would age. Wooden boats have been built since the beginning of time, their construction has been mastered long ago. Stell hulls are seldom seen on pleasure vessels, but eveybody else use them, and for good reasons. I set myself to build a steel 32Ft. double-ended ketch a few years ago. Why not buy a production boat you may ask, well, they just don’t make them “like that” anymore. If I just wanted to sail in the intercoastal, any boat would do fine. Hell, if it sunk, I could swim to shore.. Modern Ocean cruising boats are hard to find. If I had the money I would probably get a Hans Christian 33 or 38. I like double-ended boats. Those have a canoe stern (pointy back). This type of hull was used on rescue boats in Nothern Europe. So, my thinking is that if you have one, you may not need to be rescued in the first place.. I spent countless hours on the internet researching the best blue water cruisers, strong boats that can take a beating and cross large oceans. I even bought drawings for the Tahitiana design, and took a three month welding class for that purpose (steel boat). Incidentally, I found such a boat for sale in Ft. Lauderdale and bought it; I am in the process of restoring it right now. It won’t be my last boat, I consider it to be a learning tool. I narrowed building material to two, steel and wood. The reason for this is because both are easy to fix anywhere and require only simple tools and skills. Welding isn’t hard to learn and machines are affordable. Both are strong and widely available. Steel is the strongest and my favorite. Aluminum is too expensive and harder to weld. Fiberglass is messy, I just don’t like it. It is too easy to mess-up epoxy with the wrong mix or curing temperature; bubbles can form, blisters later, just not my kind of material. With steel or wood, there are no surprises. Rust you may ask? With modern coatings it itsn’t a concern anymore. The result of my research is a short list of capable boats ranging from 15ft. to 50ft. that one or two people can build themselves to experience what is probably the last real freedom on this earth.

15 Ft.: The Macnaughton Farthing is a very small boat designed for one person. With a displacement of 2160Lbs. is is however pretty beefy for it’s length. I really like the junk rig, which greatly facilitates handling, if not performance. Remember, safety matters most here, not speed. The full foam flotation will increase safety when you can’t carry a life-raft. Here is the quote that sold me on the Macnaughton Farthing page: “Farthing is probably the least expensive way to achieve and maintain permanent global mobility.” That sounds like music to my ears. Macnaughton has other great designs, but the Farthing is the most intriguing one. I will buy those plans as soon as I can and keep them, if there was ever a time when I needed “global mobility.” As one sailor and writer said “Go small, go now!”

23 Ft.: Weston farmer’s Cherub is one of the smallest designs that can be built out of steel. It could probably take an experienced couple practically anywhere, and for very little money. Displacement is 5000Lbs. The reason I like stell so much is that your boat can be thrown on rocks, hit a floating log, whale, container, or another “plastic” boat with a good chance of coming out unscathed. 23 Ft. isn’t that small, considering that Serge Testa circumnavigated the world in a twelve foot boat.

25 Ft.: The Ganley Hitchhiker is a Colin Archer style double-ended boat, with a marconi or junk rig. Unfortunately, the site that was selling the plans is down (fairmetalboats.com). The designer, Denis Ganley was killed in an auto accident in 1997. His boat seems to be the perfect size for a budget conscious sailor who wants a boat large enough for extended cruising. I do not know if and where the Hitch-Hiker plans are available. If anyone knows, please post a message in the comments below.

32 Ft.: The Tahitiana is another Weston Farmer boat, and my personal choice at this time. I bought my plans from his son a few years ago. The boat is a redesign of Jack Hanna’s famous Tahiti Ketch. The design has a great reputation as an ocean-going vessel capable of surviving even the worst conditions. My boat is not a Tahitiana per say, but all dimentions are identical, except that it has one chine instead of two and was presumably built in 1950, way before the Tahitiana lines were published. I would appreciate any information on my boat…

I plan on using a junk rig on Dagny. The deck needs sandblasting. The cabin roof needs to be replaced and the interior redone. The engine runs but the starter was stolen and I am worried about some vibrations I noticed the last time I took her out. Probably the old prop unbalanced, I hope. Working on old boats is fun, but beware, it will cost you!

36 – 38 Ft.: I haven’t found the best design in this size range, suggestions are welcome!

43? Ft. Colvin Pinky Schooner and Gazelle. Is it a 42? I can’t find my copy of “Steel Boatbuilding” tonight, but Colvin in his book offers the plans of his beautiful schooner-rigged steel double-ender, for free! Well, you need to buy the book (see above). It can be built as a voyaging yacht or cargo ship. It is again a very safe design in bad weather. The Gazelle is another one of his designs based on a Chinese junk, with of course, a junk rig. It is of a relatively light displacement for it’s size, but because of it’s construction, would be at ease offshore:

Colvin is the authority on steel boat building in the United States. I once asked him if he could tell me what paint to use on my boat. To my surprise, he replied with a long email explaining what products and procedures to use to assure a long rust-free life for my boat. I followed it to the letter, and it worked perfectly! His book explains it all. I would never consider working on a steel boat without reading it. His larger junks are really appealing. If I was to ever build something in the 60-65ft. range I would choose a Colvin junk.

50 Ft.: This is my dream boat, if I ever make enough money to buy all that steel. The George Buehler Otter. This is a gigantic boat. 50Ft. is large enough for a family of four or five. The hull is plated with quarter-inch steel and displaces 44000Lbs. That thickness will stop most handgun bullets! I would need help to build one. The plates are heavy and my back would not permit me to handle them, or even participate in the lifting. I would love to weld-up such a monster however. George Buehler has a no-nonsense approach to boats I really like. I learned a lot from his book on backyard boat-building (see above). This would be my definite choice for a liveaboard vessel. A boat that size could feel like a luxury appartment with the right inside design, nice woods and all creature comforts. I would rather invest in such a project than build a house. You can’t leave with your house if things go bad where you live.. With a boat, you load the whole family and just go, no worries about your house, you’re leaving in it! no to mention waterfront living and no property taxes. Now, I just need to find a woman with an open mind..

Violence against women and girls is widespread; one woman in three will experience violence during her lifetime, most often at the hands of someone she knows. Don’t crucify me about the title, I just wanted to get your attention, because if you are a woman, what you will read here, and what you do about it might help you. Of course women don’t want to be victims! A few years back, my Systema instructor organized a free self-defense seminar for women. I participated as a “bad guy.” Around twenty five women showed-up. The seminar was great, but you really can’t learn enough life saving skills in four hours.. Not one ever came back to class for training!

Amazing, considering the statistics: Every day four women die in this country as a result of domestic violence. Conservative estimates indicate two to four million women of all races and classes are battered each year. Every year approximately 132,000 women report that they have been victims of rape or attempted rape.

I know a woman who lives with her young child but would never lock her door, even at night. With a double murder two blocks away, I know that door is still left unlocked (she no longer lives alone). Yet, she shops for organic food and is a health-conscious mother. How can you conciliate the two?

The idea of violence is not a pleasant one. Women do not want to think about being assaulted, even if preparing themselves could potentially save their lives and the life of their children. The “It won’t happen to me,” “won’t happen here,” or “I’d just [insert kick-ass TV-kung-fu move here]” mentality prevails over reason. It is a great example of self-deception.

Being ready doesn’t mean becoming a Cynthia Rothrock or emulate Jennifer Lopez in “Enough”… Prevention and awareness is your best tool. By awareness, I don’t mean marching in the streets with a sign to end violence on women; that does as much as pissing in a violin. I mean awareness of your surroundings and listening to your intuition. I read an excellent book on the subject, see below:

Every woman should read this book. I remember one story from it that really drives the point home: A young girl was hitchhiking when a couple stopped. They had a baby with them. For some reason, the girl had the urge not to go with them. She reasoned that a couple with a baby couldn’t be of any danger to her and climbed in the car. Later, at a rest stop, she again had the urge to run away, but could not explain it, and decided that it was silly, and again, went along for the ride. It turned out to be a seven year ride as a sex slave to the couple.. You have to listen to that little voice. We humans are the only animal capable of self-deception. A wild animal would never stop at a suspicious noise and think “it’s probably nothing.”

Prevention is not enough. After all, it is a sad truth that women are most often attacked by people they know. If a boyfriend hits you, leave now, don’t hope it will never happen again, because it will, guaranteed. That first time though could be much more than a slap in the face. There is always the possibility of an unforeseen random act of violence, like a mugging, or rape attempt. Criminals attack women because they either do not resist or do not know how to resist. Even if they do, they lack the physical strength to do so. Strength can be replaced by skills. Unfortunately, there are a lot of martial arts out there that are not worth a dime for self defense. There are also good styles but bad teachers. I would suggest trying to find a school or style that emphasizes principles over form and techniques. Avoid styles that are too stiff in their movements or teachings, and promote violence or aggressiveness. Going nuts in a fight won’t help you. Emotions won’t help you. Also avoid styles that use excessive protections, have too many rules (like not hitting the face, etc.), or simply avoid contact. The style you choose must also consider multiple attackers, armed or not, and fighting on the ground as well as on your feet. If you see twelve-year-olds with a black belt, run! If they promise you a black belt next year, run! Actually, be suspicious of belts altogether. My favorites are, almost in order: Systema, Bujinkan, Penjak Silat, Kuntao, Kali, Wing Tsun, Aikido, Krav Maga, Boxing, and I am sure I am forgetting some. I would not suggest TaeKwonDo, traditional Karate, and other styles based on outdated forms of combat, geared towards competition or dancing, like Capoeira. Some combinations are good, like boxing and JiuJitsu for example. Shop around before you sign-up, and don’t bother spending time on martial arts forums on the web, there is nothing to learn from them. If you don’t have a good school nearby, get the DVD below and start a study group in your town (also available at russianmartialart.com):

Your group should not be comprised of women only. You need to face a screaming angry large man (acting for training) to have a glimpse of what you might face. Getting comfortable with the idea is am important step in your self-defense system. I suggest that you visit Marc MacYoung’s site: nononsenseselfdefense.com. He has great articles on the subject. If you live in Sarasota, visit: systemasarasota.com, tell Marc I sent you, and I’ll see you in class.

Guns are the great equalizer. They instill fear in many women, but it does come from ignorance. I once accompanied a girlfriend to a gun store. Shee looked a different models and finally said: “I want something I’m not afraid of.” To which I replied “If you?e not afraid of it, a robber certainly won’t either.” The salesman laughed.. A gun is only a tool, an assembly of metal parts that alone, couldn’t hurt a fly. Contrary to the common misconception, guns don’t just “go off” they only time we hear of guns going off by themselves is in courtrooms. Sure, some dingy Saturday-night-special could have a defective safety, but modern guns are impervious to accidental discharge. Gun manufacturers have too much to lose in lawsuits to be casual about safety. If you decide to buy a gun, and I can only encourage you to do so, you have to consider a few things before you spend your hard earned money:

You will need training. Not just a few sessions at the range, but consistent training, at least two or three times a month, and start with a knowledgeable instructor. Learning gun safety will be your first objective. If you have kids, buy a safe! They make small ones that can be opened very quickly by a combination of finger-pressing. Then you should move on to shooting immobile targets at about fifteen feet. Gunfights rarely happen any further. Actually, most gunfights take place with the opponents only ten feet apart. You will then practice on moving targets, which is another ball game altogether. Finally, you should practice on moving targets while moving. Believe it or not, it is easy to miss ten feet away in those conditions, with the added stress of a real situation.
The most important aspect of your gun training however won’t be shooting, but gun handling. Bringing the gun into action, drawing, moving around with it, rolling, taking cover, reloading, gun retention, etc. Finding an good instructor for this is not easy. Even Law Enforcement Officers are often not trained properly with their weapon. Do not copy anything you see on television, most of the time, it’s awfully wrong.
The last, but very important aspect of owning a gun is to know the law. Study concealed carry laws in your state and self-defense laws, castle laws. If you shoot an attacker, DO NOT talk to police, even if you think it will clear you of any wrongdoing. Ask for an attorney right away. If you don’t know what gun to buy, get a Glock model 19. Don’t listen to anyone telling you not to get one…
There is great book by Massa Ayoob you should read:

Are you willing to set aside a couple hours a week for your self-protection studies? Honestly, it is a small price to pay, even if you get a few bruises occasionally. It can even be fun, and training will keep you in shape. Actually, don’t forget about running, it should be your first option! I am thinking about mothers in particular. It is one thing to disregard your own safety, but if you have a family, or plan on having one, you have no excuse. Feel free to ask questions in the comments section below (you must register for free). If I can’t give you a good answer, I know people who can. Be safe!