This project was intended as a lifehack for getting around outrageously high real estate prices and rents in the few remaining desirable places to live in the US (many of which, incidentally, had marinas that provided something like a gated community—secure, friendly, and with good facilities). It was this situation that prompted us to spend a decade living aboard. The boats on which we lived were not ideally suitable to this lifestyle, and it was the mismatch between what we needed and what was on offer that led me to start thinking about a better live-aboard solution, which I dubbed Quidnon. But since then much has changed, and the US, along with much of the rest of the collective West, is no longer a desirable place to live, on board or otherwise, so my Plan B was to move my family to Russia, which is not perfect but close enough for our purposes. We now have an apartment in the historical center of a beautiful, thoroughly modern city, a country house with plenty of free farmland and forest, and a vehicle to move us between the two, all for less than it would have cost to build and maintain a Quidnon. Even if I were truly maniacal about living aboard (which I am not) the coastal and inland waterways here are closed to navigation November through April, with all pleasure craft pulled out of the water, making living aboard here a survivalist exercise rather than a lifestyle choice. And so I won't be working on this project any longer, since I have no use for it. I hope that others find the work that I did on it useful.
Well shoot..., there goes the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteI have really enjoyed this journey with you and you can't imagine the conversations I've had with family and friends about the next phase of my life. If you would please leave this blog up for awhile so we can re-read it and possible re-purpose some of these really good ideas somewhere else. Thanks and I'm sure we'll be hearing from you again.
In one way, I am sorry to hear about this development, Dmitry, and in another, pleased for you. I agree completely with your sentiments about much of the West, though the small fishing village I live in here in Australia is a kind of throwbak to an earlier, kinder time. Nonetheless, we still have politicians, with all this this entails. Best wishes for you and your family.
ReplyDeleteI most certainly have found your work here useful, and wonder if what you have learned so far will be released publicly in some form. Perhaps as an open source project?
ReplyDeleteI’m glad to hear your move back to Russia has worked out well for you, but sad to hear of Quidnon’s end. I have been holding on to daydreams that she might be part of my family’s watery future somehow. I’m also happily land based here in the rural Pacific Northwest, but remain “maniacally” convinced that boat based living will be an increasingly attractive option for folks, especially on the fringes of disrupted and expensive western cities.
ReplyDeleteFor my family, living aboard for periods of time has provided many positives including focused adventure filled family time away from many modern distractions. I have found myself recently speaking with late teen and twenty somethings who are wondering how to move forward in their lives. If they have an inclination toward simplicity, novelty, adventure, and nature then I encourage them to consider boat living.
The van life and tiny house internet memes have come along and made a positive impact on millennial culture. Boat life is next… already seeing glimpses of it. The problem, as you are well aware, is that we don’t yet have the right kind of boat.
Quidnon’s time has come. Explaining it to people doesn’t work. The boat needs to be seen and witnessed in action. I’m not actually interested in a movement or trendy you tube videos, I just want to see a useful and helpful tool come to fruition.
Is there a way we can keep the the Quidnon enthusiasts on the same page for bit? Dmitry, if you’re willing to consult and keep this blog available, maybe we, as a group, could move things forward. After all, the design is basically finished. Its the Ikea like kit self assembly that isn’t there. We can bypass that with some basic boatbuilding skills and feedback from you.
A next step could be to construct a trailerable version with proportionate dimensions… LOA 21.5’ Beam (width) 9.5’ roughly. An individual or a group could make the hull pretty quickly. From there it would be great to incorporate some of the other distinguishing features like water ballast, center board with slightly heavier than neutral buoyancy, junk rig, deadlights, outboard in a well, etc.
Is there another way to think about this? Pardon my zeal, I’m not three sheets to the wind, I just couldn’t bear to see this project dead in the water. Let me know if I’m “missing the boat” on something.
All The Best to you and your family, Dmitry.
ReplyDeleteAt least I have a Quidnon shirt that I wear proudly.
Any plans on releasing the work that has already been done? Perhaps open sourcing it to the community to bring it to life?
ReplyDeleteHi Dmitry,
ReplyDeleteHere's wishing you and your family health and happiness in your new home!
I'm sure we've not heard the last of you... will be keeping our ears open for your voice across the waters.
Na zdrowie!
Dave and Anke
Loved your exploration of the space and am sad that it isn't going forward. Hope you share it in a way that others could pick up where you left it. Thanks for everything you have done!
ReplyDelete