Kayak Sledding in the Liquidlogic Deuce Coupe.

We got 6- 8" of snow at the Liquidlogic factory and I was just thinking this thing would be fun out there in the snow. The Washington Park neighborhood of Winston Salem has lots of good sledding and Doune St. was the epicenter. The Deuce Coupe was the vehicle of choice.

Here is the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4n9DMgWpng

or

Check it out here.

Shane

This Is Canoeing

This is a trailer for a new video coming out from Cackle TV Productions. The trailer does a very good job of piquing my interest in the videos.

From the production company's web site:

“THIS IS CANOEING” is a 2-disc celebration of canoeing, showcasing top single-blade paddlers in their pursuit of remote wilderness journeys or challenging white water. Multi-award winning film maker, Justine Curgenven captures the essence of canoeing in 12 short films. From open canoe slalom races to 1,000 mile birchbark expeditions, Justine provides insights into the diversity of the sport and the influential people who tell it’s story. Immerse yourself in this globe-trotting 3 hours of adventure to world class canoeing destinations in Canada, the United States, Scotland & Wales.

FEATURING;

KEVIN CALLAN – BECKY MASON – PAUL MASON – MARK SCRIVER- ANDREW WESTWOOD - KAREN KNIGHT – BOB FOOTE – RAY GOODWIN - WENDY GRATER - CHRIS COOPER – DAVE ROSSETTER – ELI HELBERT - JOHN ‘KAZ’ KAZIMIERCZYK – HAILEY THOMPSON – CAROLYN PETERSON

You can pre-order your copy of the videos at the Cackle TV web site. There is also more information about the videos, including information on the featured paddlers and the waters they are paddling.

Bad Ass Outfitting by Liquidlogic Kayaks

We have had Bad Ass Outfitting in our kayaks for a quite a while now and the feedback has been phenomenal. It used to be that people just raved about the boats but now as much or more than any other feature people comment on the outfitting. I wanted to write a story about the outfitting because there are a couple questions that people ask that I would like to cover. While I am at it I'll just cover everything about the outfitting. If you have any questions let'em fly in the comments section.

Bad Ass Outfitting came out of a desire to make a seat for a kayak that would give you complete control, and total comfort. The idea came from looking at race car seats. They are one body contoured seat that keeps the driver in a performance driving position but is also comfortable enough that they can be in their cars for hours at a time. Other parts that we worked really hard on were making the outfitting easy to adjust and durable enough to take a beating. Because kayakers are impatient, and tough on their gear.

This whole presentation is done in a video at the bottom of the page or Click Here.

For those of your that like browning and stuff like that make sure to check the video at the bottom of the page. It is not LL condoned, it is ill advised, slightly profane, and somewhat hilarious and entertaining.

Bad Ass Outfitting in all its glory.

The picture above is to show the contoured seat, back band, and hip pad sections all combined together to give you completely outfitted feel with no gaps or openings that leave you wishing for more. The materials that we use in this outfitting are used in the auto industry because of their durability, UV resistance, draining properties, and comfort against the skin. The facing material is a spacer mesh that is very UV resistant. You can leave this material out in the sun and it won't break down or fade. The inside material which you can see in the photo below is a thicker 3 dimensional spacer mesh that gives it more cushioning properties. The seat cover itself has the facing material and a layer of the 3D spacer mesh sewn into it, add that to another layer of 3D spacer mesh on the backband and you have a very cush ride.

The Main Points for Bad Ass Outfitting Materials.

• All one contour padded construction
• UV resistant facing material
• Quick draining mesh construction
• Anti-microbial material, lets just say "less paddler stench" :)
• Durability you can't rip, or tear this stuff.

Quick Access to the Back of your boat.


One of the largest issues that people bring up or try to sell against LL boats with the Bad Ass Outfitting is the ability to get into the back of our boats. What I want to do now is show you several options on how to get into the back of the boat. I think everyone will find once they know how to get in the stern of a Liquidlogic boat you will see that its easy. First thing as you can see in the above photo is that you take the back off the back band. It's held there by a hook and loop material.

Access to the back of your Liquidlogic kayak.

The Full Access Option

1. Pull the back of the seat pad off the back band.
2. Release the ratchets until the back band is all the way to the back of the cockpit rim.
3. Lift the back band up and onto the back of the cockpit rim while continuing to release the ratchet. Presto magico, all the access you will ever need.

Quick Access Option

The Quick Access Option

1. Push the back band back a couple inches.
2. Push down and towards the front of the boat on the backband.
3. It will fold down flat on the seat for access. A little forceful but quick.

The Easiest Option

The Easiest Option

1. Pull the back of the seat pad off the back band.
2. Loosen the ratchet all the way on one side of the backband.
3. Pull the loosened side up and slide gear in under the back band.
4. This is a quick an easy way to get access to one side of the stern.

Hip Pad Compartment

The other part of this whole system that is very cool is the ease with which you can adjust and place your hip pads just where you want them. The hip pad compartment is easily opened by pulling the material from the cockpit rim. It opens a pocket that takes the hip pads and shims to create a proper fit. One nice trick to placing them in exactly the position you would like them is using a piece of paper, index card, or post card from Grandma as a spacer behind the hip pad so it won't stick in place while you are trying to locate your pad. Then once it feels like its in the right place just pull the paper out and the pad sticks where you want it. This allows you to place your hip pads exactly where you want them while you are sitting in the boat.

The Paper Trick for locating your hip pad is easy to do while sitting in the boat

Hip Pad in place. Now just close the compartment.

The thigh braces are easily adjusted with just a couple turns of the screws under the outside edge of the cockpit rim next to the thigh braces. There are two screws that control the thighbraces so loosen each of them a couple turns. Then just move them where you would like and retighten the screws. This will give you more control over the feel of the thighbraces.



Important
Loosen the screws just a couple turns if you loosen more you may take the screw all the way out of its threaded nut and that can be hard to fix.

The seat is also adjustable with a couple turns of the screws next to the seat. There is a screw on either side of the boat so make sure that you loosen both of those a couple turns then just move the seat where you want it, and retighten the screws.

Important

Loosen the screws just a couple turns if you loosen more you may take the screw all the way out of its threaded nut and that can be hard to fix.

Here is a video that Woody put together covering the same things. There is more information on this video and its great to see the adjustments done in the video.

Woody Callaway talking about Bad Ass Outfitting


The below video is not condoned or approved by Liquidlogic :) However it is funny. There is poor behavior and some bad language but you gotta love the energy. Like I said don't watch it.

LiquidLogic Kayaks Badass Outfitting from Fred Norquist on Vimeo.

Fred Gnarquist talking about the Bad Ass Outfitting from a "younger" point of view.

Please leave any comments or questions below in the comments and I will answer them.
Thanks
Shane

Linux Network Printing from progeCAD using Samba

One common network configuration for business file storage and printing is the use of Linux file and print servers on low-cost PC hardware. The advantages of UNIX & Linux servers in an SMB office automation environment are:

• Linux (also some UNIX, i.e. Solaris) is free to download
• Linux is secure, fast and stable
• Linux is scalable and highly configurable

Microsoft Windows, on the other hand, does work very well for supporting graphical end-user applications. progeCAD is a strongly graphical, end-user application for AutoCAD-compatible Computer Aided Design. To connect Windows PCs to a Linux back-office, we use Samba server. Samba is free Linux server software for sharing Windows folders or printers on a network:However, Samba will slow progeCAD's performance if not correctly configured. Samba is packaged for a wide variety of Linux types ("distributions") and installation is best carried out with free packages available for your version of Linux. Here are some more tips for setting up a network USB printer.

Once the USB printer is itself correctly configured by the local Linux printing subsystem (CUPS, LPRNG, UNIX LPR) the printer is then "shared" by its queue name onto the Windows SMB network in the Samba configuration (usually smb.conf, section shown here for Debian Linux - see Samba website for complete configuration details):

[printers]
comment = Sample Printers
path = /var/spool/samba
create mode = 0700
browseable = yes
writable = yes
guest ok = yes
public = yes
printable = yes
use client driver = no
printer admin = root

[My5500]
comment = Demo Example HP 5500 colour (change this with your own printer)
path = /var/spool/samba
browseable = yes
writable = no
guest ok = yes
printable = yes
default devmode = yes
use client driver = no
printer admin = root, administrator

Explanation: Driver configuration can either be client-side or server-side. We strongly recommend server-side drivers (default devmode = yes, use client driver = no) for speed and reliability. Only the Linux administrator is here given permission to "set up" the printer on the server side (printer admin = root). However this creates some challenges. The Windows driver will need to be "uploaded" to the Linux server. We will need to create an additional Samba configuration for allowing this:

[PRINT$]
path = /var/lib/samba/printers
guest ok = yes
browseable = yes
read only = yes
write list = root
admin users = root
create mask = 0644
directory mask = 0755

Once smb.conf is saved, Samba needs to be restarted. A quick network browse of our Linux machine from Windows (i.e. from Windows Explorer type '\\server-name') should list the shared printers and folders on that 'server-name'. NOTE: For security purposes we have only allowed "root" (and administrator) any kind of admin rights to the Samba printers. Our problem is that Windows doesn't have a UNIX user called "root". We get around this by initially connecting to our new shared printer from the DOS / Command prompt as follows:

runas /netonly /user:root "rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /p /t3 /n \\server-name\printername" (i.e. \\pc123\My5510 in this example)

You should be prompted for the Linux password for "root", and then prompted whether you want to select a Windows driver at this time - click "No".

A spartan Properties Box for this printer should appear. Click on the "Advanced" tab along the top of the box and click the "New Driver.." button. Select a 'Generic -> Ms Publisher Color Printer' if you want to send Postscript to your Linux printer (this is a good idea, CUPS will automatically reformat Postscript files to something usable by the actual USB printer hardware if correctly configured). Windows should begin uploading the local driver from your PC to the Samba server. Now click the "Apply" button at the bottom of the properties box and you should see several more tabs appear in this dialogue box if everything goes as planned. You may now close this Properties Box.

Because "administrator" is also listed as an admin for our My5500 printer, Windows administrator can make centrally-stored changes to this Samba printer (like setting paper size from Letter to A4, or changing the Postscript mode). NOTE that we have thus far only highlighted steps to configure Samba printers on the server side. Now we can finally add this as a Windows printer by navigating to \\server-name in Windows Explorer, right-clicking the printer and clicking "connect" from the drop-down menu that appears.

This post does not completely cover Samba configuration, only those tips found best practice for printing. We have found the above approach to offer best performance and reliability for printing to Samba server on Linux in progeCAD IntelliCAD (as well as Microsoft Office applications) from Windows. However other procedures may work better for different plotters and we welcome your comments here.

Indoor paddling? Play's the thing!

We weren't looking forward to the indoor paddling season this year. In the past, we made good use of true "flat water" time to practice specific skills like rolls, braces and rescues. But these days, the things we want to practice require space and waves. There's just no good way to work on surf landings indoors.

But we've been pleasantly surprised to discover that this has actually been a very fun and productive indoor paddling season, thanks in large part to our BCU training (with Bill Lozano of BCUNA, Scott Fairty of Geneva Kayak Center and Kelly Blades). We credit the BCU with helping us get out of our work-on-a-specific-skill mentality and into more of a learn-by-play approach.

In the coming weeks and months, we'll post some of the games we've been playing, along with photos and videos. If you have some to share, please post them in our comments.

Liquidlogic Remix XP on the Grand Canyon

Woody went out to the wild wild west to do a self support trip on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon with a big group of folks. The craft of choice was the Remix XP 9 &10. Thanks for this awesome first video from the trip goes to Will Lyons who did all the videoing and John Grace and Chelsea for putting together a great new resource for kayak campers. Campingbykayak.com

There will more updates on this trip and kayak camping coming soon!

Here is link to a great story done by Ted Keyes on the Canyon trip Click Here

This makes me want to it do next year!

Check it out!

Shane

Whitewater paddling in a Sit-On-Top kayak: The Coupe by Liquidlogic

Hey Everybody I had a trip this summer where I paddled with Sarah Bell from Green River Adventures on the Upper Section of the Green river in the Liquidlogic Coupe sit-on-top. I took a bunch of photos and video so I figured now that the boat is out on the market I would put up the shots that I got as well as Sarah's thoughts on the trip.

Trip Report

8/09

1^st Trip in the Coupe on the Upper Green River

I was at the end of my rope, (it was a stressful day in the office) Woody and Shane showed up and wanted to go kayaking….with a new toy.

I hadn’t paddled the Coupe on whitewater, so we decided to take it to the Upper section of the Green River and see how it did. At first I was thinking I should wear knee pads or a butt pad….a sit on top on the Upper Green? Surely I was going for a few swims. I was shocked at how stable the boat was! I couldn’t have flipped it over if I tried. ;)

We ran all the rapids we would have in decked kayaks, and I had no issues with feeling top heavy like I usually do in a sit on top. Even running the drop at Bayless Boof. The Coupe came through well. If I had the LL thigh straps I could see running it down good class 2 and 3 confidently.

There’s a great wave towards the beginning of the river, but nobody surfs on it because it’s above a tricky spot, "Wanda's". Once the boat was surfing, I couldn’t get it off the wave! It handled it soo easily. I never felt like I was out of control. After surfing, I thought for sure I would be in for it…the next rapid was just a few yards below. The Coupe turned so much faster than expected, and I was able to line up for Wanda’s Hole with no problem.

After the first set of rapids, the river has a stretch that feels like a scenic float. Dropping the skeg was simple, and cruising along the flat water was effortless. I didn’t feel like I was fighting the weight or length of the boat. Shane hopped in for a surf at this great wave by the take out….I don’t know if it’s considered back surfing if all you do is swivel the seat around so you’re facing backwards? I can’t wait to take this fishing on the lower section of the Green.

Its exciting….a sit on top that can surf, run rapids, won’t flip over, is easy to paddle, and actually has mechanical parts that are easy to use! We’re excited to get them in the outpost at Green River Adventures when they arrive. So many of our local clients live on the lakes surrounding the Green. So, they want a boat that can be fun on the lake, in moving water, and on whitewater….it’s the first of it’s kind. A do it all kind of boat.

If thats what you are looking for you should check it out.

Sarah

Here is a slideshow of more shots and a video of the day.
Cheers
Shane

The Liquidlogic Coupe paddling whitewater. from Shaneslogic on Vimeo.

The lake in solid state

After two weeks of frigid weather, the air temperatures returned to the 30s and we considered paddling on Lake Michigan, ice permitting.
Our enthusiasm exceeded our opportunities. Here are a few images from our trip to scout launching and landing sites:

The North Avenue beach house behind waves of ice and snow.

 

Snow fumaroles.

Curtains from ice drape over the North Avenue jetty.

 

A snow fence does its best to keep the ice out.

 

A lonely snowman guards the beach.

 

There was some open water, but no safe access to reach it.

Forecast For A Winter Trek

I'm heading with a group for an overnight snowshoe and camping trip to Prince Albert National Park this weekend. The forecast is for pretty mild weather, but we're still a few days out so there's room for change. Let's have a look at what the two main forecasters are predicting for the area for the weekend. I'll revisit this next week, after we come back.

I've taken screenshots from the website of both forecasters (just after 5 pm), cropped and rearranged them a bit, and posted them here.

First, the forecast provided at www.weathernetwork.com:

And now, the same from Environment Canada at www.weatheroffice.gc.ca:

So that's the forecast, lets see what reality brings....

Liquidlogic Security Bars: The part of the story you may not know.

That's right, an entire story about security bars.

You got two choices you can get the whole story about security bars by reading and checking out the photos or you can watch this video. They are pretty much the same. One you just look at parts and pieces. The other you have to listen to me yap.

Liquidlogic Security Bars from Shaneslogic on Vimeo.

I got into this because we just did a series of tests on our security bars, the attachment point of the bars, and the bolts that we use to screw them on to the boat. Often both paddlers and manufacturers overlook this component, but like everything on our boats, we've given the grab bars some serious love. Lots of people take it for granted that the "security bars" on a kayak are strong and can take a ton of pull and punishment but in fact I have heard lots of stories about groups pulling bars and handles off of kayaks in rescue or boat recovery situations. In a boat recovery its a bummer because you potentially ruin a boat but if you are trying to help unpin a person the failure of this system is a much more serious matter.

The Liquidlogic security bar is made of 7000 series aircraft grade aluminum (that's aluminium for your foreigners) so you can fly it if you want to. Using that material allows it to be light and strong obviously. During our testing we only had one bar break and that was made by an old supplier of ours. The rest of the bars made it past 2000 lbs.

The bolt that we use to tie the security bar down to the boat is a stainless steel bolt so that it won't rust but it is also rated to a similar strength to the other parts of the system. Choosing the right bolt doesn't prove easy in this situation, either. Too soft and you strip the threads and heads, too hard and the head will pop off under serious pull. We've found a bolt rated to the strength that will match that of the bars, inserts, plastic, and throw ropes for optimum reliability.

These are the inserts that we mold into our boats. They used for attaching the bars. Each insert is held in the mold during the molding process by a pin. As the plastic flows through the mold it also coats and flows around the inserts, bonding them to the boat. The perforated part is encased in plastic and the threads are left exposed for use in attaching parts.

This is an insert much like the ones that other companies use. Enough said.

Here is our insert in the mold.

This is what the insert looks like once it is molded into the boat. This view is looking inside the kayak, under where the bar would be attached. The big deal with this insert is the size. You can see how big the surface area is and how the plastic has molded in, and around the insert. Its like having a stronger anchor to the whole system. This insert is rated a little over what the bars are rated for pull strength. You can look inside your boat and see the inserts, where they are placed, and what they hold on top of the boat. Notice the size of the insert in your boat. Its big indicator of the pull strength.

This is what the insert looks like from the outside of the boat. The threads are exposed for screwing into and you can just barely see the plastic that molds around the insert that keeps it from leaking. Now the fun part. I have pictures of things just about to break but the video has some slow motion of breaking things.

Here is a test we did on half a boat. Look how far the bar is bent and it still hasn't broken.

This test was probably the most dangerous of them all. At 2200 lbs the head of the bolt sheared off and shot around like a bullet. Fortunately everyone in the plant was wearing bullet proof shielding and of course safety glasses. It looked like this.

I hope you enjoyed this mundane article about a part of the boat that most people don't think about.

Cheers

Shane

A Preview of Alibre CAM 2.0 CNC Software

The upcoming release of Alibre Design 12.1 (SP1) will include major enhancement to the basic CAM software included free with Alibre Design Expert, as well as the four- and five-axis options available for Alibre CAM Professional and Alibre CAM Expert. Improvement to the Alibre CAM Interface will make CNC programming inside Alibre Design much easier and enjoyable to do. Here is one comparison between the crowded old (left) tab interface and the new (right) cascading style:

But more than the lookand feel of Alibre CAM will change. A new entry method has been added to 2.5 axis profile milling operations allowing you to have more control over the entry angle.You can now create tabs/bridges for 2.5 axis profiling operations. You can specify the bridge height and length. You can also specify whether you want to use a particular number of bridges which will be equally distributed around the profiles or you can set an exact distance between bridges. Below is an example of the same cut-outs using 5 bridges and 10 bridges per profile.

The Tool Libraries will allow "drag and drop" of pre-defined tools into the active tool set. There will also be an option to immediately preview a tool upon creation.

Alibre CAM 2.0 will now support avoidance regions to specify where the tool should not cut, for example to avoid clamps holding the stock material down on your CNC machine. Flat faces can be directly selected as machining / avoidance regions instead of having to use sketches. You can also select the starting point for the engagement of the tool for Machining Operations defined by sketches.

Alibre CAM Standard will offer along-path-3D-entry for 3 axis horizontal finishing offers more control over surface finish for steep areas of parts. Specifying the engage angle and path height allows you to control the smoothness of the engage motion, helping to eliminate unwanted marks on the cut part that would otherwise need to be buffed out later. Alibre CAM Professional will also enjoy improvements to 4 axis milling.

Alibre CAM Expert will add a new 3D Offset profiling method, 3D Offset pocketing for making constant offset tool paths on the part surfaces, 3 axis pencil tracing now offers multiple passes & 3 axis valley re-machining allows split cuts, step over and cut control. Tool Holder Collision determines the minimum tool length required to avoid collision.

Alibre Design is sold in Australia by CADDIT. Download Alibre Design / Alibre CAM in Australia for a free 30 day "Professional" trial before software reverts back to free "Xpress" mode.

Keep My Fingers Away From That Blade

Many of us that work with table saws and wood have heard of the SawStop over recent years. It's a table saw that can sense when it's no longer cutting just wood, but is cutting flesh, and stops it self rather dramatically to protect your hands. Most of us have seen the videos that show what happens when a wiener is used as a substitute for a human finger to demo the SawStop. However, this was a new take on the demo video for me. Watch the video, it's worth a few minutes to see.

Winter Camping Gear List

This is an attempt to publish my winter camping gear list which I use Google Docs to keep in a spreadsheet format. You can view the real version here, where it should appear as a normal spreadsheet and will be kept up to date. I'm getting ready to head out on a couple of trips this winter so I've been getting my list in order.

Note that one could write a book chapter on some of the items on this list such as sleds, boots, tents, etc.

Individual Item Group Item Comments Cooking Stove X 1 per 4 people Matches & lighters X Everyone should have a few fire starting methods on hand, all the time Fuel X Fire starter X X Cooking grate/bars X Gloves X Leather gloves for handling pots, and working the fire. Pots X Pot lifter X Spatula X Dish soap X Warm in a pot of the warmed dishwater to use. For dishes - you may just scrape pots with snow to clean them. Pot scrubber X Dish towel X Food pails X Cutting board X can use lid of the food pail Tinfoil X Thermos X 1 per two people, can be used for hot drinks on the trail, have something hot and ready for the morning, etc. Cutlery X Plate/Bowl X

Insulated mug Camp Gear Tent X Included as individual item since each person needs to make sure they have shelter Ground sheet X Axe X 1 per 4 people, sharpened. Also useful for getting water through ice. Folding saw X 1 or 2 per 4 people Tarps X Rope X Snow shovel X 1 per 1 or 2 people Sleeping Bag System X Cold-weather bag suitable for the coldest weather. Could be a -12C bag plus an overbag, vapour barrier liner, fleece liner, etc. Sleeping pad X it's a good idea to double these up or use a shorter foam pad under a thermarest Big duffels/packs X Duct tape X Lantern X Good item for a group - it gets dark early so most cooking and many camp activities sill be done int the dark Flashlight or headlamp X If using a metal light - wrap end in duct tape if you are like me and occasionally use your mouth as 3rd hand to hold it. I usually bring a headlamp and a maglight with spare batteries for each. Maps X 1 full maps set per - or two people. Compass X Know how to use it. GPS X Does not replace compass and real maps. Plastic bags X

First aid kit X Kit sized for the group, multiple kits is better. Multitool &/or knife X I bring one of each. Toiletries X Don't bother with deoderant and toothpaste - it doesn't work well frozen. Toilet Paper X Sunscreen X Emergency blanket X Transportation: Snowshoes X Bring shoes appropriate for the conditions. If weight is not a major concern, I'll bring a smaller pair for camp/bush use Skis X I might also bring both skis & snowshoes, but usually just snowshoes now. Ski Poles X Even if snowshoeing, poles can be helpful. Sled/Pulk X Ideally with poles and some sort of harness system to help with hilly terrain. Personal Optional Gear Camera/tripod X Binoculars X Chair X Dependant on space/weight limitations, but some sort of device to sit on is good. Small foamie X For sitting on, kneeling on, standing on when changing footwear, etc. Notepad & Pencil X Alcohol X Dependant on space & weight. Remember alcohol decreases cold tolerance.

Medications/pain killers X Clothing Stuff: Boot System Winter boots with removable liners or whatever is going to work for you. Need something for trekking & also camp work, and evening use. Camp booties Heavy socks 1 or 2 pair Midweight socks 2 pair Liner socks Polypro or whatever Vapour Barrier Liners aka plastic bread bags to keep your feet from sweating up your boots, unless your boots breath or you can dry them out at night Jacket/Parka System Breathable shell & insulating layers, might be a separate parka for sitting around the fire and in the morning, or it might just be more layers. Anorak shells with a fur-ruffed hood are very popular. Sweaters I like wool. Multiple layers is good with a thin sweater and a thicker sweater Pants I like a good camping pant with lots of pockets Wool/fleece pants Insulating layer Shell pants Long undies (top & bottom) 2 pair of bottoms, a dry pair to put on in the evening and a pair for when sweating Underwear Scarf Scarf is the equivalent of Arthur Dent's towel. Neck Tube Toque I bring a thick wool toque and a thinner toque. Mitts & gloves I bring a few options

Polypro liner gloves Wool liner gloves Overmitts/Shell mitts Balaclava Ski goggles/sunglasses It's bright out there and you will damage your eyes without GOOD protection.

CAD Training Course 28 January 2010 Near Sydney

A special one-day progeCAD CAD training course will be held Thursday, 28 January 2010 in Newcastle, NSW Australia. Special pricing for this event in Australia should especially appeal to small businesses on the Australian East Coast. All materials needed for participating in the class will be provided upon arrival. The class will be divided into four sessions on basic and advanced design. Lunch will be catered for.

progeCAD is a powerful tool for AutoCAD-compatible CAD drawing. progeCAD offers most of the same commands and DWG file format support, but at a much lower cost compared to AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT software. Recent years have also seen many customer-driven improvements in speed and flexibility. In 2009 progeCAD added in-place text editing, paper space sheet size display and 3D Google Earth model export. New buyers are now also enjoy a free upgrade to the 2010 version upon release. A 30 day trial version can be downloaded from CADDIT.

Newcastle Computer Training is centrally located on Wood Street, Newcastle NSW not far from major highways and public transportation. A wide choice of accommodation is also available. All software, hardware and needed training materials will be provided on site.

Specific questions about next class content material are being answered by CADDIT on (02) 8777 5588. Registration for progeCAD Training 2010 can be completed by phoning or by registering online at HERE at CADDIT.

Sun VirtualBox

I found this little gem before Christmas. I have been running Virtual PC for Windows for the last 12 months using it to test and try alpha and beta software. It was OK, but I found it a little slow especially in relationship to graphics. I could have gone down the route of Virtual Machine such as Parallels, but then it would required me to get my credit card out and its not something I use all the time on my works laptop.So a bit of Googling and I came up with Sun’s VirtualBox, although I am sure there are others out there as well. This is a free VM, details can be found here;

 http://www.virtualbox.org/.

I found it very easy to setup and within an hour or so I had it working with Windows 7 (64bit) with a Windows Vista (32bit) VM running.

The VM supports Direct X and OpenGL as well as the ability to connect USB devices.It seems to offer many of the features that Parrallels has to offer and it is supported on Windows, Mac and Linux. How bizarre would that be…to run Linux as your, host with a Windows VM running Revit???? So if you are looking for a free VM, its certainly worth trying out.

The Liquidlogic Coupe Series: Sit On Top Kayaks

The Coupe 10 and The Deuce Coupe 13

Its been nearly a year since we started working on the Coupe Series, two all-around Sit On Top kayaks that are versatile enough to be paddled in the lake, on the river, and at the beach. We have done several prototypes of each and taken the Coupes to all different types of watery environments for play that we call beta testing. We have also put them in the hands of all types of paddlers. Everyone from complete paddling beginners to grizzled veterans have jumped in the Coupes, but probably the most fun thing to see was how kids just love to play around in these multi-talented cruisers.

The girls having a great afternoon in the Coupe 10


Woody and Andy hanging out at the Lake in the Deuce Coupe



Sarah taking it out on whitewater

The idea for the development of these boats was to use the success of the Remix XP concept,
and design a sit on top kayak with the same versatile features. The Coupe series has the same simple retractable skeg system as the XP, a similar hull design with stability and ease of use as the main features, and comfort as the thing that keeps you coming back to this kayak.

The hull design on the Coupes is one that allows anyone to handle the boat easily on the water.
It has a fairly flat hull that gives it the ability to turn easily and it makes for a very stable boat. We set two channels deeply into the hull to alleviate stress on the scuppers, help with tracking, and create a stiffer hull. With the skeg up it spins on a dime so that you can maneuver in tight areas or spin quickly to catch a wave. If you drop the skeg down it tracks easily. Even an absolute beginner can paddle the Coupe straight. The bow sweeps up for climbing over swells in the ocean, or running rapids in the river and the soft rounded sidewalls give the Coupe Series an easy-to-paddle, stable, confident ride.
It surfs river waves!

You can't tip the thing over!

It surfs ocean waves!




After spending so much time working on, paddling, and watching others paddle this boat I was able to see many of the things that make a good sit on top or not. We put a lot of time and creative energy into the features of the Coupes.

• The molded in seat offers comfort even without using one of the three other seating options we offer.
• The skeg is simple, easy-to-use, and bomber.
• The molded-in footbraces are comfortable for all size paddlers.
• There is ample storage in the back of the boat as well as personal dry storage for each paddler.
• The molded-in handle in the back and luggage handle in the front provide strong comfortable grips to handle the boat.
• The Coupes come with a paddle holder that hold the paddle solidly in place.
• There are lots of good cup holders for any type of beverage you would like to take.
• (these were tested thoroughly by our R&D team)
• The Coupes stack perfectly for storage in the Garage or in the Store.
• We put in extra large scuppers for a couple reasons, they are much stronger, and drain the water very quickly.
• You can also use the large scuppers and molded-in handle as an easy lock up point.

We have also developed a few accessories to go with the Coupes.

• Three different seat accessory options including Bad Ass Outfitting.
• Thigh straps for added control.
• Storage areas are designed to work with several of our Water Trail cooler and storage bags.
• And my personal favorite accessory: a wheel for the back of the boat for easy one-person transport even on the Deuce Coupe.

It'll go where ever you want to go

The Coupes have been shipping the last month and are shipping all over the world so check'em out!


Here's a bunch of shots from the past year in the Coupes


For more info go to the Coupe pages on the Liquidlogic website.
Here are the links.
Click Here For The Coupe 10
Click Here For The Deuce Coupe

Cheers
Shane