Trawler Forum PRESS RELEASEPlease Read!

Baker · Jan 25, 2012

Dear Trawlerforum members,

* Doug and I started this forum simply as a better way to share our passion for boating and trawlering. *There was no other forum like it on the internet so we decided somebody should fill the void. *I think we succeeded in that regard. *Our interests and motivation were for the trawler community. *We also had visions of making Trawlerforum a truly premier site. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with the way it is now, we had just envisioned it, at the very least, to be self supporting. *As the membership grew, so did our workload and our expenses. *We just didn't have the time(or ability) to make Trawlerforum what we had envisioned.
* *Through all of this, there was a person that had shown interest in acquiring Trawlerforum from us. *His name is Andy. *This has actually been going on for a few years now but we never really took his offers too seriously. *Andy then presented a proposal that we had to look at and eventually accepted. *Andy is now the new Owner of Trawlerforum. *I know that, as humans, we are resistant to change. *It is only normal. *Andy is no stranger to owning and running forums and I am here to tell you he will do a superb job. *You will likely see some changes moving forward but they will mostly be transparent or cosmetic at best. *The basic format will be the same in how threads and posts are arranged...just like they are on most forums across the internet. *I invite you to check out one of his forums at www.cruisersforum.com. *You will notice that the look is a little different but the basic format/layout is generally the same and you use just like you use the current version or any other forum for that matter. *So again, the changes will be minimal and we will continue on as usual.
* *Doug and I want to thank each and every one of you for putting your trust in us and for making Trawlerforum what it is today. *We want to reiterate that we trust Andy implicitly with the continued excellence of Trawlerforum. *We would not have turned it over to him had we thought he would have taken it in a different direction. *I think I may have even offended him in my "vetting" process just to make sure he understood the community and how important this forum is to it. *It is basically the only one of it's kind. *We also believe that Trawlerforum will continue to be THE place on the internet to gather and talk about trawlers and cruising under power. *We are sure that Andy will do a fine job of continuing the legacy of Trawlerforum. *Not only continue it, but make it everything Doug and I had envisioned in the beginning...THE premier site for talking trawlers and cruising under power.

Thanks for your Support,
John and Doug

Andy R · Jan 25, 2012

Dear Trawler Forum Community,

I know announcements like this can feel awkward, especially since I am not a well known member of the community yet. I understand I will have to earn your respect and look forward to doing that in months and years ahead. Although there has been an ownership change of the site, the current team will stay in place and the community will remain managed just like it has in the past.

I started my first forum in 2001 when I was working on a restoration project of a 1961 Airstream I had purchased, the site is www.AIRForums.com. I was quickly amazed by the sense of community and how we were all able to help each other out through the forums. Through a random set of events I ended up adopting another forum that was going to be shut down. In the following year I acquired a few other forum communities and was able to leverage economies of scale to lower the cost to run them.

In 2005 I decided to take a crack at starting a small business which would foster online forum communities. It meant taking a big pay cut so I had to figure out how to live on the cheap. I ended up moving to Argentina where I could get a nice steak dinner and good Argentine wine for about $6. I spent the next 4.5 years traveling around the world covering 6 continents and living where I could stretch a dollar.

One of my fondest memories of my travels was the time I spent on Ilha Grande in Brazil (link to images), it's a magical place. While there I tried to find a website where I could find sailors to see if anyone nearby was looking for a rookie to join their crew. It was then when I found Cruisers Forum and adopt the community from it's founder in Norway. Since cruisers forum is primarily on sailing vessels I always wanted to help manage a forum for trawlers and other blue water capable powered boats. Over the years I kept in contact with Doug expressing my interest to help take Trawler Forum to the next level. After extensive talks and stern shakedown from John, they finally got comfortable with me and decided to sell.

The plan is to move Trawler Forum over to vBulletin, a very common and capable forum software. Once we are converted over I will get iPhone, iPad and Android apps made for the site which are great for keeping in touch while you are on the go and for posting photos from the engine room without having to go back to a computer, stick in the memory card, and upload. I'd also like to launch a boat profile system where members can post information about their vessels and share information & modifications they have made.

As John mentioned, the plan is to keep the current team in place and move forward with business as usual.

I look forward to getting to know you all in the years to come and hopefully crossing paths and putting back a few cold drinks over some fun stories sometime!

Regards,

Andy

Codger2 · Jan 25, 2012

Dear AndyR:

Thanks for the update!

A good place to start, however, would be to fill out your profile and bio with some "specificity" so as to create some "comfort" with the members.

We have been very comfortable with John & Doug because we know quite a bit about them.

We certainly don't want TF to go the way of Passagemaker after Bill Parletore retired.

SeaHorse II

Tom.B · Jan 25, 2012

Welcome aboard Andy. Sounds like fun. Can't wait to have TF function like CF. I like that forum (except there are too many sub-forums).

As a moderator, let me know what I can do to help.

Tom-

Andy R · Jan 25, 2012

SeaHorse II wrote:
A good place to start, however, would be to fill out your profile and bio with some "specificity" so as to create some "comfort" with the members.

*

Good idea and done. *I understand it's going to take a while for you all to get to know me and for me to earn your respect. *Ask away with any specific questions you might have.

SeaHorse II wrote:
We certainly don't want TF to go the way of Passagemaker after Bill Parletore retired.*

*John & Doug brought up the same issue and I programmed our chart plotter to stear clear of that route. *If you ever have concerns about anything happening with the communtiy, please voice them. *I am always available via PM or phone call if that is easier too.

Andy R · Jan 25, 2012

GonzoF1 wrote:Welcome aboard Andy. Sounds like fun. Can't wait to have TF function like CF. I like that forum (except there are too many sub-forums).

As a moderator, let me know what I can do to help.

*Tom, thanks for the warm welcome. *I look forward to working with you on the team for the years to come.

I understand your concern with the number of forums on Cruisers Forum. *Most of those were setup many years ago but since then we have developed new ways to organize the discussions so we can have more granular organization without having to change the forum structure. *For example we are grouping discussions by manufacturer that are located throughout all the other sections:

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/groups/11-beneteau+yachts.html

We can use this same logic to keep the simple forum layout but tag discussions so we can organize in more granular ways.

7tiger7 · Jan 25, 2012

Hi Andy,
I'm looking forward to the iphone accesability.
By the way - I know Ilha Grande well - I spent alot of my childhood there, my uncle used to own a house and a beach there (just east of the small town there). Amazing place, but it has changed quite a bit since I was there (I believe they now have electricity). I remember how the prisoners on the south side of the island would sometimes escape from the prison, and cross over the mountains to the northside, and sometimes hold my uncle's neighbors or friends hostage in order to steal their boat to cross back to the mainland. I don't think they ever killed any of the home owners there, though. They just wanted to get off the island.
Cheers,
Phillip

yachtbrokerguy · Jan 25, 2012

Andy,
Let me know when you will accept paid advertising, I would like to be one of the first to support your new business venture. We realize that advertising is the only way to cover your expeses, earn back the money you spent to purchase the site and earn a profit.

Daddyo · Jan 25, 2012

Welcome Andy. That's a MT36 in your profile pic (our previous boat). Like Tucker said when your ready for advertisers let me know.

FlyWright · Jan 25, 2012

Andy R,* Welcome aboard and congrats on your role as Master and Commander of the family yacht.* Glad to hear we have a long-term plan for survival.* I find myself spending more and more of my free time here and appreciate your role in allowing the site to prosper and grow.*

John and Doug, you guys have done a spectacular job of creating a community forum where folks from around the world can share ideas, debate minutia*and make friends.* Kudos to you both for a job very well done.* I hope your venture was enjoyable and profitable for you and that you both remain involved as forum participants going forward.* Thanks for all you have done to get us this far.

*

Baker · Jan 25, 2012

Thank y'all very much for the kind words!!! I am looking forward to enjoying Trawler Forum as a regular member!!!

FlyWright · Jan 25, 2012

Andy R, meet Andy G, our Hospitality Duty Officer.* He'll walk you around the ship and introduce you to the cast of characters.

His original post can be found here, but I've taken the liberty to copy it below for your entertainment and convenience.

*

Andy G wrote:

Welcome aboard the good ship TF.

Good afternoon.* I'm the duty hospitality officer and I will show you around the ship.* Follow me please.

On the port side is the engine room, the crew in this area speak in a strange dialect not often understood by the rest of the crew, they tend to be highly skilled and are*not considered to be *dangerous, although occasionally there will be a dispute about how best to configure the centrifugal capacitor for the main shaft( the MK 1 not the MK2 ).

Next to the engine room on the starboard side, the extreme starboard,*is a door that you are not permitted to enter without a senior officer present.Take note of the sign on the door 'OTDE enter at your peril'Crew have been seen to enter and never be seen again.You will notice that the door is on a watertight bulkhead,this is to protect the rest of the crew. I don't know exactly what they do in there, but rumours have it that they are connected to the navigation of the ship. The charts show* stormy waters with the Obama shoals on the port side and with the neocon rip to starboard, it's full of icebergs, which some say are getting smaller.Sometime you will see this crew looking back over the stern of the ship, rumour has it they want us to turn around and go back.

At the*forward end of the ship is a small but dedicated crew waiting for the order to drop anchor. They are considered to be entirely harmless and you are free to spend some tiime with them. however, it's better not to mention too much about anchors, as this just encourages them. The only slight issues this crew has is which is the best anchor to use, although they seem to have every anchor known to man, and then some.

Please follow me to the galley and officers mess.Some say this is the true reason the ship was built in the first place. The members of the ward room are a jolly lot,and as long as supplies are in, it's a good place to congregate. There has only been one instance of unpleasantness recently, a member of the mess had a*picture of his empty fridge posted on our bulletin board, this caused great consternation through the normally placid crew.A board of enquiry may be convened.

The small group you see on the upper deck,sitting *with their feet on the rail and beer in hand are the Oz east coast crew.That lot are so laid back it's a wonder they don't fall overboard.They are by nature members of the officers mess.

Slightly astern of them are the wood craft and screwdriver brigade, they also incorporate the flush em' away crew. These tend to be ex boy scouts and girl guides who like things neat and tidy, and working properly. They are safe to mingle with and give you good advice just like your mother did.They are nominally led by the senior female officer of the ship.

*Last but not least is the bridge.The captain and senior officers pretty much let the ship steam it's own course,dodging those melting icebergs,*with the occasional court of enquiry if required.They allow no flogging on board, despite hints from some of the OTDE crew. The good ship TF charts her course somewhere between Gilligan's Island and HMS Surprise(Mater & Commander)

*

Moonstruck · Jan 25, 2012

Baker wrote:
Thank y'all very much for the kind words!!! I am looking forward to enjoying Trawler Forum as a regular member!!!

*Thanks John and Doug. *Now, we will get to see how they really feel about us.

Welcome Andy, I think. *Since Eric (Nomadwilly) has convinced me that I'm paranoid, I'm always wondering what's going on.

-- Edited by Moonstruck on Wednesday 25th of January 2012 12:43:45 PM

healhustler · Jan 25, 2012

Sincere welcome, Andy. And John & Doug.....what can we say but thanks for bringing TF to what it is, but especially for "allowing" it to become what it is. Once you create something, it often takes on a life of its own, and TF has. Now, its ready for the next evolution, and maybe it takes someone a little less connected to have that objectivity. Many, many thanks for your founding work, and also your choice of Moderators to maintain the intention you both began with.

Best of luck, Andy, with your new challenge here. Yes, we'll be worried, but probably not as much as we would be about the pain John and Doug would be going through trying to make the necessary changes to a forum that, otherwise, works so well.

Healhustler

Andy R · Jan 25, 2012

Thanks again for the warm welcome. This sure seems like a high quality and nice group. I absolutely love seeing your boats and then Googling to learn more about them. I can tell my productivity is going to suffer from being around here.

FlyWritght, thanks for pointing me to Andy's Hospitality Duty Officer post, that's a classic. I fell in love with Queensland, Australia and the description of the East Coast Oz guys with their feet on the rail and beer in hand sure does sound nice!

Don, I checked out your blog, your Sabre sure is a beauty. Being paranoid is better then being gullible! I know it's going to take results to earn everyone's respect and am prepared to take the effort needed to get those results.

Andy R · Jan 25, 2012

7tiger7 wrote:By the way - I know Ilha Grande well - I spent alot of my childhood there, my uncle used to own a house and a beach there (just east of the small town there). Amazing place, but it has changed quite a bit since I was there (I believe they now have electricity). I remember how the prisoners on the south side of the island would sometimes escape from the prison, and cross over the mountains to the northside, and sometimes hold my uncle's neighbors or friends hostage in order to steal their boat to cross back to the mainland. I don't think they ever killed any of the home owners there, though. They just wanted to get off the island.

Phillip, I heard about the old prison, it's no longer there. *They now have a generator making electricity for the village of Abraão, the main town/fishing port. *I hear there is even one car now too (a police car). *In 2005 it was just about perfect for my taste with enough infrastructure to live well yet simple enough to forget all the fast paced real world pleasures. *No TV, no internet, just a caiparinha and afternoon nap in a hammock. *I went back a couple other times and it was evolving very fast. *The last time I was there, internet cafes were starting to spring up all over the place since they had just installed a radio frequency connection over to Angra Dos Reis. *They also built a big oil tanker facility on the mainland so in the afternoons all you would see were huge ships waiting to go in to load/unload. *My memories of the place are just about perfect so I am afraid to go back now because it's probably changed even more in recent years. *With the World Cup and Olympics headed this way they are sure to be preparing for some crowds.

That whole Costa Verde is full of some amazing waters for cruising. *Lots of great little island and towns. *Parati is also one of my favorites.

Here are some links for those who have never heard of these little places on the Costa Verde which is an area just south of Rio De Janeiro in Brazil.

Photos of Parati

Photos of Ilha Grande

Steve · Jan 25, 2012

Thanks to John and Doug for getting the site going and keeping it for these years. And welcome to Andy I'm looking forward to continued good interaction.

I am a fan of Brazil also, when I was working in the Sugar Industry I used to go there several times most years from 1974 till 1998. Most of my tiime there was spent in Sao Paulo State and the Northeast, Maceio, and Recife areas. I did visit a Sugar project near Santarem up on the Amazon an interesting trip with stops in Manaus and Belem.
Steve Willett
Monk 36, Gumbo
Thibodaux Louisiana

JMYSS · Jan 25, 2012

yachtbrokerguy wrote:
Andy,
Let me know when you will accept paid advertising, I would like to be one of the first to support your new business venture. We realize that advertising is the only way to cover your expeses, earn back the money you spent to purchase the site and earn a profit.

*Andy,

I would like to echo this same statement. Regards/ TIm

rochepoint · Jan 25, 2012

Welcome Andy, you have quite a couple of shoes to fill and hope you have great time doing it. John and Doug, thank you very, very much for everything you have done. Your little "baby" has grown to be a big part of a lot of peoples life's, I am always lurking every night. May I wish you all the best in any future endeavours and don't be strangers. "Premier Site", are the any others!

7tiger7 · Jan 25, 2012

Here's a photo of me (the little kid) my Dad, my uncle, and some of the locals from the island... on my uncles front deck. I have not been back there in about 25 years... I can't imagine what it looks like now.

dougd1 · Jan 25, 2012

Thanks to everyone for all of the kind remarks. John and I aren't going anywhere. We will remain as Moderators. We are looking forward to seeing this site really start to blossom. Andy has some good ideas and I'm sure everyone will enjoy them!

FlyWright · Jan 25, 2012

Great!* Does that mean you've finally given the boot to those mods, Gonzo and Bayliner Boy?* Or do we have to continue being nice to them?

Woodsong · Jan 25, 2012

LOL Al!!! I am surprised I have not already been banned for buying that boat brand whose name shall not be mentioned!!!

Welcome to TF Andy- you will enjoy it.

Tom.B · Jan 25, 2012

Al on double-secret probation.

Peter B · Jan 26, 2012

Hi Andy, welcome aboard the board, literally and figuratively. I'm one of those East Coast Aussie guys, on the rail, with the beer - well sometimes anyway. Actually don't let this on to those other Aussies, but before I became an Aussie, I was a Kiwi...shock and horror...and I actually don't like beer that much...more shock and horror...! Unless, that is, I've just done 18 holes in 37 degree heat, and I'm in the 19th...or I've just had to do a hot and tricky job down in that 'hallowed place', (not sure why we call it a hallowed place, as mine is anything but), we all call the engine room, even if calling it a 'room' is guilding the lily a bit in the case of my Clipper 34.
However, I would also like to sincerely that Doug and John for starting and maintaining this forum, as it is the best power cruiser/trawler forum in the whole wide world for sure. That is one of the most amazing things about the internet, and forums in particular, is that you can have a barney with someone over the other side of the world, and feel after a while you really know someone you have never met in person, yet the amazing thing is when you do meet - as some of us Aussie guys have, (and I'd love to meet Nomadwilly some day and have a great yarn about anchors), they are just like you imagined and you do feel you have known them for ages. It is something really special.
And yes, please oh please, like Walt (Seahorse) said don't let it go the way of Passagemaker...

Marin · Jan 26, 2012

Thank you John and Doug for having the interest in boating needed to conceive and then make the effort to launch this clearing house for conversation, and for keeping it going all these years. While I know you did it on a part time basis, it still required a lot of effort to do it. Not many people have the necessary drive to start something like this and then stick with it to make sure it keeps working. It's an accomplishment you can both be very proud of, regardless of what happens in the future.

I don't know what you do for a living, Doug, but I do know what John does. And while I know you'll be continuing to participate when you have time, John, I'd just like to say thanks a lot, keep the pointy end going forward, and may you never feel the stick shaker.

dougd1 · Jan 26, 2012

Thanks for the kind words, Marin. I actually work for a medical company supporting a medical records software product. I know it sounds like I should be a computer wiz but I actually spend so much time focused on our software that I don't have the time to get to know the stuff that really makes the internet go.

As said before, John and I aren't going anywhere. We're just handing over the Captain's duties to Andy so that we can enjoy the ride on the good ship TrawlerForum!

Delia Rosa · Jan 26, 2012

Thank you John and Doug for starting and keeping the forum going to this point - and Tom and Tony for also helping to keep us all in line! *I am glad to hear that you will all continue to be involved.

Welcome Andy. *As mentioned by others, we are looking forward to hearing more about you. *

We are relative newcomes to the forum, but really enjoy participating in it. *As Peter B. said, it is wonderful to be able to chat with other members all over the world and feel that we can actually get to know each other even though we have never met.

Doc · Jan 26, 2012

And I almost made guru. Story of my life.

Thanks Doug and John.

Welcome Andy

-- Edited by Doc on Thursday 26th of January 2012 04:30:05 PM

Tidahapah · Jan 26, 2012

Thanks John and Doug for all the past pleasure in starting a great forum after the debacle of the passagemaker forum which had previously been great.
Andy I hope you can follow in the fantastic footprints of these two terrific fellows.
We all welcome you to the Captain's chair and hope to follow down the future progress of this most informative and friendly forum.

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