[Rhodes22-list] Trailer Measurements

[Roger Pihlaja]

Herb,

Despite what Bill is telling you re the the ethics & morality of copying
other folk's IP, the reality of the situation is this.  Even if the
Easymatic trailer was a patented or copyrighted design, you can still
legally copy any aspects of the design you wish as long as you do not go
into business selling the resulting trailers.  If all you want to do is
build yourself a trailer for your own personal boat; then, you are on sound
legal ground.  The US patent system prevents other people from utilizing IP
in commercial ventures, not for private purposes.  I presume you are a big
boy & also willing to accept all the technical & legal consequences that go
hand in hand with building and operating a heavily loaded trailer system
used on the public roads.  i.e., if you build something like this, it fails
on the highway, & people get hurt or property gets damaged; then, Katie bar
the door!  Boy are you ever going to be in a world of legal trouble if the
victim's insurance company & lawyers find out you designed & built something
like this without the proper qualifications.  You can also expect your own
insurance company will not defend you in this scenario.

FYI, if you take the boat & unadjusted trailer to any good boat yard with a
marine travel lift; then, they will be able to adjust the trailer bunks to
fit the boat right on the spot.

Good luck to you sir.

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium

----- Original Message -----
From: "Herb Parsons" <hparsons at parsonsys.com>
To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Monday, July 26, 2004 2:58 PM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Trailer Measurements


> Bill, I agree 100% with everything you said below. Rest assured, on the
trailer my brother needs to move his Rhodes from dry storage to the water,
and back again when he is done, I will not add any Rhodes name, logo,
"Custom Built For...." designation, or anything similar to that.
>
> I DO however, need to get his boat off my $3200 King Trailer, that WAS
custom built for my O'Day 25, so I can take trips without having to first
launch his.
>
> Sorry if I've offended anyone by bringing this up, but I STILL think that
getting bunker measurements is very much what a list like this is for. Not
asking design questions, basically just how much higher does the hull
bunkers sit than the keel housing.
>
> Ironically, the bunkers that were set for my O'Day fit pretty well, but I
don't like how far back the boat sits on a trailer built for a boat that
much bigger. Besides, I really need my trailer back.
>
> Thanks all.
>
> >>> Bill Effros<bill at effros.com> 7/26/2004 1:37:07 PM >>>
> Stan,
>
> People are building your things wrong for themselves, and selling their
mistakes to others who then hop on internet lists to lambaste you for shoddy
design or workmanship.   I think the amount of work Todd has performed in
trying to turn a sows ear into a silk purse is admirable, however I have
neither the time nor the inclination to check his specifications to ensure
they will not result in a dangerous situation, either for him or for the
people who follow the plans he has posted.
>
> The more non-standard junk copies of your designs that people free-lance
for the Rhodes, the more stories we will hear of failing mast hoists,
trailer accidents, and shoddy workmanship.  All of this has hit the list
from time to time, and it often takes a while for people on the list to
realize that you didn't build the problem in the first place, and that the
item in question is different from what we all have.
>
> Until we understand that, we all question the factory built item we got
from you, and wonder if it is unsafe, and if you have been selling an
inherently dangerous design.
>
> In the 1970s the Chinese bought a Boeing 707, copied every single piece of
the plane, and put together an exact copy of the original using their own
parts in an attempt to "jump start" their own aviation industry.  They only
problem was that the plane couldn't fly, and is probably still in some
hanger in China.
>
> It turns out the center of gravity is an important issue in airplane
manufacture, and you cannot obtain the same center of gravity by copying the
parts, no matter how hard you try.
>
> When I buy something, either new or used, that has your name on it, I want
to know that you will vouch for it.  And any time I buy something custom
made for your unique boat, I want to know if you made that thing, or if it
was made by someone else.
>
> The UPS sails are made by Doyle for your boat.  But they have Doyle's name
on them, and everyone understands Doyle backs them, not you.  If North makes
a UPS sail for your boat, I expect that North will put its own name on the
sail, and that there will be a problem if everything associated with the
sail is an exact copy of the Doyle product.
>
> Got to get back to my real job of developing and protecting my own
intellectual property.
>
> You are a nice man,
>
> Stay well,
>
> Bill
>
>
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