From: Adrian Tymes (wingcat@pacbell.net)
Date: Mon Jun 02 2003 - 19:11:08 MDT
--- cryofan@mylinuxisp.com wrote:
> "Michael S. Lorrey" <mlorrey@yahoo.com> said:
> > Then lets imagine a fraction of cabins would be
> let as time-shares by the
> > month. $2k per month buy-in is a fantastic
> time-share rate.
> >
> > Then we have to deal with operational costs. This
> obviously depends on the
> > sort of propulsion that would be used. Current
> installation would be fuel
> > hungry. One idea I have is that with that big flat
> deck, we could install a
> > number of scrap airliner wings vertically on
> pivoting masts. and make it a
> > sailing ship... Extropian Windjammer Cruises,
> anyone?
Nah. If it's an Extropian boat, let's at least make
it 21st century. ^_- If we aren't going to be landing
that many planes on that wide, flat surface, cover it
(as much as feasable) with solar panels. (I'd
suggest nuclear, but I don't think that could be done
cheaply enough. No question that it could be done for
enough money - civilian nuclear plants get their fuel
from somewhere - just on the amount of mone when this
is supposed to be cheap.) It'd be slower than diesel,
perhaps, but a primarily residential ship probably
wouldn't want to go that fast anyway.
> I guess it could possibly work as a commercial
> venture/lifestyle opportunity,
> if a bunch of the people were craftsman, machinists,
> etc. A carrier actually
> has lots of cargo space (for the planes, and their
> parts and fuel, mostly).
> THe men live in a fraction of the total space. If
> you had 500 men with 20K
> and some mechanical skills, electrical skills,
> piloting, etc., yeah, global
> shipping seems to be a growth industry
> (infortunately for the factory workers
> of America).
>
> Fix it up, find manufacturers who need cargo
> shipped. Of course, there is
> insurance to consider, but since all the operators
> would be owners, that
> would be simplified somewhat.
Is it a residence or a cargo shipper? If the latter,
container ships do that much better, so you'd rapidly
find yourself outpriced. But the former might be a
viable niche, especially if it was anchored just
outside US waters (to be able to move inside, if
non-US pirates came a-calling; possibly near the
border to Canadian waters if said pirates were the
type the US wouldn't act against). It'd still be a
carrier of sorts, just that most of its child craft
would be watercraft instead of aircraft.
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