Nice Gun, But Still
2 hours ago
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Too many features
I was looking at video clips of different sailboats the other day. Who doesn't play the “if money was no object” game?
One 45 foot sailboat had an amazing interior. It was well laid out, good light and ventilation, easy to use galley, huge state rooms -all the comforts.
The funny thing was, when stocked up for cruising, it wasn't much faster than my little 19 foot boat in similar conditions. A 45 foot boat should be much much faster than that. Sadly, the one thing they forgot was sailing ability.
For grins and giggles I checked out another boat, a bit longer, that had all the toys and still sailed well. Out of curiosity I wondered what that model was going for. There was a 2008 version for a bit over 1.2 million. Thanks but no thank you. Maybe I'm not dreaming big enough.
Back to reality, there are all kinds of good used older boats that would suit me just fine. In fact, a lot of the older boats sail better than new boats of the same length. They were conceived as sailboats first. Many new boats are designed like condos, then have a hull wrapped around them.
How often does that happen? Features are added and added until the original purpose is forgotten? A car is transportation. A house is shelter.
A life is to be lived.
Maybe we add too many features to our lives that we can't live in them anymore.
-Sixbears
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You're right there. As soon as a company comes up with a good, dependable little car, they start adding features, horsepower and size until they ruin it.
ReplyDeleteI once bought a new car that didn't even come with a radio. Those days are long gone.
DeleteWe certainly do try to add too many 'apps' to our lives but really so many are surplus to requirements and we don't have the energies to sustain them, to feed them.
ReplyDeleteAnd they're hungry little brutes so at the end of the day we become slaves to the very systems that were supposed to make our lives more enjoyable. So, we spend more of our precious time going to work to earn money to pay for things that we don't need. I think we've been here before...
We've been here before, but it's worth repeating. There is definitely a point of diminishing returns.
DeleteToo many want all the 'bells and whistles'. If you start off with good, sold basics many will find they don't need all the extras after all. Back in the day we had several boats from 14' to 22'. Our favorite? a 16' Penn Yan with an outboard. We could take her everywhere. Live and learn. Right now I'd settle for a jon boat just to get some fishing done..
ReplyDeleteAt some point it's just all about getting out there on the water. The easier, the better.
DeleteLike you say, getting out on the water is the main thing!
ReplyDeleteThe water's the same, no matter what boat you are in.
DeleteI remember back when I ordered a new car the way I wanted it and the factory built it that way. Of course you had to wait, which is hard for the younger, intant gratafication, generation. But I got what I wanted and not a lot of extra stuff I would never use. Maybe that is why they call it the GOOD old days.
ReplyDeleteGuy I worked with was able to get a standard transmission, in a car that only came in automatic. Those were the days.
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