In response to Smackdaddy-
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"Joe - I personally agree with a good deal of what you're saying - and disagree with a good deal of it as well."
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response-Thanks-
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Bottom line is the "necessity" part of the mother of invention quip. That's a pretty big variable if you think about it. And at the end of the day it's an eternal balance.
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Response- I don't understand the point your making,feel free to pm me w/ an explanation.
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You're mystified that someone would pay someone else with more experience to help in areas of one's ignorance. But if one has the means to do that - why the hell not? There is no immediate necessity for that person to reinvent a pretty complex and already-functional wheel. That's not to say that that person won't get scammed, overcharged, etc. every once in a while, especially if they let their guard down, but hey that's life. And if the person can foot the bill - cool.
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Response- Well, not cool , but you make an excellent point about reinventing the wheel.and the ability to pay. But it seems the pricing is based on a sliding screw-you scale. ( how much -you got?)
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The way I read some of your stuff, to truly succeed under your take, one would need to become a near expert in A LOT of areas BEFORE ever even buying a boat. Now on the one hand, your premise is pretty good in that it would keep a lot of people like me off the water and out of real sailors' way, but that's not real practical. I'm still going to sail - even though due to my ignorance of bleeding a diesel's spark plug infractionator - I'm a serious menace. No doubt.
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Response- I actually don't think anyone should be excluded from boating. I just think people should not be fooled into thinking they can't do it themselves. I feel this way because for years dock dwellers told me I couldn't sail from the fingerlakes,NY to florida in a 24' sailboat, because of this or that, come to find out they were full of bull. Many years later after moving to florida I sailed the coast from Fl. to NY(and back) in a 32' w/ a 3year old, the wife and several(4) dogs. after that I was dissapointed that I listened to those dock dwellers as I felt I could have made the journey years before and had a great time then years earlier !. I feel it could be done in a canoe if you pick your weather. It was not the great undertaking they made it out to be. the hard part for me was avoiding the greedy marinas and "service" providers. I've since learned I could have done it for 1/2 the cost. and had more money left to go further-longer.( never dock at a marina,always
anchor, never pay to land dingy,etc.)
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Also, I definitely agree with your premise that the more an owner knows about his/her boat, the safer and more effective sailor they become. There's really not much of an argument there. I truly believe this and am working to learn and know as much as I possibly can.
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Response- good for you, and it's fun to learn as well !
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But again, it comes back to necessity (and timing). If one strictly goes your route - which is definitely admirable and defensible in many ways - they won't be on the water for a looooonnnnggg time. Some might say that's fine - they don't want them there until they're "ready". But, c'mon, by those standards, virtually NO ONE is THAT ready at their first purchase and hoist.
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Response- This is where my writing and communication skills are apparently deficient. I did not intend to express that people should be excluded or wait until they have achieved some high degree of seamanship, just that it would serve them well to aspire to , Like- start smaller w/ a daysailor , understand the basics then progress as fast as your skill and desire allows. don't just go out and buy a 40' yacht and expect to learn to sail on it, not that some might be able to, it's just unlikely. of course that Zak sunderland 16 year old set his mind on sailing around the world he did it, I follow his journey a bit and he managed to learn plenty before during and I guess will continue to learn. I admire the guy.
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Personally, in very general terms when it comes to sailing, I'll pay first and independently learn second. And, in the mean time, if you see an out of control C27 heeled way over and heading your way - you might wanna play it safe and assume I'm one of "those" people and bear off hard. Heh-heh.
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Response- understood, I paid to have a stuffing box re-packed years ago. I think it cost me $50, after seeing how simple it was I was pissed at myself for not doing it myself, and saving the $50 and vowed to never again be too afraid to do it myself. had I just done it instead of letting others scare me into thinking it was some highly technical job I could have saved $50, I'm not falling for that again,simple tasks.
in the end it's your money to do with as you wish (hopefully you came by it honestly) I just would like to get the word out that there is another way to sail that doesn't require a 6 figure income or a yacht club membership w/ a credit
line at the local parts store. An inexpensive alternative exists, if you just look to history and how things were done and don't get misled by the money crowd, and the self appointed "expert" tradesmen that seem to abound when the smell of money is in the air.
