Min-Rant
082
PassageMaker
- September 2010
So when did it become cool to
be complicated?
In truth, I should have seen it coming. I remember skepticism when I heard computer folk's say they were moving us into a paperless workplace. Best recollection: two years later I stopped buying paper by the ream and started buying it by the case. Photography used to be a function of understanding the relationship between film speed, aperture and shutter speed. The digital universe, however, has largely eclipsed that with required knowledge of menu functions, setup configuration and available features. And don't get me started about cell phones. Yes these miraculous devices have brought along a boxcar full of manuals, authorization sequences, technical options and obstacles.
Which bring me back to boats. For many of us boating was embraced as a way to relax. On the weekend or for a few weeks, boating brought simplicity. It was a respite from work and home whether anchoring nearby or cruising to more distant shores. The systems were few and simple. Your capability was defined by seamanship not stuff. Royce and Chapman were the bibles. Enjoyment was not about the boat you had or whether you could make all the widgets work, but just being there. That was what made it fun. Today, for good or bad, understanding some hundred-fifty page manual has become an increasingly essential requirement. That is not bad on its face. Unfortunately it's not one manual but dozens, each boat system equipped with its own computer chip. The on-off switch has been replaced by a "feature rich interface".
If you or your partner are techno-geeks (or if one or both want to be) that's cool. If figuring out and remembering complicated stuff brings satisfaction, great. If, however, you are simply looking for a relaxing day afloat it can be off putting. When your boating goal is not about meeting some litmus test of systems and manuals but about relaxing, you might want to keep things simple.
But then that’s just
my opinion.
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