I am grateful to them who are willing to put in all the work and money to push the state of the art. I recall that using glass fibers to make a hull was considered absurd. Remember how thick they made the hulls because they might not be safe. And aluminum for a mast, who would have believed it.Warren Kaplan wrote: We've had this discussion before about all these high tech boats with space age materials just, well, breaking up! With all the computer models and everything, ...
I remember when we trusted the rotted garboards that strained every time the heavy wooden masts shifted their weight from port to starboard. And I remember pumping the bilge after any sail. Yes, we pumped out salt water, even though the decks leaked rain water like a sieve. Hah, remember the canvas on the decks.
Recently knew an old timer that could not stay afloat. The yard used the travelift and set the boat on land. The hull sank down around the keel, collapsing entirely right to the ground.
Yes, encourage them to think, work, and spend to advance the cause. They will know what is safe by knowing what isn't. Let them discover what isn't, before someone builds the boats for our grandchildren.
Al
albertlevesque@cove.com