Boating is a life course in compromise.
You can’t sail directly into the wind. You compromise, alternating between port tack and starboard tack. Motorboats can buck the wind, but their skippers weigh fuel supply, best RPMs, manageable speed for sea conditions, and crew comfort. Everyone on the water compromises with weather, traffic, tide, and the unseen shape of the bottom.
Ownership inevitably forces you into this common compromise: shall I fix this given issue myself, or shall I hire professionals to do it? You might expect WoodenBoat to cheer you on to do all the work on your boat. But we can’t. Ownership requires a calculus of compromise. You weigh opposing factors:
- What’s the scale and size of your boat, its age, condition, and type of construction?
- How much time can you invest?
- Are there time restrictions for the given job?
- What’s the budget?
- What is the honest level of your skills (specifically: engine knowledge, rigging abilities, electronic knowledge, woodworking skills, ability to assess or diagnose a problem)?
- Do you have the tools you need?
- What are the hazards of the job at hand?
- What professionals are available to you (boatwrights, mechanics, boatyards, surveyors, electronic specialists, and riggers)?