The Bucket of Nonsense
There is a giant yellow trash pail at MotorCity Boat Werks that I call “the Bucket of Nonsense.” It’s where I put fantasy boat-building ideas, whiz-bang products, and sci-fi technologies that may sound innovative or impressive but make little practical sense for the average amateur boatbuilder or boat restorer. That doesn’t necessarily mean these products don’t work or have no legitimate application. Some belong on racing sailboats, commercial vessels, experimental boats, or extreme offshore cruising boats. The question I ask is much simpler: What problem does this actually solve for the ordinary amateur, and does it solve that problem better, more reliably, and more economically than the proven solutions we already have? If there isn’t a good answer, it probably belongs in the Bucket of Nonsense.
What Is the Bucket of Nonsense?
One of the problems with modern boat-building information—particularly on YouTube—is that unusual technology makes interesting content. Something new, exotic or expensive gives a creator something different to talk about, and it gives manufacturers something new to sell. The result can be a steady stream of products and techniques presented as though they represent the next logical step in amateur boat building.
New and interesting are not the same things as appropriate or useful.
Carbon-fiber laminates, Dyneema standing rigging, complicated water ballast systems, watermakers, 3D printers, stand-alone electric propulsion, laser-welding fabrication equipment, dual steering systems and similar ideas can all sound compelling when they’re presented in isolation. Some unquestionably have legitimate applications. But the fact that a technology exists—and that somebody can demonstrate it on YouTube—doesn’t establish that it belongs on the average amateur’s boat or in amateur boat building or restoration. Buyer Beware: “sponsor-channel effect” can contaminate YouTube content.
The Bucket of Nonsense Test
Before adopting an unusual material, product or technology, I think an amateur boatbuilder should ask a few basic questions:
- What problem am I actually trying to solve?
- Is there already a proven and affordable solution?
- What measurable advantage does the new solution provide on my particular boat?
- What additional cost, complexity, maintenance, or specialized knowledge comes with it?
- Can I repair or replace it myself when something goes wrong?
- Would I still choose this solution—if I were paying full retail price for everything myself?
There will be situations where the answer supports the newer technology. That’s fine. The Bucket of Nonsense isn’t a rejection of innovation. It’s a rejection of the idea that innovation by itself is a reason to put something on a boat. For the ordinary amateur boatbuilder or restorer, the best solution is often considerably less exciting: use the simplest proven material or system that reliably accomplishes what the boat actually needs. Everything else has to earn its way out of the bucket.
Some of the things I put in the Bucket of Nonsense are perfectly legitimate in another environment. A racing sailboat may justify expensive materials to save relatively small amounts of weight. A commercial boatbuilder may have specialized equipment, engineering resources and trained employees that make a particular construction technique practical. Someone preparing for an unusual expedition or living indefinitely off-grid may have requirements that an ordinary recreational boater simply doesn’t have. Different problems, different budgets.
Face it –rarely is amateur boat building waiting for somebody to invent a solution. The solutions already exist. Fiberglass, epoxy, marine plywood, Coosa Board, stainless steel, all the typical ordinary fabrication tools and relatively simple mechanical and electrical systems have been solving these problems successfully for decades. We already understand their strengths and weaknesses. They’re widely available. In many cases an amateur can install, maintain and repair them without specialized equipment. When someone proposes replacing one of those established solutions with something considerably more expensive or complicated, I want to know what I’m getting in return. If the principal argument is that the alternative is newer, lighter, technologically sophisticated or simply more interesting—that’s not enough for me. There should be a real problem and a measurable practical advantage before an amateur accepts the additional expense, complexity, or uncertainty of these products.
Ask yourself: Is this a solution in search of problem?
Real Boat Restoration starts with a Plan.
Case Study: Dyneema Rigging on YouTube
A few years ago, Dyneema standing rigging became a popular subject in YouTube sailboat restoration content. We all know there may be legitimate properties and applications for Dyneema, but from the perspective of an amateur restoring an ordinary cruising sailboat, I have to ask: Why replace stainless-steel standing rigging in the first place? Stainless-steel rigging is proven. Its characteristics are well understood. It has been used successfully for decades. The components are readily available. In many situations an amateur can even fabricate replacement standing rigging using appropriate mechanical terminals or shop swage tools without needing an industrial rigging shop.
Of course, if you’re designing a specialized racing boat where material weight has measurable consequences, you may arrive at a completely different answer. But that’s not the boat most of us are restoring in our backyards. The amateur needs to consider budget, installation effort, long term value and durability—even replacement intervals– and whether the theoretical advantages of an alternative material produce any meaningful improvement in the way the boat will actually be used. Don’t fall for the Bucket of Nonsense: You’re not an America’s Cup team simply because YouTube showed you America’s Cup technology.
What Real Amateur Boat Restoration Looks Like
You don’t have to be a professional boatbuilder to recognize real project work. You’ve painted a bedroom, changed a tire, repaired something around the house or tackled a DIY landscaping project. Problems get identified and solved, individual jobs get completed, and there is measurable movement toward a goal.
Serious amateur boat restorers are generally ordinary people doing the same thing on a much larger scale. They budget, learn new skills, make mistakes, research unfamiliar work and sometimes bring in professional help. Boat restoration isn’t cryptic magic.
You already know the difference between doing a project and performing one. The content should document the restoration. The restoration shouldn’t exist primarily to manufacture the content. And sooner or later, there ought to be a boat at the end.