16.) Does This Project Make Any Sense?

There's a quick answer to the question I posed in the title of this entry: no, no, and no.

No 1: It doesn't make economic sense. This project will cost significantly more than the price of a new Interclub (about $8,500).  Used boats in good condition and ready to race can be acquired for far less (around $2,000). So the ROI on this adventure is nothing short of appalling.

No 2: It doesn't make sailboat racing sense.  If I took all the time I spent working on this boat and instead used it as practice time on the water, I'd improve my place in the racing standings far more rapidly.

No 3: It doesn't make educational sense.  I would learn more for less money in a shorter period of time if I enrolled in a boat building school.

Then again, who says this has to make sense?  The simple truth is that I get a kick out of this project--and that's more than enough reward for me at this point in my life.

I am thankful to be able to do this. I'm reasonably secure financially, have a great collection of tools I've assembled over the years (see my page "Tools I Really Like"), and possess enough knowledge and free time. I like working with my hands and enjoy going to my shop every day, where I am surrounded by other skilled woodworkers turning out everything from high-end custom furniture to boutique wood products to this crazy statue that was recently featured on the Colbert Report http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/zekn1k/satanic-monument-for-the-oklahoma-state-house.   I learn a lot from these folks and enjoy the company of people who value self-expression through genuine craftsmanship. (I also count my lucky stars and multiverses that I don't have to show up in an office somewhere, sit through meetings in conference rooms, or have a boss who asks me to do things I think are stupid).

I embrace hard work, but after 40 years, I've had enough of the business world. Yes, business is necessary and offers many advantages, including pay checks. But the biggest problem with it (I think) is the way the transactional essence of business distorts relationships. True, people at the office often act and feel friendly towards one another. They can even be supportive, nurturing and caring. But at some point, it's important to understand that genuine love and friendship doesn't and can't exist in this environment. You are fooling yourself if you think I'm wrong.

(Of course, fooling yourself might not be a terrible idea if you, like most people, actually do have to go off to work every day.  Under such circumstances, it may be better to think I am wrong and believe you actually are satisfying your deepest needs in the workplace.)

I also get a thrill out of the challenge I've set for myself. It's one that's uniquely mine and belongs to no one else: How can I transform a seriously beaten up boat with an interesting heritage into one of, if not the best, of its kind in existence? To answer that, I'll need to know a lot about wood, construction, boat design, engineering, and many other things. The craft of boat building is literally tens of thousands of years old, and throughout it, mankind has accumulated an enormous storehouse of knowledge about what works and what doesn't. Modern science has advanced this craft even further in the past ten or twenty years. So there's really no limit to the way I can challenge myself throughout this project. That, I like.

I don't delude myself by thinking there's any point to this beyond taking on a challenge and trying to meet it.  There isn't.