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Old 05-26-2016, 07:20 PM   #1
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I must be getting too darned old.....

I must be getting too darned old


Just when I thought I’d seen just about everything in my near-70 years on this planet, and just when I thought that nothing would surprise me any more, I have come to realize that I’m wrong. Now it’s not all that hard to admit that I’m wrong—I get plenty of practice at that, so bear with me.

I was perusing the pages of the June, 2016 issue of Yachting magazine I came across something that took my breath away. Not because it’s such a beautiful piece of art or a beautiful boat (though it costs more than many boats). It’s a frickin razor. Yup, a razor made by a company called Zafirro and it’s made out of Iridium and it costs….are you sitting down? $100,000


But you’d better get you order in soon because they’re only going to make 99 of them. Here’s where to order it: http://www.zafirro.com/zafirro-iridium.php

But that’s not the only reason I feel I’m getting old. Boats don’t look like boats any more. They look like a millennium designer’s idea of what a penthouse apartment should look like. Or something that Captain Nemo would have enjoyed skippering. Check out this “beauty”….



C’mon Man. If this is what the future of boating looks like I’m glad I’m going to be with Neptune before they become widely used.

And look at boat interiors. Boat interiors are supposed to look like, well, boat interiors. Not like some city apartment in one of those cheap high rise buildings you see in the big cities. Even my favorite builder, Sea Ray, has gone away from building boats with boat interiors. They build interiors that look like…wow, I don’t even know how to describe them any more. Words like cold, harsh, uninviting all come to mind, but I bet that’s not how Sea Ray describes them.


And to buy SR’s new L650Fly model, you don’t just go to your local SR dealer. You work through a Sea Ray Concierge. Dang, and I thought a concierge was the guy in the monkey suit standing behind the small counter at an upscale hotel.

I subscribe to a half dozen or so boating mags. Most of them deal in what I call ‘real’ boats. But 3 or 4 of them deal in boats that only those people who Robin Leach (remember “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” show?) would interview. These mags advertise wrist watches that sell for as much as many of us paid for our home. And leather bags that sell for as much as a car. And fashion items where you could easily drop several boat bucks just to look nice at your yachting party.

So I guess I am just getting too old to enjoy the new stuff and the stuff I could never bring myself to buy even if I could afford them.

Now don’t get me wrong. Getting old has its pro’s and con’s. The con part is when I’m trying to squeeze this tired ol’ body behind one of the engines to work on it. That seems to get more and more difficult every year. But there are also some real good things about getting old. It beats the hell out of the alternative, which is death and the last time I looked that was pretty darn permanent.

Being an old boater also has its benefits. My 50+ years of boating has given me a LOT of experiences I can call upon to help me do things like handle emergencies when they come up, or back the boat into the slip when the wind is blowing 25kts from the worst possible direction. My years of experience has taught me not to panic but to take my time and do it right, whether that takes a couple of ‘missed approaches’ where you pull back out and reposition the boat to make that near perfect landing.

What say you? Is it me? Or is it this new up and coming generation of boaters who have to have the biggest and fastest and loudest and shiniest of everything?
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Old 05-26-2016, 07:41 PM   #2
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Did the boomers and gen x-ers not have any rich people with gaudy taste?
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Old 05-26-2016, 07:56 PM   #3
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Greetings,
Read this...

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Old 05-26-2016, 08:02 PM   #4
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The new generation does not understand the "why" or the forces affecting the outcome. Anyone can operate a vessel with a joystick and look good doing it. Stick and rudder; the outcome will be predictable.
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Old 05-26-2016, 08:12 PM   #5
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I share your astonishment. I'm shocked at the cost of a pack of Hydro 5 razors at Costco! If I owned a boat like the one in the photo, I'd wear a good disguise while driving it. Although I've now spent 74 years on this planet I never cease to be surprised.

About a year ago I was contacted by a guy on this forum who was interested in Grand Banks and wanted to buy one. I spent several phone calls talking with him and giving him advice. One day he asked if he could come to see my boat. I said sure and we made a time to meet. He arrived 2 hours late (traffic) with his partner. I spent about 2 hours taking hm and his partner through my boat; even offered to take them for a ride but they didn't have time.

During the conversation he told me he was on the Board of Directors of the Essex Steam Train here in Essex CT. He was soooo grateful for my time and kindness that he was going to send tickets for my wife and I to ride the Essex Steam Train on a dinner run. I love trains and was pretty excited at the opportunity. So here's the surprise; I never heard from the guy again. Nice surprise huh?
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Old 05-26-2016, 08:18 PM   #6
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Wifey B: The generations of your grandparents thought you kids were crazy too. The L 650 is a very nicely designed boat, super cool. Well, thought out, although some of the colors people have chosen are a bit out there.

The Razor is beyond me.

The boat looks like some super efficient narrow and not utilitarian kind to me but if that's what someone wants, more power to them. I love individuality.

That's like seeing some high school kid with layers of clothing you think are super weird but then you say something like "they don't take pride in their dress" when the reality is they took a lot more care in getting their outfit just right than you do.

Whatever your likes and dislikes are is up to you. I personally think when you shut your mind to different things and new things and they younger generations, you're missing some real fun. We love having 20 year olds hanging around just to see what they're all up to. Then younger kids too. Sometimes we think we don't like their music but then we listen. Maybe we still don't like it but sometimes we do.

Besides values are far more important than things and I know it's popular not to think so, but I know some incredible young people inheriting a world that your generation and mine has really f...ed up.
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Old 05-26-2016, 08:50 PM   #7
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Mike, simply put: Yes you are getting old with the rest of us. Accept it, have a Klondike and then a scotch and cigar. Just enjoy life and see what these kids come up with next.
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Old 05-26-2016, 08:50 PM   #8
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"Did the boomers and gen x-ers not have any rich people with gaudy taste? "
I'm sure we did/do. As I look around and see people my age with purple hair and body tats I just sorta shake my head. Gaudy? Maybe. Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.


Howard, The Great God of Karma will come back to bite this guy on the butt at some point in his life


B&B, My wife and I probably spend a lot more time around people a generation younger than we are and love 'em. They, and our grand kids are what keep us feeling young.


I'm active with Junior Achievement, teaching two classes this past March an April.


I feel like I'm in pretty good shape for the shape for the shape I'm in and, in part, I owe that to all the flexing and bending when I work on the boat and around the house, plus chasing the grand kids around.
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Old 05-26-2016, 10:04 PM   #9
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Simple answer is that boat interiors look like apartments because that's mostly what they are, dock side apartments. Thankfully they are almost nonexistent out cruising. The further you get away from the big cities, the more traditional the boats look.

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Old 05-26-2016, 11:24 PM   #10
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The America's Cup sailboats don't look much like sailboats. I have heard the innovations on those will eventually filter down to our boats yet... well, I suppose I prefer a sailboat to look like a sailboat.

But that's me.

If you've got a hankering for any type of boat, go for it.
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Old 05-26-2016, 11:27 PM   #11
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The further you get away from the big cities, the more traditional the boats look.

Ted



Spent yesterday at my favorite West Coast marina, Moss Landing commercial docks. Sea Ray concierge couldn't find it on a map if you put a gun to his head.
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Old 05-27-2016, 08:53 AM   #12
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More and more boats are looking like greenhouses. How they figure folks in hot climates will be comfortable with the sun blasting in is beyond me.
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Old 05-27-2016, 08:57 AM   #13
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Form follows function. That boat is designed for the very wealthy to blast from Monaco to Cannes as fast as possible.
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Old 05-27-2016, 09:44 AM   #14
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This thread could really drift but has anyone instructed a total newbie to boat handling lately. If it doesn't have a touch screen and a colored picture they have no use for understanding the concepts. Just did a delivery 37' sail and would not let the owner's son, who was mid 30's, touch the auto pilot or the GPS. Dad did better.
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Old 05-27-2016, 10:03 AM   #15
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This thread could really drift but has anyone instructed a total newbie to boat handling lately. If it doesn't have a touch screen and a colored picture they have no use for understanding the concepts. Just did a delivery 37' sail and would not let the owner's son, who was mid 30's, touch the auto pilot or the GPS. Dad did better.
Wifey B: Sorry, as a mid-30's former teacher, I say to that. Don't judge either generation on one person and also perhaps the issue is your ability to communicate to someone of that generation. I'll put my understanding of the concepts and my ability to use an auto pilot up against anyone's. I won't put this on all your generation, but I've found a lot of older, very experienced boaters, even some professional captains, who had no idea all the features and capabilities their auto pilots had and were complaining about things that could easily be corrected by just going in and making adjustments. As a teacher, I learned not to blame the student, but to think of whether I needed to try a different approach to teaching them.

Don't put down us mid-30's group. We can be feisty.
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Old 05-27-2016, 10:13 AM   #16
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A Different View

I also receive the same magazine and find some of the newer designs somewhat unique to say the least. While I appreciate both modern and traditional designs, I favor the lines of traditional designs and appreciate the craftsmanship that go into older boats. If its a boat, it must be finished with teak wood inside or we will pass. Just my thoughts.

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Old 05-27-2016, 10:19 AM   #17
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Originally Posted by BandB;
Don't put down us mid-30's group. We can be feisty.
Something a lot of invisible, irrelevant seniors have learned first hand.
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Old 05-27-2016, 10:21 AM   #18
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Wifey B; the difference is you had the desire to learn, observe and listen and were not preoccupied playing with your phone and letting electronics take you for a ride.
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Old 05-27-2016, 10:57 AM   #19
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Something a lot of invisible, irrelevant seniors have learned first hand.
Wifey B: Some of our best friends are seniors and we don't consider any invisible or irrelevant. Some are feisty too. Although guess they tend to call it "crusty". Same thing.

I think we all benefit by spending time around those different than us, in age, in background, and in other ways.

We know one couple in their mid-80's and we understand the invisible and irrelevant comment as they felt a bit that way. Too often we think of what we do over who we are and they weren't able to do as they always had (Now we also have a mid-80''s friend circumnavigating). They had been somewhat forgotten. They couldn't get out and about nor could they throw the huge parties they had before. So, we arranged the party of all parties at their home with us and others handling all the work. We also took the occasion to remind those attending how much they would love to be visited more. Plus our extended family started seeing them. I love just listening to them talk about their lives, their stories, for hours. They thank us for visiting but we feel like we're the ones who really gain the most doing so. We thank them.

Sad we equate our value sometimes with our productivity instead of our character. A girl friend of mine had an 82 year old father. He'd worked until he was 79 and after two hip replacements and two knee replacements couldn't anymore. He said he didn't serve any purpose anymore. She crawled in his lap (48 years old) and said, but you do. You're my daddy. That's plenty of purpose. That's the best.

Ok, need an ending to this serious stuff...here it comes.

Wifey B's words of the day: Go younger for energy, go older for wisdom.
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Old 05-27-2016, 11:02 AM   #20
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Wifey B; the difference is you had the desire to learn, observe and listen and were not preoccupied playing with your phone and letting electronics take you for a ride.
Wifey B: I think people of all ages, some have that desire, some don't. Omg how many times have I heard hubby use the words "pursuit of knowledge" (a big hiring criteria for him).
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