Another RAMBLE.
Interesting stuff Howard.. The Nick has been across the Atlantic a couple of times.. I am with you on all things relative to wood on boat exteriors, let alone wooden hulls, though wood looks so much nicer when maintained.. For sure just as there are those like myself who in times past would be ever messing around rebuilding my old m/cycles and cars, just as there are those who do much the same for boats of all shapes and sizes... Matters not a jot to me if some boats may end up little used for their original design purpose, just as some ageing owners m/cycles and cars may do in time.. You accurately describe the boatyard/marina scene in the way that boats can create their own land-based community of folk beavering away on old boats that may never see the water again in their present owners hands.. I think that no matter the pastime chosen if it involves physical or mental involvement which folk may be losing to some noticeable degree, lack of use or involvement in the pastime may well show up as matters evolve. All of which just seems like a recurring and somewhat natural progression, just as others have already posted..? As ever each to their own....(-:
I owned a Moody 30 for a decade or so home waters being the Clyde estuary and it`s Islands and sea lochs, sailed to Ireland and around the Western Isles a bit for annual holidays with my good lady as only crew. The Moody was formerly my uncles sloop which we had sailed together over the years though he mostly sailed it single handed, as did I in time.. I spread my uncles ashes from it`s stern at a favoured cruising spot of his.... but burial at sea, I doubt I could have managed that, though if he had expressed any such wish in that regard, I would have looked into it and given it my best shot..
Sold the Moody (but kept the +8) to initially fund my self-build home extension... Happy wife equates to happy life... That decision worked out well enough for many a year..
I also agree on Porsche water-cooled reliability from 996 up to 997.1. with a circa £15k bill seemingly hanging by a thread over ones head...Hmm..? .As earlier water-cooled Porsches age and loose a degree of their value unlike their air-cooled brethren, the cost to benefit ratio of the risks and potential parts costs is perhaps best assessed. I suspect Ferraris too can cost rather a lot to maintain and repair, which can perhaps go some way to explain why so many owners seem somewhat reluctant to drive them other than rarely...I guess trying to retain value in "classic" machinery may be more of a consideration for the financially conscious or restricted, than it might be for those who may be fully enjoying adding miles to their machinery with no real care as to it`s monetary value....?
A pal owned a 400i which initially belonged to a rock superstar.... For me the engine was a revelation, I had never seen anything like it, the V12 being set up as two sixes with their own distributors, fuelling systems and oil filters... a fantastic bit of kit.... The bodywork and electrics...Hmm, questionable at best. Ferrari`s ever scared me given the potential to wreck any budget I had available for a hobby machine. Porsche in the air-cooled era was very expensive for parts too, but far less likely to need as many costly parts as an older Ferrari.
Given air cooled Porsches seem to have evolved from Mr Porsches idea to create a simple and reliable "peoples car" built to last, as opposed to Mr Ferrari`s dreams of building a race car.? That both evolved to eventually compete against each other at LM was quite an achievement for Porsche, and with Porsche competing and winning in just about every other kind of motor sport event over many decades, caused me somewhat reluctantly into appreciating the marque.
A couple of decades back a friend drove his 911 SC Sport down to the South of France and by chance met up with a group of Germans who stayed at the same hotel and had also motored down in their Porsches, they spoke of their friend a Ferrari owner who had started the journey with them but broke down on the way, and was in the process of returning home to pick up his Porsche and join up with them in time... Apparently this was an annual trip for the Germans and the Ferrari owner had tried and failed at least on one other occasion to complete the journey.... My guess is that rarely used cars can suffer if not made use of, and the more complex they are mechanically or digitally the more often the suffering may present it`s self...?
In my youth it was all about working on my old m/cycles, not until I was in my twenties did old sports cars take over as my main interest. Went back to m/cycling in my fifties had an old BSA B40 and a BMW R850R for a couple of years even rode the BM in the snow...!
A while back even with the tonneau in place and the heater on full blast aches and pains would show themselves... I guess my general health was on a downhill slog for quite some time, but surprisingly in the last month or so since adopting morning 40 min walks it seems to have improved to the extent that I have enjoyed driving the old Mog for a few miles on a warm day..with the tonneau in place and the heater on...(-:
No doubt in my mind that the old Mog is a work of art sitting in the garage. That I can still drive and enjoy doing so for now is an unexpected bonus at this moment in time..
