I keep having this internal debate in my head....it goes like this......m
My dad, god bless him, would say " if a job is worth doing then it is worth doing well". Followed by " a craftsman takes pride in his work".
Now dad is a perfectionist and actually in my career I have definitely inherited that trait. Perfectionism, doing it well, putting the time in to develop expertise etc.
However, on Arwen.........well those traits don't always materialise.........but should they?
Take the blocks I put on yesterday for holding the jib cleats at a better angle off the coaming.
They do the job. I did use mahogany off cuts. I did give them a lick of varnish.....'lick' being the key word here.
Are they both equal dimensions......um! Possibly not but then neither are the tufnol cleats! Did I round over the edges....yes I did. Are they securely attached......well I did my best and time will tell.
Do they look aesthetically pleasing.......well no! They stick out and I can't quite put my finger on it but they just don't look right. So maybe this is a matter of function over form. Maybe they will 'grow' on me over time.
What is certain is the jib sheet is now much easier to clip in and out with just a sharp downward tug. And the mahogany is from sustainable sources and that is important to me. Maybe I rushed them a little and added them as an after thought; a sort of bolt on..........maybe that is what's troubling me
Steve
My dad, god bless him, would say " if a job is worth doing then it is worth doing well". Followed by " a craftsman takes pride in his work".
Now dad is a perfectionist and actually in my career I have definitely inherited that trait. Perfectionism, doing it well, putting the time in to develop expertise etc.
However, on Arwen.........well those traits don't always materialise.........but should they?
Take the blocks I put on yesterday for holding the jib cleats at a better angle off the coaming.
They do the job. I did use mahogany off cuts. I did give them a lick of varnish.....'lick' being the key word here.
Are they both equal dimensions......um! Possibly not but then neither are the tufnol cleats! Did I round over the edges....yes I did. Are they securely attached......well I did my best and time will tell.
Do they look aesthetically pleasing.......well no! They stick out and I can't quite put my finger on it but they just don't look right. So maybe this is a matter of function over form. Maybe they will 'grow' on me over time.
What is certain is the jib sheet is now much easier to clip in and out with just a sharp downward tug. And the mahogany is from sustainable sources and that is important to me. Maybe I rushed them a little and added them as an after thought; a sort of bolt on..........maybe that is what's troubling me
Steve
It only matters if its important to you.
ReplyDeleteThere's a saying in motorcycle circles that "Chrome don't get you home!" ....
I'm sure the same can be said in the sailing world.
make sure it does the job well, you can make it pretty some other time.
That is so true
ReplyDeleteWhat a great philosophy
Great and much appreciated comment
Cheers
Steve
We have become so used to dynel blocks that we even forgot why they are called blocks in the first place. Good job, they work.
ReplyDeleteyep - but that inherited perfectionist streak from my dad has a little voice going off inside my head......"will you look at the rough state of those....if a job is worth doing son....then it is worth doing well"
ReplyDelete