Re: [Paddlewise] black hulls

On Sat, Sep 28, 2002 at 01:50:35AM -0700, Melissa Reese wrote:

> On Friday, September 27, 2002, at 10:42:00 PM PST, James W. Durkin
> wrote:

> Matt:

>>> That might depend on whether you found highly visible scratches in
>>> your gelcoat to be ugly or beautiful.

> James:

>> Man, I would hate to spend time with you in an art museum :-)

It was a joke, not a soapbox with a "Melissa, please step up" sign
attached.  I'm sorry that you apparently missed the smiley.  Next time
I'll put in two or figure out how to make emoticons in all CAPS.

Please note the response said "highly visible scratches".  We're not
talking here about a nick.  We're not talking about a *bit* of weathering
on the face of a fisherman or the hull of a boat.  We're not talking about
the "subtle physical evidence" of your own musical life spent with your
1860 cello.  We're talking about what Matt, in his response, termed
"highly visible".  For all your purple prose, you seem to have utterly
missed that aspect of the discussion.

What some perceive as the cosmetically inconsequential signs of wear on
their boats, others consider something to be avoided, if possible, or
repaired if not.  Both perspectives are, of course, legitimate.  How
inconsequential wear will appear, as judged by some sizable slice through
the middle of the wide kayaker spectrum, will depend to a large degree on
the characteristics of the boat *and* of the wear.

The characteristics of the boat in question, if you refer back to Neysa
Narena's original message, are a "black hull."  The characteristics of the
wear, at least as described in Matt Broze's response, are "highly visible
scratches."

Having seen quite visible scratches, gouges, and scuffs (none through to
the glass, by the way, to refer back to Matt's comment re: exposing the
yellowish kevlar) on a dark blue kayak, I'll say that the visual
impression is roughly equivalent to that of badly done (i.e., of no
particular artistic merit) spray paint / marker pen graffiti on a
stainless steel subway car.  It's certainly noticeable, looks distinctly
out of place (in an aesthetic sense), and is, for lack of a better term,
*butt ugly*.

In a nutshell, they (the graffiti and the highly visible scratches on a
dark hull) have roughly the same visual impact that you would get should
someone take a steel awl to your cello and in so doing make a serious
attempt at carving a fair quantity of easily readable hieroglyphics.  I
suspect such handiwork would not likely yield on your face a smile of
admiration for evidence of music well played, but something else entirely.
And the same look of dismay may appear just as quickly on the face of the
owner of the scratched up boat once they get a good gander at it.

If your response is "well, I'm not talking about gouges dug into my cello
with an awl", then you're not talking about something along the lines of
the highly visible gelcoat scratches of the discussion -- an apples to
oranges comparison, in other words.  If you say a boat is a tool, to be
used in a way likely to get it scratched up, then the fisherman's face and
your cello are not tools of the same class, if they're even tools at all.
Apples to oranges yet again.

Your personal feelings about the wear on your boat that's so readily seen
and felt are certainly valid.  They're valid because their yours -- that,
in and of itself, is enough.  They're valid also because other kayakers do
share them with you.  Yet there are still other kayakers who don't find
them so beautiful, for whom they fail to engender loving memories, and who
would prefer to be rid of them, were that possible (and it usually is,
should they wish to expend the effort).  Nothing you said invalidates that
alternate position.  I happen, at least in the case of the type of boat
described in the original query, to fall into this latter camp.  And I see
invalid, inappropriate, or ill considered in that position, either with or
without your comments taken into consideration.  There is room on the
water and off for both, and many variants in between.

What I deeply, passionately object to is the far too often expressed
opinion on this list, should someone query about cosmetic issues and their
kayak, that fall into the knee-jerk reaction, "scratches are beautiful and
an you're an ass if you think otherwise," non-answer response that so
often (almost invariably) results.  For all the emotive constructs you
dragged out to cloak your own in, that is essentially what is too.

> When somebody gazes upon the lovely scratches on your boat's hull,
> perhaps their daydreams of the places you've been will launch their
> own dreams of where they might someday go. :-)

If you think it's the "lovely scratches" (I do believe that is the first
time in many millions of words read that I've every seen those two
particular ones adjacent each other, at least without intervening
punctuation) that will launch daydreams of travels to come, rather than
your own comments about their origin or other more likely memory / fantasy
stimulants, than I'm pretty sure I could sell you a large bridge or two
downstate for me, or convince you of Buddy Cianci's inevitable
canonization ;-)

Oh yes, that does end in an emoticon.  I couldn't find one for a sarcastic
wink, so a simple one will have to do.

Good night all.  Do pardon me while I fight the urge to grope a highly
visible scratch or two on the way to bed.  My dreams are vivid enough
already, thank you.

-.- jwd

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