On this last pirogue build, I've come to the conclusion that I don't have the "perfect' or the "excellent" gene. Just don't have them. I admire the people that can put out the effort required to make the " perfect" boat. I just don't have it in me. The work and effort required to make something, anything, to that standard is just beyond what I'm willing or even able to do. I'm left with "good enough" or "pretty danged good" as my preferred standard. Seedtick and I have gone back and forth with this concept. His standards and execution are head and shoulders above what I can or want to accomplish. I say,. good for him. That extra few percent that it takes to put something in the "excellent" class takes SEVERAL percent of extra effort and time to acquire. Not worth it in my book. What's your level of excellence? Curious to find out
Perfect vs good enough
- Thread starter jdupre'
- Start date
The only person I have to please is myself and if the boat floats . I'm pleased. Sometimes they even look good and like I say , I normally make a few mistakes everyday. If those mistakes look good who says I can't take the credit for it.
Personally I think your new boat is looking darn good.
Chuck.
Personally I think your new boat is looking darn good.
Chuck.
Chuck, I go by the "boat ramp" scale. If , every time you put the boat in, somebody comments how much they like it then, it's a win in my book.
The word you may be searching for, Joey, is “optimal”. It lives in the neighborhood of “gud enuff fer guvmint serk”, and “best bang for the least buck”. My boats are a working tool, not a piece of furniture.
The 50 foot criteria applies. Looks pretty good from about 50 feet out.
The 50 foot criteria applies. Looks pretty good from about 50 feet out.
"Optimal" sounds just about right, Jack. Mine might stand scrutiny maybe at 20 feet. 3 feet??? Oh, no!
Well, a few parts of some of my boats don’t look too shabby at 20 feet. But, 50 feet is a safer bet.
Funny thing , we can see the mistakes when looking at out boats but others never see them or never say anything , wounder which it is. Thinking postive I would say , never see them.
The point that FLA MIke used to make "Perfect is the enemy of good" I think he passed that advice to me when I was fretting over the TV 12 32 I donated to be raflled. He was right my perfection was hindering the build. My concern was the boat was displayed at the Church/Scool and I thought I needed to please everybody. I just build to suit me and how I feel at the time.
One thing about "perfect" is humbling. If you actually USE a boat, you know, sling a few fish in it, bump into the odd tree or stump or , heaven forbid, launch at a concrete boat ramp, your piece of perfection is not perfect anymore. The thing you strove so hard for is ...........gone. All you have now is a boat that looks .............like...............well.............MINE! I just think about mine as "pre-used" when it comes off the build table.
Since I'm apparently in the minority, I figured I'd add my two cents"..........
My family, for at least three generations before me, have predominately been folks who built wooden things - houses, boats, cabinets, coffins, etc. My grandfathers opinion was that the only significant question was "Who built that?" So it's kinda inherent to me to try to do better on each build. Tighter joints, better lines, better finishes, whatever. It's something I'm passionate about and I recognize that not everyone is passionate about working with wood. But I do believe that most everyone is passionate about something. Joey may tell you that he has no patience or the genes for perfect work but I have shot air rifles with him. For me hitting the squirrel is good enough but for Joey, he hits them in the eye - five times in a row. You can't do that without thousands of rounds of practice. So we all have our good and good enough interests
My family, for at least three generations before me, have predominately been folks who built wooden things - houses, boats, cabinets, coffins, etc. My grandfathers opinion was that the only significant question was "Who built that?" So it's kinda inherent to me to try to do better on each build. Tighter joints, better lines, better finishes, whatever. It's something I'm passionate about and I recognize that not everyone is passionate about working with wood. But I do believe that most everyone is passionate about something. Joey may tell you that he has no patience or the genes for perfect work but I have shot air rifles with him. For me hitting the squirrel is good enough but for Joey, he hits them in the eye - five times in a row. You can't do that without thousands of rounds of practice. So we all have our good and good enough interests
Judging from everything I have seen on here that has been made by the individual builders. I feel safe in saying they did their best at that time. You have to remember most of the folks on here ( when they joined ) were starting to build wood boats. As they continued building their ability increased. I believe it's a learning curve and as you learn you improve.
Is there such a thing as perfection or is it a impossibility that is continually pursed and never achieved Like that poor little dog chasing the Hot Dog and pulling the kid in the Red Radio Flyer..I have never seen where that dog got the Hot Dog. .
Is there such a thing as perfection or is it a impossibility that is continually pursed and never achieved Like that poor little dog chasing the Hot Dog and pulling the kid in the Red Radio Flyer..I have never seen where that dog got the Hot Dog. .
Well, seedtick, you're close on your assesment. I got pretty good at airguns because I love to shoot and tinker with them. I LIKE, not necessarily love, working with wood, because it gets me to the end product which is a 3 dimensional object of art.....a boat. Don't necessarily love the process, but it's what I have to do. I don't love fretting over a perfect joint. I ESPECIALLY don't love sanding, applying, re-sanding , re-applying , etc. etc etc epoxy, varnish and paint. And I ESPECIALLY, ESPECIALLY don't like putting days and weeks of effort into a boat that I KNOW will not look like that after one or two uses. Complete and utter waste of my time. And yes, if you are REALLY careful, the boat doesn't get damaged near as much, but it WILL get damaged if you actually use it. I build em to use.
Mostly, I don't have the patience to do really good work. I want it DONE. Not the best idea for fine craftsmanship, but it's the reality of my personality. My mind says " Oh, a little sanding and it's on to the finishing." Well, what my mind thinks is a "little sanding" ends up being most of a day. That does not compute! Just like home remodeling. " I'll go nail up these two boards. Should take 15 minutes.". 4 hours later, boards are not in place because of some other unforseen circumstances. THAT makes me crazy. Not saying it's good or bad ......it just IS.
We all live in our own skin, in our own selves, within the sum of all the choices that we have made and are making every day. It’s part of what makes us who we are. Being “OK with ourselves” is an aspect of self, including self-knowledge, self-acceptance, and self-confidence. We are who we are, and still growing a bit every day or so..
How's this for a glowing recommendation. If I were to have someone build me a boat and build it right, I would get seedtick to build it. I might hire someone like me to design it, but certainly not to build it! 