Boat Shoes Solve Your Sailing Problems

Published: Saturday, May 29, 2021
By: Ken Quant, Broad Reach Marketing

When this issue came with the topic of “crowdsourcing for boaters,” I certainly felt my age. What does this mean? Do I have to write about getting other people to pay online for my boating addiction? Sounds like a good plan to me, but this obviously can’t be what it means, so I asked for clarification. I got back, “We’re trying to keep the meaning broad. Even with technology aside, we are talking about anywhere people come together to share and educate each other.” OK, I can work with that, in an offline sort of way.

When I first started working at a boating magazine over 30 years ago, computers were just starting to invade the workplace. They were a huge improvement from typewriters and paper, but they were also a bit buggy. This was before the internet and our in-office computer network was so notoriously unreliable that you’d inevitably end up spending more time trying to connect and send a file to production then it would take to put it on a disk and walk it down the hall. A hundred percent reliable network and a great excuse to take a walk and talk to a coworker, this real-life network became affectionately referred to as “sneaker net” in the office. It’s exactly this type of interpersonal networking that’s my go-to for most boating questions.

According to a friend of mine, the Commodore of our yacht club told him that the best way to solve a boat problem is to take the part out, go sit it and yourself at the bar, then order a beer and look forlorn. It won’t be too long before someone comes by and offers a solution from their own personal experience. Similar to sneaker net, this informal boat shoe net is by far the most interesting way I educate myself about most of my boating questions.

Alright, I can hear all you millennials out there saying, “Why don’t you just Google it?” Why? Because you can’t get immediate answers to the multiple questions that normally arise during a face-to-face conversation, or share a beer for that matter. To me, it just seems that people are spending way too much time typing and not enough time talking. Of course, the internet is an amazing resource, but typing a question in and waiting for an anonymous reply just seems so impersonal and overly time consuming. If possible, I’d much rather tap into my real-life network of sailing friends. Ask a question, get an answer. Think of something else, get another immediate answer. Who knows where any conversation goes from there? Afterall, there are few things in this world more socially satisfying than a face-to-face conversation about boating.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m as guilty of spending too much time in front of a screen typing as most people. My work depends upon it. I’m also a confirmed YouTube DIYer and love those campy homemade repair videos that save my butt every time I get in over my pay grade. I also can’t imagine going through this whole Covid thing without online networking. But for me, I’ll choose the old fashion boat shoe net anytime it's available.