Maggie's Farm

Recently in the Caribbean and saw lots of big, open cockpit deep-V's, popular with the locals because they can yank them out on a trailer and leave them in the boat yard, but close enough to home where they can get into the water quickly and head out for some deep sea fishing fun. Typically 23-30 ft length.

Most of these are now sporting 3-4 outboards, high-tech, 200 hp (each) a starting point. I can see from the consoles that quite a few of them are fitted with joystick controls.

So these outboards can all swivel on the steering gear independent of each other, when on the joystick. Sexy! Computerized! Complicated. When I had the big boats alongside, these systems would occasionally have a brain fart and drive the boat into a shutdown requiring restart and often, manual overrides. Because Mr. Fixit now brings a laptop from the Central Repair Function overseas. Sometimes downtime can be extended, and expensive. But: Cutting Edge! Sexy!

I ran into, let's say, an analogous problem on the island. In 3 days, we had 4 different cars: All Hybrids. All having different brain farts and error codes, and erratic braking and acceleration issues. We finally got #4, with a conventional gasoline engine ICE setup and it purred right along. Talking with the rental guy, he said Hybrids have infiltrated his fleet to a significant degree because the customers 'like the idea' of them (Green! Sexy!), although without knowing the details of the What, How and Why.

But they are maintenance hogs. And when there is a technical problem, even if it's just a glitch, his mechanics are left, well, scratching their head. Because they are not fixable without the infrastructure that has, by design, been created to support the industry of Green. It takes the diagnostic machine, the laptop, the Central Repair Function overseas. So instead, the flashing error codes are interpreted as a 'sensor problem' and the vehicle goes back out in service. Ours had almost no brakes at all, when we started down the hill, maybe 15%.

Who pays for the First World's virtuous conceit? The Second and Third World. I told the kids, 'This is your future - get ready for it, because CAFE is bringing it right to you, right now, courtesy of your bloody-minded, won't-be-affected, know-nothing politicians.:. Son-in-Law is already driving a new, full-sized pickup with aluminum bed (weight-saving) and tiny over-turbo'd engine with 10-speed tranny. In the first month, he got bumped from behind by a real pickup and then required a whole new bed assembly. Nobody hurt, bed complete write-off. Took 3 months. Welcome! I am your future!

I'll take the 2 outboards, dumb version please.