When I wander around the shop and observe boat builders
buffing hulls, tightening hose clamps and aligning engine shafts I wonder what
a boat is, and when it obtains it’s ultimate and final ‘boatness’. I walk
to the back of the factory and I see the fiberglass molds being painted with
gelcoat and sprayed with fiberglass, certainly this would not qualify as a
boat: it’s just molded fiberglass in a form. But at the other end of the
factory a boat prepares to exit the building as the last screws are tightened,
and final touches made, certainly this IS a boat. So the question to
ponder is this: At which magical point does a sum of fiberglass, wood, and
metal meticulously arranged become worthy of being called a boat?
Some might argue that a boat is not truly a boat until it is put in the water
and used by its owner. This is a good thought, but a boat is certainly
recognizable as a boat whether it is in the water or on dry land. Another
thought is that a boat is not a boat until every screw is screwed in place and
every hose clamp tightened, but again it is hard to imagine that a few loose
screws and clamps disqualifies such an object from being a boat. Maybe it
is when the deck is joined with the hull, at this point the parts certainly
appear to be a boat, but from the functional description of a boat, it would
fall far short, i.e. unable to float properly or propel itself.
So the question is still left unanswered, when does a boat become a boat?
Recent Comments