I must be the most inexperienced sailor on here, I have no idea what the above statement means.
Cap'n Blow Hard here. Apologies - 'tis about distractions. The OP was inquiring how we feel about the meanderings in posts that obscure or hinder access to the eventual answer. These "distractions" often take on a life of their own, sometimes even shifting the focus of the entire thread.
I once heard a man remark (memory fails who, apologies), "Field the ball, ignore the chicken", in reference to the distraction he faced as a young lad, learning to play ball, when a chicken appeared on the field. I thought it was hilarious, and it just stuck with me. It's my mantra in meetings.
But here
I want it both ways. I too like the idea of finding answers quickly (the ball), but not at the expense of a demoralizing mandate like
having to go back and add a link in my OP (although I'm grateful to all who do). But I also like reading the distractions (the chickens), because well, the ship is new to me. I might not yet know what I don't know, and the non-sequiturs are a treasure of information and hilarity.
My blow hard solution is to add a "
Vote as best answer" button, so all members can weigh in. Then rev the search results to move the winners to the top. The beauty here is that it works for chicken lovers too. You can either scoop the "correct" answer right off the top and be about your merry way, or skip over that twaddle and sink to the murky depths.
For sure, we should not repurpose the Like button as a voting button. We like replies for a variety of reasons, especially when they are clearly the wrong answer (like stapling up the Romex to your hull to tidy up the wiring - har har).
Regarding the idea of a another forum for "correct" answers...
I don't know how to pick the correct head these days.
Regarding FAQs...
Not a bad idea if multiple answers can be allowed. [Edit/ skip over this next bit of twaddle] Since no two ships are alike, there might not be a single correct answer. Even ones that come from the same shipyard in the same year can be different, not to mention buyer options like motor size, cabin layout, deck hardware, etc. Then over a score of years, you have to resolve all the previous owner modifications. [\Edit: thank you] In the end, it might be another source of fruitless endeavor and time wasted.
G
