Order of priorities?

[Greenhand]

I had a mechanic out to the new to us boat today. We just wanted a complete service so that we know what condition everything is in so that we can keep up with maintenance. Of course, he took a huge chunk of the engine back to the shop with him and will be making much money off of us and our rusty cooling system.

But the topic of conversation is this: He commented that most people worry about making everything pretty before they worry about the engine. Do y'all think this is true? Doesn't everyone want their engine to last as long as possible and their boat to generally work as well as possible?

Also, what part of my boat did he think needs made pretty? She's beautiful!! The only "make pretty" on our list has been cleaning. OK, she could use new cushions for the salon and cockpit, but what is the point before we have her purring away?

[CharlzO]

Two types of people when it comes to almost everything, be it cars, houses, boats, etc. One side of the coin are the people that want function first. Doesn't matter what it looks like, as long as it's sound, and reliable, and safe. The other side, is the complete opposite. They want it to look as great as it can, even if it's stuck on the side of the road more often than not, or have the nice house on the outside - with peeling wallpaper and trash inside it.

Of course there are bits in the middle too, but I've seen both avenues. I try to keep up the appearance within reason, but never at expense of mechanical soundness. Does me no good if I can't go anywhere. Takes a long time and effort (money) to get the best of both, but it all depends on the person. Apparently that mechanic has seen too many of the one type in his dealings.