It seems to me that it has become part of boating to be free from work and responsibility. To spend as much quality time on the water as your few hours will allow. Once you get there you have to go as fast as possible so the sense of thrill, hence enjoyment will be maximized.
At one time boaters got out on the water to relax and appreciate the various aspects of being on the water. There was an ettiquette that was learned and shared so all who were there got the full experience of being fart of the sea and waterfront community.
Part of getting premium experience was preparation . The better care you took of your boat the more prestige and longer the life of the vessel and with doing all the maintenance, problems were discovered sooner and safety was addressed through knowledge and prevention.
The only truly maintenance free boat is one you just don’t do the maintenance on and becomes a disposable item. Wood or plastic requires some type of work.With an over abundance of production boats which soon become outdated and the designs “improved” on, the Ideology to trade them in or just buy a new one is the new normal but rather short sighted especially when the cost of oil and oil based products so high. What happens to all these acres of “expended” boats?
With a better thought process about what we are buying in a boat they may again thought of as multi generational family heirlooms worthy of care and up keep, adding respect and responsibility into the experience of being on the water.