"Vic Smith" wrote in message
...

Points taken. Understand I haven't owned a sailboat, just intend to.
And I'm trying to develop my own "philosophy" regarding boat systems
selection and care.
I guess it was Skip's mention of various electrical issues and
confusion about their source that bothered me. And the leaking
hose. I thought such issues would have been worked out before
leaving Florida. Faults are prone to snowballing quickly and the it's
best to deal with them ashore. The steering problem, which appears
self-induced, also caught my attention.
It just seems that Skip's attention to such matters is scattered and
could be improved somehow. I've seen mention here of pilot
checklists, and AFAIC the same prep method is appropriate for boats.
Those here who have developed such procedures could chime in.
Regarding cruiser electrical/mechanical shakedowns, hose leaks,
electrical glitches and such shouldn't be part of that, as that should
all be set right while ashore.
My Navy shakedown cruises were more stress and performance
tests than tests of basic systems.
I suppose for sailboat cruisers the real shakedown elements are
rigging, sails and drive train related.
But like I said, I don't yet sail, so I'd welcome experienced thoughts
on this as I prepare myself.
I'm a true believer in KISS, but not a Luddite. Even complex systems
have design differences that allow careful selection of equipment to
lend to them the KISS factor.
Not complex, but as an example, the Airhead composting toilet is much
simpler and maintenance free than holding tank systems, though for
some it's unsuitable, or maybe too costly.

--Vic

To me, "shake down" is simply making sure that all systems work as intended,
and discovering whether or not ideas that seemed great in the slip or at
home actually work at sea. Mostly this comes into play when new systems are
added into the boat, or when an item is replaced or repaired. The rest of
the time it's mostly just the implementation of an ongoing, individualized
"Planned Maintenance System," though it's rarely the case that PMS is as
official (or as officious) as that used by the Navy.