Although what you said is absolutely true you may have noticed a bit of a contradiction between your 1st & 3rd paragraphs.
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I believe we are less likely to see major changes in the smaller yachts as the costs involved to install future-tech gadgets are so much higher in proportion.
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The reason we see so many small boats with this stuff clagged on is because as a technology demonstrator it makes for a cheaper platform
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Although there is an initial outlay, a lot of these cruisers (not the 65' and up so much as the 65' and down) look more on the cruising costs. On the ICW I see many boats that look like they should be put to sleep and there's thousands of dollars in solar arrays, wind generators and the like. As the boats get bigger they are usually more exact with their cost/benefit analysis and more long term in their thinking. So, is it possible that one day the entire roof structure of a large yacht will be some sort of fashionable solar collector? I'm not Gene Roddenberry, but I've seen a lot of things that my father would have never though possible. So I guess we'll just wait and see. (What's a man's average lifespan these days?
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