It's an unpaid internship opportunity...hire muscular college kids to transport commuters?
It's an unpaid internship opportunity...hire muscular college kids to transport commuters?
I agree this isn't a good idea. But just giving them the benefit of the doubt.... are you sure this is a grift? That seems harsh. I don't see any nefarious history about these guys. It seems like they're actually building a prototype boat. They're clear on their website how slow this will be (67 minutes from Watertown to the Hatch Bandshell, which seems close to right). They just think people will sacrifice time for comfort.I've made similar statements in the various social media discussions otherwise filled with the type of comments @Koopzilla24 mentions. Most people brush that off as either incorrect, irrelevant (because they have an inaccurate idea of how long the express bus takes), or solvable. One guy I saw claimed that he had contacted the proponents with similar concerns but that they explained their boat was somehow wake free, and therefore... what, exactly? Wake free or not, they aren't going to get a speed waiver. The entire thing is an obvious grift, and yet here we are again.
Lol, no - the coaches launches that they chase the college kids on are powered and often not exactly small. I couldn't find a good photo of one on the Charles, but they look like this....hire muscular college kids to transport commuters?
You could be right, and I might be too cynical. But the question rests somewhat on who's money they are spending. If it is indeed their own, then earnest but naïve is perhaps correct. But if they are seeking investors, then I will again suggest they are trying to con those investors.Sorry if I'm nitpicking here, but these just seem like earnest entrepreneurs with a bad idea. There's nothing wrong with that. It's their money and they can prove us wrong. And in that case I say Godspeed. (which unfortunately for them, is mostly 6 miles per hour)
I still disagree a bit. Investors are also allowed to put their money into bad ideas, and again, maybe they prove us wrong. It's only a grift or a con if these guys are lying to investors, but really, they seem to be pretty forthright even on the limitations of the project. They show the speed limits and slow timetable on their website. The boat render shows the small capacity. In a quick google around, they talk in interviews about the need for more electric boat chargers on the Charles, and maybe that affects them, they'll see. It looks like any investor would be going in with all the relevant facts and they can make their own decision with their own money. That's not a con, I don't think. It's a little weird the way they're hyping up this wakeless boat*, but that seems like standard business hyping of some technology and waaaaaaaay short of any kind of fraud.You could be right, and I might be too cynical. But the question rests somewhat on who's money they are spending. If it is indeed their own, then earnest but naïve is perhaps correct. But if they are seeking investors, then I will again suggest they are trying to con those investors.
The exceptions probably go as far as a human-powered vessel or university teams training to bring glory to the City of Boston, the former probably only being possible by the latter (bar some insane Looney Tunes-esque kayaker or paddleboarder).Actually... That might be an interesting point. Rowing Sculls, especially heavy 8s, can easily reach 12+ mph. I don't know about their speeds on the twisty bit, but the Head of the Charles course records were set at 10-13 mph paces overall.
The coaches for those teams are often out on the river pacing them on motorized launches, which are catamarans designed for low/minimal wake, so there probably is actually an exception process somewhere.