-
and not sure why they couldn't say "ok, but depending on the ship the lenght was x or y, perhaps we need to examine the validity of the plans..."
Well as you can imagine, the data on plans from the 18th century is a bit... unreliable. For example, they seem to have often built the actual ships slightly different from what the plans would indicate, or they changed something later on but didn't document it, etc.
Oh, and the measurements will have been in some semi-antique 'ell' measurement, which differed by 10% easily between countries, without it always being super clear which one was being used...
(Btw: this is the kind of level of detail to which those models were built, it takes a certain kind of person to persevere with that... the kind that will not accept 25m as a possible length when they're convinced it's 21.5m. ;)
In any case, you raise a good point: the positions are extra irreconcilable as they're not even starting off from the same plane of reality, because it's based on projected future and opinions rather than stuff that is actually there.
SwissChap-
And even when experts butt in a projected futures "nobody can predict the future"
Sure, sure, let's throw all the modelling we use for complex projects / the NHS out of the window too.
But in a way it is an educational issue, nothing in life can be predicted to 100% certainty, and most people don't accept that a shifting model with 80% accuracy assuming 60% of things stay the same is not exactly the same as somebody pulling hot air out of their ass.
But you don't get that stuff as school either.
JWestland
Brexit is in a way even worse, because at least with the sailing ships you have a sorta agreed process: Examine plans, get the length.
The problem was that the plans didn't agree, and not sure why they couldn't say "ok, but depending on the ship the lenght was x or y, perhaps we need to examine the validity of the plans..." but at least there was a "shared reality".
Whenever facts come up on Brexit it goes to
1: Not facts cos that person...
2: Nobody can predict the future
etc...
I can totally envision the two boat hobby fans arguing! :):)