Joe it's not just your generation, big reliable outboards were not available in the 80s when Blackman became popular hence the need for a more reliable economical but slower means of travel. Now you can get 2 reliable outboards for the same money as a single diesel I/O and get 50-100% more speed for close to the same milage; and with all the pressure the crowds create on the fish it's better to be the first one on the scene! Time will tell if the Parkers and Seaswirls hold up as well as a Blackman, but with any boat it's more important to use them often than just letting them sit. The only time the speed differential affects me is on a flat day going home; I'm not going to drive 35-40knts at night on the way out, we're generally trolling looking for paddies during the day, and there are not that many days you could travel at high speed into the wind chop and swell coming back from the southern tuna grounds. JMHO