Complexity and over dependance on technology can be a curse on a yacht, especially if it’s technology you depend on in a critical situation and you don’t have the resources to fix or override the technology in question.
We used to mount our dagger boards in foil shaped cases with the board bearing against the inside of the case. This resulted in the risk of the board jamming in the case and being difficult to raise. Now we use rectangular cases with foil shaped bearings to minimize the friction and make the boards easy to raise and lower. This is an example where increased complexity (the addition of bearings) has effectively solved a problem without any significant downside, just a modest additional cost.
In many cases the deployment of complex technology is safe, relatively inexpensive and highly effective in its functioning. The headsail furler is another excellent example of increased complexity has been used to solve a problem with no significant downside outside of the cost and need for occasional maintenance.
Complexity brings greater choice, more features and less need for human engagement. The risk is that human engagement may be imperative if the technology fails or simply doesn't "understand" the context it's working in. Increased complexity is all too often the go for solution to design problems when stepping back and clearly defining the problem might lead to solutions that are safer, cheaper, lighter and simply more elegant.
