Colin,
I agree wholeheartedly that a degree of external moderation is necessary to ensure that the rules of the forum are not broken or even bent, but surely the Chit Chat section is just that a section of the forum where anything even things that are not boat/ship related can be discussed , again without breaking the forum rules. As for using Facebook I am not one for using that sort of social media, I really enjoy this site because of my hobby and totally enjoy the build threads the help and advice offered and also the non-boat related themes that pop up within the Chit Chat section, it just adds to the value of this site where grown ups can discuss various and often diverse subjects without fear of ridicule or resent.
Jimmy