The rate-limiting analogy can work: thing is the boat is leaking, so you think that if you let someone in it will leak quicker. And it will. But when you let someone in then you can bail it out and they can row (or vice-versa). You're still sinking but actually slower and now you can move too. Let someone else on and you can stop the sinking.

Testing the limits of the analogy, but there you are.