Have been looking forward to expanding my skill sets and enjoyment with kayaking with the addition of a couple of new boats, i.e., a SOF and a low volume greenland style boat for day tripping and practice. I have the plastic tempest 170 which I enjoy immensely. It does roll very easily but it does not lend itself as easily to different types of rolls and it is not a very fast boat. the two mentioned above would fill those niches quite well.
Until I started talking to my wife about it…
An Old Saying…
I must admit my wife and I do discuss spending money before we do it, but there is an old saying that comes to mind.
“It is easier to ask for Forgiveness, than to ask for Permission”.
Just don’t tell my wife “I” said this! 
Happy Shopping!
First
First you tell her you want a Bass boat, or a Harley, or a Corvette.
Then you let her talk you down to a few boats.
Canoes and kayaks are cheap!
Tommy
yeah
I tried Kudzu’s too:
I don’t drink
I don’t smoke
I don’t chase women
I don’t drive an expensive car
(thee were a couple of others too)
Damnit woman I want a new boat!
didn’t work.
actually it seems…
like you want TWO new boats! If you can afford it (and you get permission) keep the Tempest, buy the SOF, and buy the Arctic Hawk. If you can’t afford it (or you don’t get permission), you have a decision to make.
Do what I do…
Just buy the boat, and take it home, and then tell your wife, “Honey, I have a gift for you.” If you put a ton of emotion in it when you say it, sometimes you can avoid the slap in the face and just get the, “For me, huh. Bullsh*t!”
Hey cooldoctor
You’re single aren’t you?
P
Ha ha, not single basilbrasil…
…but with four kayaks, I have a mighty sore cheek, let’s just say that.
Everything is negotiable
And both parties have to get something. So, tell her what you want. And maybe suggest you could get the first boat, wait, and then get the second boat. Then find out what she wants to buy that is comparable. Figure out some arrangement whereby she gets what she wants (eventually), you get what you want (eventually), and it is done in a way that does not break the bank. Doesn’t seem that hard, really.
Everything is negotiable
But sometimes they have to be educated as to how they benefit.
I’m lucky as my wife has come to realize that I’m a lot easier to be around when I’ve been out boating recently.
She does have this crazy idea that 11 boats is enough… but I’m working on that 
Tommy
Hey, brezilbrasil
This is totally non-political, got it from my daughter who is a Republican campaign worker.
One afternoon during the Iraq conflict, Donald Rumsfeld was giving
President George Bush his daily briefing on the latest events.
He closed with the news: “Yesterday three Brazilian civilians were
killed in an accident on the border.”
“OH NO!” the President exclaimed, lowering his head into his hands.
“That’s terrible!”
At first his staff were stunned at the First Man’s uncharacteristic
display of emotion - until Bush looked up and asked: “How many is a
brazillion?”
yeah
I had heard that just recently. I thought it was hysterical and so do the many Brazilian people I know.
Pretty straighforward what it implies about Bush though…
Paul
concession
As someone here said, it always a compromise. Wile I may not be getting a new kevlar boat, what I am going to get in the very near future is a bunch of immersion gear, underlayer garments, hoods, kokotat bib pants and patagonia dry tops and assorted other stuff that has been on the list but just haven’t gotten around to getting it mainly because of the nice Forida weather. Now that we are planning the move to NC, this becomes much more critical.
I’ll get a boat yet along with the immersion gear…all she did was buy herself some time. just be patient and never give up!
Paul
I’ve walked a fine line
– Last Updated: Nov-11-05 9:15 AM EST –
due to kayaking as anyone who's met my wife will tell you, between life and death. I spend way too much money on recreation, and it isn't just kayaking, it's also camping gear, running, and now swimming, music, and also computer equipment.
I don't carry 10's of thousands of dollars in credit card debt, I have a second job that has allowed me to get WAY into kayaking(web development for a kayak store).
I don't know too many other guys my age with two kids, who have as many toys as I do. But there are compromises for us too, I drive an old car. 1993 buick le sabre. The kayak carrier is a 1998 olds silhouette, with 163k on it. We have a small house with a small mortgage, (though that may change). So our lifestyle also plays into me having 3 kayaks not counting my son's.
So I guess my question is, what are you willing to give up, if you really want a kayak, sell a new car, buy a small older car and put a roof rack on it, and use the rest of the money to buy kayaks. Or sell a big screen tv and use the rest of the money to buy kayaks, though this may get you killed if your wife likes the tv.
You may not exactly have these things, but certainly you can find something like this to sacrifice. A stamp collection, your wife's jewelry...
kwickle
my wife read that part about her jewelry. Suggest you never go paddling near her.
Paul
“And”?
“a SOF AND a low volume greenland style boat for day tripping and practice”?
What would the SOF be for if NOT for day tripping and practice? Seems redundant to me as I’m building my SOF to be for day paddling AND roll practice.
These don’t need to be mutually exclusive activities - unless you go so extreme with a SOF rolling machine that it’s useless for general paddling. I suppose that has it’s appeal - but personally I want something I can paddle more than 100 feet from the put in - and roll as part of paddling OUTSIDE of Greenland sit and spin style competitions. I want to have a several rolls in the boat I actually paddle more than I want rolls for their own sake.
If you’re hard core and want the full competition list of skills - then a super LV squeeze in boat may be in your future (but folks like Dubside do the whole list in a big wide Feathercraft). Depending on how the mutt I’m working on now turns out, maybe the next SOF will be a 100% roller…
I know there are numerous designs/options possible with SOF construction, but LV Greenlanders are one of the best. Straight forward process, easy to customize. Build it yourself, save some $, and get another hobby in the process. You have the books, so by now you know it’s not rocket science and requires no refined woodworking skills to get a usable result.
The other bonus: Building also almost guarantees you’ll end up with several… L
Or just drop the whole multi-boat thing, sell what you have, and get an OC OI when they become available. Good day tripper, good roller, and your fit issues should be easier to address with a real OC (and maybe a seat change).
OC?
I understood OI…what is OC?
18.5 feet with 19.5 beam. for a 200 lb 6ft (me)
47 inches from backcoaming to foot brace.
maski 23.5 inches from coaming.
etc etc.
Ocean cockpit
thanks
– Last Updated: Nov-14-05 3:30 PM EST –
getting some genko biloba (or whatever it is for memory) I forget.