Divorce Boat (Canoe) vs. Kayaks

We have a solo canoe…
…and a rec kayak, mine and hers respectively. I’m retired, so can go out more, but I’m more into it anyway. When we do go together, we far prefer this setup to our former tandems. She likes to paddle slower and investigate things more than I do. Moreover, I’m hard of hearing, and trying to communicate with a bow paddler was a pain.

In the same boat
Madge–I’m in the same boat as you (pun intended)–I’m a passionate paddler while my husband is just so-so about it. He’ll go, but not often.



We even chose vastly different boats–he has a huge, wide tank of a sit-on-top while I’ve got a light, sleek little SINK. I didn’t approve of his selection, but the difference actually levels us out on the water. His upper body strength is greater than mine, but it takes so much to pull that barge through the water that it’s easy for us to paddle at about the same rate of speed and effort.



Only problem is, he’s not going to be doing much winter paddling with me–no way to put a skirt on a SOT. Here in NW FL, we paddle all year round, but it does get cold enough that you don’t want a wet butt for several hours. :wink:



–J

Some do both
Ken and Joan Fink do both individual and tandem kayaking. It seems to work well for them to have the option.



Having an individual/solo boat also allows for comfortable paddling when you want to and your other may/can not.



My wife likes being a ‘leader.’ I have to make enough decisions all day at work and am in the lead position in my primary endeavors related to work, so I like not being responsible for other people and taking some of my paddling time (especially afterwork) to unwind and not have to be the one alert and responsible for others. Besides, I can never be certain when I’ll have to work late which makes it difficult to commit to leading a group.



Afterwork,I also like spending some of my paddle time sprinting. It helps me release the stress of the day. My wife is a more liesurely paddler.



Besides, we each like a snug fit. I am 8" taller than she and weigh 45lbs more. It’s hard to imagine a tandem that would suitably fit both of us.

well…
Thhis is more of a question of the human mind and relationships. Probably a better question for the www.relationship.net but in general, yeah its common, just like its common for one of you to like chicken over steak. We all have different interest. There is nothing wrong with that. A good example is of the late Verlen Kruger who died a few months ago. As you may know Verlen paddled more than anyone with more than 100,000 miles under his belt, including many world record trips such as the Ultimate Canoe Challege in which he paddled 28,000 mile in just over 3 years… He finally took his wife of 40+ years on her first paddle trip just two years ago when they paddled the length of the Yukon at age 80. He did get seperated for several years in the 1980’s and married another women but it didnt work out etc.(thats another topic). Be glad you have a passion for something! I’m sure your husband has a passion for something too whether it be kayaking, woodworking, fishing, writing, or cooking…who cares what it is as long as you have it.

nm

forgot to mention
Its sort of sad to hear you call it a “divorce” boat. Why not a “relationship” boat??? Does your description of it reflect how well you are as a couple?

Canoes are great ways to learn to talk and communcate, work as a team, see and explore new worlds with one another. Feel , learn, and appreciate how the water carries you both along. See and experiece differences etc etc. Sorry you give them such a negative name.

Leading the dance
I did not say I was “leading the dance” but in any event, I do believe kayaking is like dancing. Grace, precision, discipline and absolute beauty. Why else does anyone “sea” kayak (recreationally)? In my opinion, done well, it IS an art form.

PS - This post does not refer to WW or racing obviously.

Agree heartily with you paddletothesea
When two people are paddling together in sync, it is a great experience. You can cover a lot of ground with two paddlers while at the same time communicate.



The only time tandems were difficult, in my experience, was on narrow winding rivers.



“Divorce boat” is definitely an inappropriate description based on our experiences.



If my wife ever divorces me it will not be because of the tandem but something less important like my personality and general demeanor.

seems most
of our group is mixed. Some wives , girlfriends will paddle , but us guys have the passion for it. Same with camping and hiking.

Divorce Boat
Sorry you took what I said so literally. That name “divorce boat” did not originate with me. It does not mean a literal “marital” divorce - it means a division of feelings and interests. A certain amount of that is to be recommended for any couple. Communication yes, that is the key. But, sometimes interests and “non” interests intrude. My basic message - back in the beginning was that I wondered if people had various levels of passion about kayaking. That was answered! I am appreciative of the response that I received. I believe some folks are taking this too much to heart and I apologize for starting the thread. But then again, it is not my place to apologize for folks who choose to get emotional about a simple “life” question. Madge

Tandem Canoe, Single Kayaks
Re togetherness afloat…

My wife Chris and I have paddled together for well over twenty years. We started in a tandem canoe, and covered a lot of water with our two daughters while they were growing up. Neither of us has had much desire to do any solo canoe paddling, because we enjoy being and working together out on the water.

When we became interested in kayaking about five years ago, we first thought about getting a double; we decided to go with singles for several reasons. Firstly, there’s the safety factor; we tend towards the “two boats are better than one” school of thought. Secondly, it lets each of us have a little more freedom while still being together; I like, for example, to poke around in the tiniest of rocky nooks and crannies, while Chris doesn’t. Finally, there’s the weight issue; two singles weigh about the same as one double, so the load is split in two when loading, etc.

In canoeing, we always paddled with me stern, Chris bow - the usual setup. Then, years ago, I tore up my right elbow cutting firewood (doctors around here tend to call tennis elbow ‘chainsaw’ elbow) just before the ponds turned liquid again. Once we got out paddling, I discovered that J-strokes really, really hurt. Rather than lose the early part of the season, we switched places, since I could do the bow power stroke without any great discomfort. Now, close to twenty years later, we still haven’t switched back. Chris quickly proved to be a much better stern paddler - she holds a steadier course than I can, I provide a little more bow power than she did, and the canoe seems to trim better with our preferred gear placement. It also lets me do the scrambly bits when the bowperson has to hop ashore quickly.

Neither of us paddles the kayaks alone - mostly for safety reasons, and partly because being together out there is a very, very large part of the fun for us. Each will occasionally go for a spin with someone else, but you’ll see us paddling together 95% of the time. Can’t imagine how we’d have kept up the paddling as long as we have without it being that way.

Regards,

Rick

Don’t take it personally Madge
It was called a divorce boat by 90% of the people on this site who gave me advice relative to purchasing (or not purchasing) a tandem.



I’ve had some excellent days on our tandem. The Mrs. hasn’t hit me with the paddle, splashed me, or changed the length of her stroke enough for me to seek a divorce lawyer (and vice versa).

Thanks! (Divorce Boat)
I appreciate your input - no paddles in the head is what I intended in my first foray.

My wife loves our tandem
We bought our first kayak, a tandem, in August 2003. I have paddled it solo a lot, but there have also been times when my wife asked if we could go kayaking. We DO have a good time together.



Recently, I won some money at the casino. I asked her if she would like me to buy her her own kayak. She said NO! She doesn’t want to paddle a boat alone. So, we’re going to Hawaii instead.

I don’t like my kid that much
I started with a 16’ canoe for me and my daughter but quickly discovered two problems…

a) She has no sense of balance so would turn and roll the canoe.

b) we both had t oagree exactly on where and how to paddle.



So I bought a pair of kayaks so that is she rolled, I’d stay dry. And if she wanted to relax while I explored a cove, we could separate.



That seperation made our paddling experience (and family life) much more enjoyable.