I maintain a spreadsheet with my paddling trips and their GPS stats. After today’s trip I have more miles on my Epic 18X than the thing cost me in dollars. Major milestone, right? We won’t mention the cost of the dry suit, paddle, seat…
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And gasoline to get it to and from.
I like that stat as well.
(kayaks filtered for ones I’ve had while in FL)
I retired and I paddle to get as far away from spreadsheets as possible. 
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Took my 1999 Merlin II yesterday. It gets out 75+ times per year so we’re around $1/trip. And it"s still worth what I paid for it.
This one is worth more than I paid used so all trips are free and it’s a latent source of income.
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I’m guessing accountant?
I used to do something similar with my logbook, but in a move to a new house, I lost all of my data. I know that I had somewhere around 2500 miles logged at that time (2010), and since then I’ve been using a Garmin GPS. Here’s a pic of my old dependable Old Town Loon that I got for $450.00 in 2000. I paddle about 8 miles/week, and I’m always in my Loon. So some math whiz help me figure out the $$/mile.
Have a good day on the water.
I use my speadsheet to track mileage, speed, calories burned and hours (hours of trip and actual paddling time)
Justify buying my kayak…X hrs at $40/2hr rental…60hr @ $40/2) = $1200
Kayak paid for, now its all money in my pocket LOL
I have a Westside wave bought I bought used in 99. It now costs me less than a dollar a mile, considering it also brought me a couple of state championships a few thousand miles with only keeping it clean.
Two different kinds of people in the world,
I guess. Other than pictures, have never kept track of miles paddled or money spent on equipment–If I had/have a bad want to make a purchase, and can well afford it, it’s money/time well spent. Hull speed negotiable with each particular trip.
I was paddling with a friend once when we rounded a bend.
“Look.” I said, “A group of mallards!”
“I count thirteen.” She shot back instantly.
The quantity/cost of everything, the value of nothing.
“Takes every kind of people, to make what life’s about.”
-Song by Robert Palmer
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How else can I see how much I’m slowing down as I age?
Seriously, It motivates me to match last year’s mileage. I enter route description, miles, time moving, mph moving, cubic feet/sec if I’m on the river, and notes that include wildlife, blockages etc. For example if I had a tree scootchover at 300 cfs, I’m know it will be blocked if the river is at 260 cfs. The first buffleheads this year were a month ahead of last year, as were the turtles.
I do the same with biking, and combine the from-home kmls to see what dirt roads I haven’t been on yet this year to ameliorate riding the same old boring routes.
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Sounds like my wife. I see the scope, she sees the detail. That’s a good thing since she pays the bills.
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Mine is the household bookeeper and Operations Manager as well–I take care of the big ticket merchandise and the Defense Department.
CFS is one number I do follow assiduously, at least as far as rivers gauges go. Scraping a boney bottom or having to get out and portage(Not to mention fighting for life against debris-filled flooded chocolate milk)is not my idea of a good paddlin’ time.
Well, ole Spiritoose, looks like we’re gonna need a bigger park bench, to sit down cry’n you, me , String, Mr. Palmer and a whole bunch of other fellas…
“THAT’S RIGHT! The women are smarter!”
(or, baker’s dozen mallards and what have yous, perhaps just better accountants? Look out, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu!)
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I’m at a disadvantage here! I do a lot of dragging, ww, and tripping. I like poly but it wears out pretty fast in those conditions. I’ve got three kinds of boats- the current ride- nonwelded, mostly welded and boats that need to be welded to be usable
.
The gear paid for itself the first time I used it.
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I love spreadsheets! On my vacation day Monday I made a spreadsheet of the pile of the paddles I’ve accumulated, so I can try them out to determine best length for me, the effect of paddle weight, etc.
And congratulations on reaching a milestone with your log! I use logs and data to extend my joy with cycling and paddling too.
I am a retired engineer and when it comes to tracking data I just can’t help myself. I bought an abandoned Old Town Camper for $200 and fixed it up. I am coming up on my 100th paddle trip with it. That will be $2/trip. Not bad.
I am not including the Bending Branches Sunburst ST carbon shaft paddle that I just ordered. 
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Like Spiritboat I take photos I don’t count miles. However, I do determine how far I have to paddle to get to a destination. I just don’t do the rest of the addition. I’m not saying that counting the miles doesn’t have meaning and congratulate those that meet their milage goals.
The money is just something that becomes turned into real meaning for me. Beautiful forms with fantastic functions which lead to skills that take me to wonderful places. Experiences and new friends are the results I count.