I have been going through the kayak fever for about the last month. My wife says I should buy a cheapo from (X)mart. I have researched a lot of reviews and I don't want a cheapo. I am new to kayaking but I think I want a good quality SOT for fishing. I like the Ascend H12 Hybrid from what I have figured out from researching. Anyways...from the guys with bossy wives, how did you go about getting the one you wanted? I am not looking to get divorced over this, but I want to make the right choice. Thanks for reading/advising.
wife you have a job and work? Bills paid? Tell her to get over it! Life is short she could have a lot worst problems with a marriage than a husband wanting a better kayak.
The safety card Yeah, I am in process of learning and explaining to the wife the need for higher quality since I plan to go down rivers and be around power boats on the lake. Thanks
All’s fine with the money I agree about if my bills are paid and all. I make a good living and only have a mortgage now. I surely can afford a $1000 to buy a little happiness. I am just wondering if any of you guys had to buy something when your wife was dead set against you spending that much on a hobby. How long does it take them to get over it. I feel if I have to suffer, at least it will be on the water in a nice ride. I shouldn’t have let it get to this point, but it is what it is now.
Never married here Never married here, so maybe I dont know what I am talking about. But perhaps one else option would be to buy used. You can get a better quality kayak at the cheapo Xmart prices.
Wife I am the wife and also the kayaker. You can look on Craigslist for used boats (depending where you are there can be real treasures), but if not, I think you can spend it. I used to dislike husband’s spending because I thought of all the other things we could do with that money, but the “happy wife, happy life” applies to husbands too. So long as everything is paid and we put some aside in retirement, I don’t care about hobbies anymore because he’s always in a good mood. Plus it makes it easier to tell DH I’m going kayaking in Baja for two weeks if he gets to spend on fun things too haha.
It’s easy You can have any boat you want as long as the wife can have any jewelry she wants. A new car for her works too. It works about the same way for paddles and other gear.
Of course, we con't know if you are someone who goes thru serial hobbies. That often reduces a spouse's enthusiasm for spending a lot of money on a given one. I know a couple of guys like that and understand their wife's reluctance about more toys that may end up accumulating dust in the garage.
But seriously, used/demo mitigates disagreements about money and will work fine.
And you are planning to get relayed how? If you go down a river, you either have to have a vehicle staged at each end, or have someone willing and able to go there, pick you up and drive you back to your launch point. Or someone to watch the kayak while you take a taxi.
I am blessed that my family member will drop me at the start, then hopscotch down the river at several access points to make sure I am passing through safely before reaching the take out point on training runs.
From a safety standpoint, if you are going to go out in powerboat wake, your spouse should be pleased that you do not want some piece of elemental pool toy from k-wally-mart world. If you get swamped in one of those things, you’re likely to sink. Sinking offshore can be a real problem, even if you have a pfd and can swim. The ultimate “uh oh” moment can be a combination of fast-moving river AND power boat wake AND rocks and other boat traffic, on a windy day, by the way. “Stuff happens.”
However, your attitude otherwise towards this is… poor. Spouses should support one another in their endeavors. If your spouse does not feel comfortable or does not want to go along, you should be doing her favors and providing more consideration and support time to her activities. You should also be sure to express appreciation for what the other person does for you in terms of that time/effort commitment.
By cheap, buy twice Your wife may or may not go for this but you save little by going cheap. You will discover the limitations of your cheap boat in short order and will soon see a real need to upgrade and demand a better boat. That may be a year or so down the road, but upgrade then or buy a better boat now.
If she pushes back, perhaps you can discuss what she spends on shoes, clothing and pocket books in a year (all of which were “essential” in her mind)and project that over the 10 year or more life that you will get out of your better boat.
Thanks for your input guys We have always worked out any problems. I have went through a couple hobbies that haven’t really stuck with me. None that have cost me any money. I think I will go out and buy what I want and just deal with the bitchin when I get home. She has no interests in being in any kind of vessel on the water, so that’s a no go. I always encourage her to buy whatever she wants. She has gotten like 4 new cars to my 1 used. I don’t mind, cause I want her and the kids to have a good dependable ride. I am the only one working. She is more budget oriented than I, but I don’t waste much either. Thanks for all your inputs so far.
Be straight up You are partners after all. Tell her what it means to you. Like others have said “buy used” shop craigslist for what you want I have a $2,000+ sea kayak I bought for $650 with a paddle on craigslist. Money doesn’t have to be the impediment. Like others said why not rent a few times so you have a better idea of what is involved.