Paddling rivers w/o a shuttle
You can do it, on a flat river (not whitewater). I paddle the Ohio River upstream until I get tired, then just float/paddle back down. Easy, fun.
Spouses should be supportive
– Last Updated: May-24-16 11:04 PM EST –
... unless there's a really good reason not to be. (Bills due, serious danger, etc.).
I have bought many used kayaks over the years, and sold them for what I paid for them (or in a few cases, for a profit). That way I didn't feel guilty when I wanted to upgrade, and a higher quality purchase would also be easier to justify to a spouse who didn't understand why one kayak is superior to another if you knew you could recoup your money or most of it. My husband has never complained about my spending on hobbies (but then, we each earn a decent income). I've never complained about his, except for the motorcycle. I worked in a hospital for a few years and saw too much of the fallout from that activity. Can't handle it.
Surely your wife has hobbies too (that hopefully you have been supportive of)? I have one sewing machine in particular that costs about 2.5 times more than I've ever spent on a kayak. ;) She must have something like that, that she can relate to...?
her
she is going against his wishes. That would be the day I would worry about what I bought.
paddling U
get her a paddle she may like to use it on you!
Serial hobbyists…
I’m one of those serial hobbyists that Celia is talking about. My wife affectionately refers to it as my Hobby Tourettes! Luckily, I have stuck with paddling for quite a while, although I have switched the type of paddling a couple times (recreational then on to WW and now on to sea kayaking). Being out on the water is my zen, and my wife understands that.
I have gone through this exact same kind of situation many more times than I care to admit through multitudes of hobbies. The problem is that I’m the type of person that, once I set my mind on something (e.g. a new hobby), I can’t just buy in with the cheapo toystore versions of whatever my hobby du jour happens to be. I always insist on starting off with at least intermediate-grade gear. So, that has led to me spending significant sums of money; sometimes on hobbies that end up not lasting very long.
Given my hobby history, my wife is often loathe to allow me to spend money on any new hobbies. However, I have found that my way around this impediment is to use old hobbies to finance the new. I will usually try to sell off gear from past hobbies in order to buy the “new”. As long as I can get enough proceeds to come somewhere within throwing distance of the price of the new, I can usually get the okay from my wife.
following up
Well after reading what you wrote, I sat her down and showed her what I wanted. I then showed her what people are selling them for used on Craigslist etc. You are right, kayaks hold their value. She was understanding about this. Her other gripe was if I get a kayak, I will spending all my time away from the family. I offered to get us all kayaks. She has no interests in kayaking or any other means on water. She does not have hobbies, other than stuff she does on computers. I “work” a job where I sit in a office most of the time, on a computer, so when I am home, I don’t really want to spend the remainder of the day on the computer. I went canoeing a couple times last month and that has really sparked my interests. I think we are going to basspro this weekend to “look” at some I am interested in. We will see how things go. I think she will come around. I do encourage her to do a hobby. She hasn’t found something she likes yet. Thanks guys/gals
You’re Doing the Right Thing
Involving your wife in this matter, for she just wants to be included and help you make the right decision. Never argue and never debate. It appears you have a win win situation, so tell her how much you appreciate her contribution.
Does
your wife value your physical and/or mental health? If not…Houston, we have a problem.
to buy or not
tell her 1-800-lawyer. I can’t believe it even needs to be discussed. Not like it’s a 50,000 dollar car or even a 3,500 dollar kayak.
It sounds like
she just needed to warm up to the idea. I’m like that too… I just need to process new things/ideas/information for a bit before I can jump on board.
Anyway, best of luck to you (both), and paddle safe!
Kayak = time away from family…
Unfortunately, your wife may have a good point with that one. That is a major point of contention in my household with regards to my paddling. My young daughters (10 and 4) are the most vocal about their dislike of me leaving to go paddling. So much so, that I recently gave up WW kayaking because of it.
I live in the Chicagoland area, and there isn’t any real WW venue anywhere near me. True WW is a minimum drive of 4-5 hours away. There is a small, easy WW play park on a small river near me, but even that’s over an hour away. So, for me to go WW kayaking, it was always at least a full day to a full weekend away from my wife and girls. It made my girls sad that their daddy was away, and I always missed them while gone. Because of this, I just didn’t get out kayaking as frequently as I would have liked.
So, I decided to give up WW kayaking and very recently sold my WW boat to buy a used sea kayak. I live only 5 minutes from the Fox River in my area. And can easily get to it almost whenever I want to go paddling. However, a WW boat on this slow-moving, flatwater river was a frustrating pain to paddle. I got a sea kayak so I can paddle farther and faster in the short amounts of time I get on the water.
Now, I go out paddling every weekend. However, I get on the water very early in the morning (~6am), paddle for 2-3 hours upstream and then back down, and am back home just as everyone else is starting to get up. I get my zen time on the water and I get to spend quality time with my family the rest of the day. Win/win for me!
Your Daughters Weren’t Interested
In paddling? I can understand the 10 year old, but please don’t give up on the 4 year old. Lots of time left to get her interested. But, just in case the 10 year old is interested, get her out in a borrowed tandem or rent boats and invite her friends. Never underestimate the power of peer pressure. We need kids in paddling, as the demographic profile of this website reveals. As a W/W kayak-er, you’re way ahead of the game, for you can teach your daughters how to roll, and they in turn can teach other kids. Good Luck!
Honey-do
The short term for the jobs the paddling spouse does around the house to make the non-paddling spouse OK with their taking off to paddle.
You may end up here - it is the most common pattern in any group I paddle in. My husband and I paddling equally were in the minority. But it can be managed as long as you plan for it.
right on Jim
– Last Updated: May-28-16 8:57 AM EST –
My wife (30th anniversary this weekend) will, on occasion see me cranky, at which point she will issue one of three directives 1) go canoeing 2) go for a bike ride or 3) take a nap.
Works every time.
AS far as purchase price...I'm a firm believer on return on investment, whether it's a chainsaw, truck or boat. Get good stuff, use the bejeezus out of it, and realize in the long run, that's more cost effective than buying something marginal and not using it.
I'll admit to bringing boats home in the past and hiding them behind pine trees for awhile before easing them into visible range...amazingly, the 3 boats at the marina and the 10 in the yard for a time were considered okay by the better half, probably due to the positive effects on my mental health being observed, lol.
I made a choice!
Well, after much debating and endless searching on Craigslist, I found a nice kayak at a price my felt was reasonable for a first go at a new hobby. She put me on a budget of $500, so I found a nice Wilderness Systems Cape Lookout 135 that looks like brand new. I am happy and she is happy to keep me in her control. I figure I will give this kayak a try. I really don’t know which kind of kayak I won’t until I try a few. At least now, I have something to barter with. Thanks for your wisdom and advice.
We have a winner !
Congrats!
May you have many happy paddling days as well as many happy days with your better half
Jack L
wow whatta crew
wife ? google images search: kayak nude girls
top end
marriage is
a partnership not someone under control of another.
Buy a used nice one off Craigslist
– Last Updated: Jun-01-16 6:22 PM EST –
for the same price as the el-cheapo from Walmart. There are deals out there.
I have several really nice kayaks but I bought most of them used for hundreds or in a couple of cases thousands of dollars less than the new price, and usually the seller threw in some nice paddles and gear (worth several hundred bucks) along with the boat.
One of them that I bought from someone on this website was for sale because his wife said he had too many kayaks. LOL
Never married so no bossy wife here, just frugal!
possibly
however the big question is can any of those girls run a shuttle ?