Save Your Marriage, Own A Classic Boat!
Happy wife! Happy Life!
You’re thinking, OK, Woody Boater, I thought the serial killer thing was a stretch, but really? Your marriage? Yup! So, let’s start here. You are for sure a person that loves old stuff, aaaand we know that there is no way in hell that you just have a boat by now. You have collected stuff for years. As fellow Woody Boater Bruce Bildsten says, you are an incurable “Curator”. You have a need to save everything tha’ts cool. OK, are we all nodding? It’s like I am in your sick head. OK, now, it started with models, maybe cars, bikes, stuff like that. Only all those things are not what a spouse wants to compete with. You and your car buddies, or “he’s out washing that dam car all the time” Or he loves that motorcycle more than me” And yes we must all admit that there are a ton of divorces over cars being loved more than people. BUT, and this is the magic of classic boating.
Cant do thngis in a Corvette or motorcycle!
Ready. Your spouse loves being on a boat! Thats it. Its a passion that is a win win. While you are on the boat, you are into the engine noise, the smells, the power, the finish, design, history all of it. And they, your spouse, is into the sun, water, and excitement of boating. See! It’s really not all that complex.
The Boatress and Karen Harrison in 2012
Want to work in the garage all winter? its OK because you are getting “our” boat ready for “our” fun time. Name the boat after them. Go to fun events that are more than shows. OK, avoid shows. That’s your time. If you do go and she or he is going along. Ignore the boats and go boating, eat with the gang and have fun with others with there spouses. See, it’s simple. Its not about joining clubs, or groups with your spouse, its about sharing the fun part of your boat, the actual using of it!
You have hit the nail right on the head!
When I was first married I road raced touring cars (for about 15 years) My Bride was okay it it at first but, as the shine came off the penny she developed a significant disdain for any activities resembling racing. Now, I knew she liked to take long drives in the country but, as a travelling Sales representative… the last thing I wanted was more windshield time. Introduce Classic boating… and it has solved all that!
I “hot rod” the boat (named after her) and she enjoys a drive in the sun around different lakes and rivers all summer long. There’s no “white line fever” for me and the only traffic I have to deal with is at the ramp… and that’s just good entertainment! We have also met so many nice people with our classic boat I wonder why I ever raced at all 🙂
OH YA!
Not only do we get to do it all together, but we can even have a glass of wine at the same time! WIN WIN!
Don’t forget to bring some friends along for the ride.
Didn’t work for me. Maybe next time.
Jim,
Next time don’t do this.
LOL.
Sold the Impala, Fairlane, and Triumph…Look at those kids smiling. They sure didn’t smile like that washing the cars 🙂
You might like to meet Karl Hoffman (in ACBS directory) with your sister ship, 1941 34′ Deluxe Enclosed Cruiser also with the blue top “Blue Jay”
Circa 1990… Toronto Islands…. and loving it.
Glad to see Ryan posting again…give us an update on the cruiser?
Being NOT married….I can attest, with multiple examples, to the cool factor of classic boats with classic ladies. But then, before I had a runabout…I was a runabout….I envy Matt the Boatress and salute all the women the will just GO BOATING!
John in Va.
Hey John!..Just finished a 9 day paint and varnish marathon! Shes all ready for the Beaufort, NC wooden boat show…you should come down, its a fun show!
My old Lyman is the best worst investment I ever made. We love time on our old boat…and I don.t think we’ve ever had a bad outing!
Are you kidding? Boating almost caused our marriage to be canceled. We had one big argument out in the parking lot that everyone heard at the marina.
Fortunately we got over it and married later. Then when kids were toddlers I bought and named a woody after her and presented it fait acoompli.
We still have the transom planks with her name on them.
“It’s Family Time”, a good name for a boat. My family grew up boating together since 1949, when I was three. Now I have 5 Grand kids all into boating, the Fourth generation of boaters.
And while we are into Classic cars, Classic Boating on Rendezvous, meeting up with other ACBS Chapter members to cruise their waters is always something we look forward to each summer.
Having a wife who knows how to handle a boat, and can back up a trailer at a ramp, also helps make life enjoyable.
But cruisin’ with my three boys and Grand kids are the most fun, that’s why we named our current Coronado “Family Tradition”.
Again, today’s theme, hits the nail on the head…
Picture of my Dad and the start of our Tradition of family boating circa 1949.
Need I say more? 🙂
I’m kinda like John Rothert (single). Will having a woody (haha) increase my odds of finding a first mate? Also, my uncle Ed had a couple woody cruisers he named one of his boats “happy bottom” his wife’s name was Gladys
If she likes it too much this can happen
It happened to me. This is grand-daughter enjoying our boat.
She loves it so much, that she insists on helping launch the boat.
I have found that sell a boat will save my marriage faster…
Im a lucky guy it seems….heres the Mrs. painting the bottom getting ready for the season.
Matt, Matt, Matt…Why can’t you have/enjoy both!?!?
I love our Boats and enjoy the time spent with the kids and grandkids on them. BUT I also love our classic cars and doing the car show thing every now and then. Does that make me a “Special” wife!?!? LOL
Get the whole famn damily involved.
All my boats are named after my wife and she loves them all when she is on The River. Lucky me!
I often hear if I didn’t have a classic woody she’d find someone who did. And I believe her. It’s a blessing to have a life partner who loves this hobby as much as you do.
Got a boat for my wife….best trade I ever made!
The one thing you need to be sure of is TRUTHFULNESS prior to any long term future with a spouse. My wife of thirty-three years knew full well what she was getting into as I never hid the addiction of fossil-fueled toys. Or Lionel trains, summers in Northern MI, wooden boats of all kinds, Donzi’s, Triumph’s, Packard’s, MG’s, Jaguar’s, antique fire trucks, tractors, woody wagons, etc, etc.
The other thing you REALLY need to know is that you better be sure you acknowledge she might NOT get as high as you do on those fumes and be willing to travel, enjoy a nice meal, concert, socializing, etc, etc. WHATEVER she might like to do.
Our marriage has been a wonderful thing and more times than not, I’ve been the idiot in the relationship and not her. Thankfully, all women know that men are stupid, like shiny things, are easily distracted and can’t hear the tonal voice of a woman very clearly at all. I claim my deafness on playing rock and roll, loud engines and our screaming children.
She likes to maintain that she has sympathy for people like me and as she’s from the south, I often hear “Oh, isn’t he sweet? Just bless his heart”.
I’ll never find another like her and promise to die first. Couldn’t function at all without my keeper nearby.
My wife asked me to go to the lake one day, pre-boat era. I said I’m busy watching Formula I. Her response was “my first husband gave me that sort of a response” but it was to go golfing. Two weeks later we were on our way to South Carolina to purchase our first woody. I have to say it was due to her that we are now boating and fishing as often as we can. On our second woody, Miss Conduct. Safe from being referred to as former husband number 2.
When my husband wanted a Lyman, I went all in and we not only got the Lyman but started Lyman Life so all folks could share in the passion! The boat really was just the beginning for us.
The first ACBS event we attended was at Lake Chatuge in 2013. Anne, the lovely person to whom I’m married, and the owner of the boat, was the lucky one to float the boat off the trailer, with our niece and nephew also in the boat. It was only a few seconds into this maiden voyage that I noticed the bilge pump start up and pumping water out the side. “HOLY CRAP, the drain plug is out!!!” Of course, she couldn’t hear me over the sound of engine and laughing kids, so Randy Cunningham and I started jumping up and down, trying to get her to bring the boat back to the trailer. She finally realized we were saying the plug was out, so she calmly reached behind the seat, under the floorboard, and installed the plug. Big smile, “All good now!”
How much more could I EVER ask for???