Boat units, like much else in life, seem to be only relevant to the married. Now mind you, my wife wanted the boat, but somehow I am responsible for all expeditures related to same. Those expenditures are NEVER discussed unless I bring up the marginal utility of some antique chair she has just purchased. At that time she is able to instantly recall the acquisition of the smallest
shackle some months prior. A
shackle, I might add, that I haven't been able to put my hands on since approximately the day after purchase, a topic I dare not bring up so as not to incite a conversation along the
lines of; you spend so much that you can't even keep track of what you've bought. Bringing up the topic of her re-organizational skills, and the fact that she may have re-organized the
shackle to a new location, merely diverts the conversation to the when and where of when I will endeavor to get the "GD" sailing magazines and books from being spread all over the house, a topic I am not eager to re-enter.
Now this is only relevant in that last year I allowed myself to think that I could really use a nice used pick 'em up truck, four
wheel drive, to launch and recover "her" boat via the drainage ditch that passes for a private launch site. I had a Toyota in mind to replace the 1997 Ford 2WD I currently own. I did not even aspire to owning a new one. All on my own I decided that, since her daughter was entering college, I should get another four years out of the trusty, well not really trusty-but certainly rusty, old Ford. I even down graded the level of
auto-pilot I thought we should get. After all, college is expensive and the daughter's car will need maintenance as well. So, after agreeing with her that we really could not afford the truck for "her" boat, I retired from the field. Fortunately I bought that bottom
paint in the fall, because it now seems that we can afford a new house. Yes, we can afford to double our mortgage payment and I guess if I don't like it there's always the boat to sleep on. I am somehow supposed to accept this logic and no doubt will as I am resigned to the fact that retirement is something to be viewed on TV commercials-notice the latest-they're all working on boats!
Given the fact I am 15 years older than she is, I am comforted that I shall expire leaving the debt in her hands, but already have found myself nixing a trip down the road to the marina, just to see what they might be dusting off from the winter. I'm not really sure how I'm ending up with a new house payment and the guilt feelings-hell, I'm the one driving the '97 truck. Boat bucks harumph!, I don't even have truck bucks, no matter what increments you choose to use. Garage sale boat bucks-that's me.
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