Fibbing To Your Spouse About Canoe Stuff

[Glenn MacGrady]

Fibs to a spouse can be those of commission or omission—fibbing about facts or not mentioning them when you should.

What spousal fibs of either sort have you engaged in with regard to canoeing stuff such as canoe purchases, gear purchases, where you went on a canoe trip, what you did on the trip, how dangerous it would be or was, etc? Don't worry, we won't tell on you. Omertà.

I don't believe I ever outright lied about anything. However, I certainly did not account in detail the exact amounts I spent on about 18 canoes and kayaks, many paddles, much gear, and trip expenses. Nor was I usually asked in detail. I also don't believe my wife ever understood the actual risks I undertook and dangers to life I faced as a class 4 whitewater canoeist in the 80's and 90's and as a sea kayaker in the following decade. She once said, "You'll be okay because you always wear a life jacket and helmet, right?" I let it slide with a "right".

 

[Cheeseandbeans]

Canoe related in my paddling world- I bought two fly rods the week before I got married… I just didn’t want to have that conversation.

Thankfully my wife has been supportive of my hobbies, but I don’t drop real big big bucks on gear.

Bob

 

[LarrySw45]

I usually don't mention to my wife the cost of things and she says everything she buys is "on sale !".
Yeah right.
Larry S

 

[clemency]

I am in a don't ask, don't tell family. Works for both of us. Although if I buy a piece of gear for me and my wife likes it, it becomes hers and I have to buy another or use something else. She uses my favorite paddle and pfd, for example.

 

[sweeper]

She's not aware of the Volume of equipment I have, nor is she aware of all the tools I have. She does appreciate it when I have to do something for her and I have the tool to do it with.
On the flip side, most days I bring in packages of fabric from the mailbox.

 

[alsg]

A friend with a small fleet of boats says he only buys used boats and only of one color. That way when he brings another one home it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb.

 

[madmike]

She noticed a nice solo I had stashed at my brothers house and asked me about it. I said "I bought it for you" I miss that boat.

 

[yknpdlr]

A few years ago, a dear 80 year old life-long family friend and carpenter was determined to paddle the Adirondack 90 mile race in his newly finished home made boat. But the race director was not going to let him enter, due to his then frail condition. He had paddled the race many years prior, so he knew what to expect, but was failing in health and mental cognition now. So I asked the director if I could accompany my friend in my own solo canoe, staying close with him for the entire distance. But that meant I needed a more capable solo canoe than my 10.5' Hornbeck pack boat. So that gave me the excuse to assk my wife if she would like to have a new Placidboat Rapidfire of her very own. With a knowing side glance, she agreed. Turns out it was the perfect canoe for me to paddle along beside my old chum. She didn't believe me then, and even though she has enjoyed paddling it several times, she does not believe me to this day. With her permission, of course, I use it as my everyday solo and training boat and I have raced in it many times myself. She is excellent as my pit crew, but does not race herself.

Another, not really fib I have often told, is when back in the day I would go on a solo trip for a few days deep in the Adirondack backcountry, I would often given an estimated return day and time of a day later than I really do expect to return home. The purpose of that is it gives me an extra day without causing a panic in case for some reason of windy weather or good fishing or whatever. I have been windbound on a big lake on occasion and stayed safely in camp. Of course it could be a risky move in case of accident or injury, but it has always worked and makes a nice surprise when I get home early. That's like when we otherwise are leaving home together for some kind of event, like a movie or whatever, I tell my wife we are leaving 15 minutes before I really think we should leave. That gives me 15 minutes of less strssful waiting time for her to get ready to go.

 

[Waterspyder]

I ordered a canoe in the fall and it was to be built over the winter for spring pick up. When I drove home with it my wife asked where did that boat come from. My response " I've had it for a while and I left it stored upstate" Luckily while we argue about everything from what TV show to watch or if kettle cooked potato chips are better than Lays chips we don't argue about money for toys. So she just moved on and complained that the garbage needed to be taken out or some other important thing.

 

[ppine]

I have been with the same woman for 25 years. We have separate finances. If I want to buy something like an RV, a power boat or a new truck, she always says the same thing "It's your money, go ahead. " She is so reasonable and supportive, I bought her a car to show my thanks.

 

[Patrick Corry]

I think my wife is happy I'm not buying muscle cars or motorcycles! She thinks my interest in canoes is amusing, but she's the first to tell people about my restored canoes and invite them to come see. She doesn't ask about cost.... and I don't volunteer any information!

 

[jdeerfoot]

I remember inflating the amount of money I was paid to do a long weekend roofing job with my buddy In the early 1980’s. The inflated wage was exactly what I needed for purchase of a new OT Tripper.

 

[Erica]

Are you kidding? My husband reads this forum!

 

[scoutergriz]

Are you kidding? My husband reads this forum!

don't feel bad, I bought a nice, new ultralight kevlar and promptly lost it again....
She decided she liked it better than her FG boat....

 

[ErktheRed]

I usually throw a few small white lies out there, knowing they’ll it circle back around and she’ll get more details. Maybe not always all of them. I haven’t really had to say much in regards to canoeing related items, but bike and snowboard, yes, all of the time..

We have joint and separate finances, we also don’t like to take on more debt than we can handle. So as of now, besides our mortgage, we have a very small credit card bill. I’m also a firm believer in if I can afford it now with cash, then I’ll do it. That usually helps my bargaining with my wife, and she’s free to buy whatever she wants. Which typically are herbs and roots that don’t grow over here. You’d be surprised what you can spend on dead plants

 

[Blukanu]

Wife doesn’t bat an eyeball on my canoe/camping expenditures. She’s content, not deprived in any way and gets to enjoy use of that stuff too. House is maintained, bills paid.
However, I’ve got a much more expensive hobby that makes canoe stuff look like pocket change.

I never fib about any trips. In fact I try to give her a detailed itinerary of exactly where I’ll be and what I’ll be doing. She seems uninterested in the details.

 

[sweeper]

I looked at it this way if I didn't spend the money I brought in my wife would have given it to her daughter to pay her tuition. We did very well directing all available money to her and if the stock market hadn't crashed she would have graduated date free. As it is she will graduate from the Ontario Veterinary College with only $50-60,000 in debt and I have 3 lightweight canoes with enough gear to put four people in the backcountry. Canadian exchange rate helped.

 

[devils son in law]

It's pretty hard to hide a canoe.....

A few years go I bought a lovely brand new Surly bicycle and just happened to park it between all the other bikes in the garage. About a month later while coming home from a ride, my wife was heading to the grocery store and asked if I needed anything "Nope". As she walked away she said "Where did you get that blue bike"? ......."dear, I've had that for a while now". She has never mentioned it again, she's fully aware!

 

[sweeper]

I've got a couple of my canoe partners' boats, his wife doesn't understand the Golf Principle.

 

[TrailBlaser]

I just don't talk about it unless she asks. She doesn't go with me and is not involved with my trips, so she pays little attention to my gear and clothing. She just sees that I'm futzing around with it before and after trips. I did have to give her the heads-up on the repairs being done to the Sawyer this year. Anticipating my retirement several years ago and figuring major gear purchases wouldn't be in the retirement budget, I made those purchase and asked for them as gifts over the last few years. I did the same with my A/V gear - photography, videography and field recording. Now the only trip related purchases are pretty much food (although my daughter gave me a dehydrator as a gift), fuel and permethrin.