12-03-2014, 04:21 PM
I'd love to get a fishing tube and/or a kayak, but the raft appeals to me over those options at this point for a few reasons:
1. The significant other is nowhere near as enthusiastic about fishing as I am. If I bought her a float tube and waders, it would seldom get used - all the hassle of blowing up the tubes, getting the waders on, going out, drying everything off when you're done before you can pack it away, etc. wouldn't appeal to her. With a raft I can take it out of the trunk, blow it up, and we're on the water. She doesn't have to wear special clothes or get wet or do anything, and we can sit together.
2. The cost is better than even a small hard boat or float tubes if you include waders, and that's new vs used too.
3. It packs up and fits in the Saturn.
Don't get me wrong, you all make good points, and I would love to eventually own a float tube or two, a nice pair of waders (I could make good use of the waders in the Provo River on top of using them in the float tube), a kayak, a boat, or some combination of the above. Thus far though, for the simplicity of just hitting the lake on a whim for an afternoon with my fiancee, the boat is still on top in my mind as far as getting the job done in an economical way.
Keep the comments coming though - I have a good several months before I need to worry about actually making the purchase, and I could well be in a different financial situation by the time that rolls around. Regardless, the more I know about various options, the more educated of a decision I will be able to make to fit our needs. I'm not emotionally attached to the boat, it just appears to be the best fit at this point.
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1. The significant other is nowhere near as enthusiastic about fishing as I am. If I bought her a float tube and waders, it would seldom get used - all the hassle of blowing up the tubes, getting the waders on, going out, drying everything off when you're done before you can pack it away, etc. wouldn't appeal to her. With a raft I can take it out of the trunk, blow it up, and we're on the water. She doesn't have to wear special clothes or get wet or do anything, and we can sit together.
2. The cost is better than even a small hard boat or float tubes if you include waders, and that's new vs used too.
3. It packs up and fits in the Saturn.
Don't get me wrong, you all make good points, and I would love to eventually own a float tube or two, a nice pair of waders (I could make good use of the waders in the Provo River on top of using them in the float tube), a kayak, a boat, or some combination of the above. Thus far though, for the simplicity of just hitting the lake on a whim for an afternoon with my fiancee, the boat is still on top in my mind as far as getting the job done in an economical way.
Keep the comments coming though - I have a good several months before I need to worry about actually making the purchase, and I could well be in a different financial situation by the time that rolls around. Regardless, the more I know about various options, the more educated of a decision I will be able to make to fit our needs. I'm not emotionally attached to the boat, it just appears to be the best fit at this point.
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