Why I don't own a boat

[Little_Flatty]

Years ago, in the dark ages when I wasn't fishing or hanging out much on Fishraider, I was young, stupid and had a grown-up income with a not-so-grown-up life. I was riding and racing road, track and mountain bikes a lot at the time, keeping Shimano well-funded in spite of my fishing absence.

The year before I met my wife, I started studying again and decided to slow down my racing. Not racing meant my bikes were less disposable (it can be rough and tumble in the bunch - the saying is 'race what you can replace'). It was a really good year at my work, and I got a decent bonus. Rather than saving it like I would these days, I dropped the lot on a beautiful custom road bike with top of the range components. This bike has served me well for more than a decade, but as kids came along, I started to neglect it. I think in the past seven years, it's been washed only a handful of times, even after a dirty ride in the rain! I'm a bit ashamed of that, but priorities do change as your life evolves.

As a consequence, it is a little worse for wear these days! No longer having the concentration span to do a major service at home (I'd never finish the job!), I put it in at my local bike shop for a service. Not surprisingly, it needs just about everything replaced! The bill? Well let's just say I could buy a fully decked out Hobie (complete with sounder) or even a cheap boat - or in fact quite a good new bike - for the amount it is going to cost! Taking COVID supply issues into account, I knew the price was reasonable. I couldn't really say no, seeing as this was a custom bike made for me; to not go ahead would leave me with a custom-made useless hunk of metal. I added one further upgrade (tubeless tyres) to it and left it to the mechanics to weave their magic.

Moral of the story is: the decisions you make when you are young and stupid will likely catch up with you when you get older! 🤣

Like with my 2006 Shimano Twinpower 1000, for which I can no longer get spare parts! Same thing happens with bikes. My bike's cassette was 10 speed and now cassettes are 12 speed, with the threat of 13 speed coming along in the next 12 months. Consequently, quality 10 speed parts are increasingly harder to come by.

So that's why I don't own a boat! My fishing and cycling carry too much baggage as they are!

[zmk1962]

That’s a nice heartfelt story @Little_Flatty thanks for sharing … but it really sounds like you are laying the groundwork to justify buying that boat 😬 🛶🚣🚤🛥️

cheers Zoran

[Little_Flatty]

2 minutes ago, zmk1962 said:

That’s a nice heartfelt story @Little_Flatty thanks for sharing … but it really sounds like you are laying the groundwork to justify buying that boat 😬 🛶🚣🚤🛥️

cheers Zoran

Maybe, maybe not 🤣🤣🤣

It's been a thought. I've been explicitly banned from buying a kayak, but last I checked, a boat was in the 'do not encourage' category 🤣

[Mike Sydney]

But you could transport the bike with it. It’s really an accessory if anything, like a roof rack.

[DerekD]

To put those decisions you made when younger into context consider the following:

'Good judgment comes from experience; experience comes from bad judgment'. This aphorism was attributed to Dr Kerr L White.

[Blackfish]

Great read LF. I fish when I can and sometimes have a ride with the Lads on Tuesday night at SOP.

Youth was a while ago for me and some memories fade ...... 

[Rebel]

Can't beat a day out on a boat,especially if you have kids with you.

My kids when growing up loved it.

Both of them now own boats & take their kids fishing.

[Little_Flatty]

1 hour ago, Blackfish said:

Great read LF. I fish when I can and sometimes have a ride with the Lads on Tuesday night at SOP.

Youth was a while ago for me and some memories fade ...... 

One of my uni mates is an organiser of the Tuesday night SOP rides.

I was an LACC member of old, so used to do SOP on Tuesday/Thursday mornings, then coffee, then riding into city for work. Wednesdays was dawn patrol through Asquith, Bobbin Head, Church Point, then Manly (and then, unbelievably, a whole day at work, followed by riding home), Fridays were for coffee rides + commuting, Saturday racing and Sunday occasionally we'd do a longer adventure somewhere interesting or I'd be up in the mountains on the MTB. Them were the days! Can't spend that kind of time on the bike anymore...and boy does my belly remind me of that!

[Blackfish]

They cant take yesterday away from you or the memories.

[noelm]

Life changes, it's just a fact of...life! Just recently I was thinking how the tinny gets used way more than the big boat, it got me thinking, should I sell the cat and upgrade the tinny to a bigger one that allows crabbing in the lake, and fishing "outside" as well? I am in the process of building a new trailer for the cat, so that might convince me to keep it a while longer....but then! All sorts of things change your life, cars, work, girls, girls that end up wives, kids, then grandkids, all sorts of stuff makes us change direction. Nothing puts it all in perspective until you meet an old school friend, and wonder how they are so old looking, but you haven't aged a bit! Even simple things that were nothing 10 years ago, are now a "mission" I have worked on ladders millions of times, but, for some reason, even a step ladder sees me wobbly, so that's another change, whether I like it or not. Just enjoy what you have, love your kids, give them the best family values you can, and teach them anything you can about being a respected adult! Not everyone is the Prime Minister or a millionaire, but if you are a family with values and are willing to help others, then money can't buy that.

[R E G I C Y C L E]

Good to see there's other keen cycling fishermen on here 😁

In the past 5 years I reckon I've spent about 4 Hobies worth of money on road cycling 🫠💸

And I still don't own a Hobie...

But then again I'm probably still in that 'Young and Dumb' stage 🤣

[Little_Flatty]

15 hours ago, R E G I C Y C L E said:

Good to see there's other keen cycling fishermen on here 😁

In the past 5 years I reckon I've spent about 4 Hobies worth of money on road cycling 🫠💸

And I still don't own a Hobie...

But then again I'm probably still in that 'Young and Dumb' stage 🤣

And that's just Road cycling! Multiple disciplines mean multiple bike collections!

Enjoy your 'young and dumb stage' and don't waste it! Before you know it, you won't be young and will be wiser, negating the excuse of being 'dumb' 🤣

[zmk1962]

48 minutes ago, Little_Flatty said:

 Before you know it, you won't be young and will be wiser 

….. hmmmm now it sounds like regret … “I should’ve bought a boat” …

cheers Zoran

[Little_Flatty]

25 minutes ago, zmk1962 said:

….. hmmmm now it sounds like regret … “I should’ve bought a boat” …

cheers Zoran

I still (hopefully) have a bit more life to live…so may yet happen 😎

In the meantime I do have my made-over bike back, I suspect I’m tinkering with my bike as much as you are with your new boat Zoran!

Push-bikes and boats…one they’ve been making for hundreds of years, the other they’ve been making for thousands…how complicated can they really get? I never once imagined my whole life that I would need a smart phone and Bluetooth to work on my bike! But here I am!

[noelm]

All "hobbies" consume time and cash, doesn't matter whether it's a bike, a set of golf clubs, a new fishing reel or a new tennis racquet, we spend way more than we should, in both time and money, but, you only get one go at this life, there is no "do over" no use being the richest man in the cemetery, if you regret never going on holidays, or watching your kids sport, your life was wasted. We all do different, sometimes silly things in our youth, lots of my mates travelled the world, I saw Australia, do I regret not going with them? Nope, no way. Most of my working life was 51/2 days a week work, but, I still found/made time as best I could to see my kids plays at school, their sporting events, it's a big juggling act, like have 6 balls in the air, and someone yells "stop" you can only catch so many, some will fall, but, you do your best, that's all you can do in life, respect others and their property, and do your best.

[R E G I C Y C L E]

@noelm well said. If you're doing what you love, you'll never regret the money spent.

[Blackfish]

33 minutes ago, noelm said:

All "hobbies" consume time and cash, doesn't matter whether it's a bike, a set of golf clubs, a new fishing reel or a new tennis racquet, we spend way more than we should, in both time and money, but, you only get one go at this life, there is no "do over" no use being the richest man in the cemetery, if you regret never going on holidays, or watching your kids sport, your life was wasted. We all do different, sometimes silly things in our youth, lots of my mates travelled the world, I saw Australia, do I regret not going with them? Nope, no way. Most of my working life was 51/2 days a week work, but, I still found/made time as best I could to see my kids plays at school, their sporting events, it's a big juggling act, like have 6 balls in the air, and someone yells "stop" you can only catch so many, some will fall, but, you do your best, that's all you can do in life, respect others and their property, and do your best.

Great post @noelm

And you don't realise how short life is to you get older.

[noelm]

41 minutes ago, Blackfish said:

Great post @noelm

And you don't realise how short life is to you get older.

This is correct, a few years ago, I retired along with a few others I worked with, all of us close to the same age, all in (seemingly) good health, about a year into retirement I got news one of my workmates had a brain tumour, he had surgery, and was "all good" about 6 months later, it returned, inoperable, he passed away a few months ago.......in some ways, he had done nothing, was saving it all for retirement, never used his new caravan, 4X4 or anything else, you just never know!

[Fab1]

4 hours ago, noelm said:

This is correct, a few years ago, I retired along with a few others I worked with, all of us close to the same age, all in (seemingly) good health, about a year into retirement I got news one of my workmates had a brain tumour, he had surgery, and was "all good" about 6 months later, it returned, inoperable, he passed away a few months ago.......in some ways, he had done nothing, was saving it all for retirement, never used his new caravan, 4X4 or anything else, you just never know!

My Fil now 82 retired at 63 from working in council.(he was a ranger) his 4 ranger mates were not much younger.Recently he told me one of them retired and had a heart attack and died while cooking dinner THE NEXT DAY! Another one retired 3 WEEKS LATER DROPPED AND DIED HEART ATTACK IN GARDEN!

3rd one lasted 4 yrs and succumbed to PROSTATE CANCER!

4th was involved in FATAL ACCIDENT 2 yrs into retirement.

 My Fil looks at me many times and says “You know what Fab?All my friends are gone with teary eyes and he knows he hasn’t got much time left himself.

[mrsswordfisherman]

7 hours ago, Fab1 said:

My Fil now 82 retired at 63 from working in council.(he was a ranger) his 4 ranger mates were not much younger.Recently he told me one of them retired and had a heart attack and died while cooking dinner THE NEXT DAY! Another one retired 3 WEEKS LATER DROPPED AND DIED HEART ATTACK IN GARDEN!

3rd one lasted 4 yrs and succumbed to PROSTATE CANCER!

4th was involved in FATAL ACCIDENT 2 yrs into retirement.

 My Fil looks at me many times and says “You know what Fab?All my friends are gone with teary eyes and he knows he hasn’t got much time left himself.

All too true.

I nursed many blokes who scrimped and saved all their lives to pay off houses. 
They had visions of retiring and travelling the globe and doing other things.

They ended up with strokes, heart attacks, old age chronic diseases immediately post retirement. 
I watch two of my dearest friends who are very well off who struggle going to work. 

I nursed a famous cricketer who was in teams with Sir Donald Bradman. He was 103 years old and I was fascinated as he showed me his scrapbook.

I asked him how wonderful it must be to know about all the advances over the years. He replied that he hated being 103 and felt so lonely.  He shed a tear and softly said “I have outlived my brothers, my wife, my sons, my friends and I have no one to reminisce with”

Yes get out and enjoy life while you are healthy. Do not assume you will live forever. 

[big Neil]

A terrific story Mike. I think we all have those significant decisions to make as we transition from young larrikin to responsible partner and parent. But that's only one of the many transitions we all experience before we can say that we have experienced a long life. Lots of pros and cons to consider with each of these "developmental, transitional considerations".

We can live for the moment, or for the future...we can't live in the past. I think the best advice I considered was "live today as if there's no tomorrow...because one day, there won't be".

Whatever decisions you make are yours alone (reference yours as your family). In all honesty, living where you do, land based fishing appears to be a positive consideration.

Thanks for sharing your story with us.

bn

[big Neil]

6 hours ago, mrsswordfisherman said:

All too true.

I nursed many blokes who scrimped and saved all their lives to pay off houses. 
They had visions of retiring and travelling the globe and doing other things.

They ended up with strokes, heart attacks, old age chronic diseases immediately post retirement. 
I watch two of my dearest friends who are very well off who struggle going to work. 

I nursed a famous cricketer who was in teams with Sir Donald Bradman. He was 103 years old and I was fascinated as he showed me his scrapbook.

I asked him how wonderful it must be to know about all the advances over the years. He replied that he hated being 103 and felt so lonely.  He shed a tear and softly said “I have outlived my brothers, my wife, my sons, my friends and I have no one to reminisce with”

Yes get out and enjoy life while you are healthy. Do not assume you will live forever. 

No doubt you would have experienced many such situations Donna. Indeed you have first hand experience. One of the interesting considerations of our lives, as humans on this planet, is prioritising what we do today and what we hope to do tomorrow. I see lots of very rich people who are mean to the extreme...won't buy a raffle ticket or contribute to some charitable concern, renege on their shout, etc. End of the day, you can't take it with you! No matter how wealthy, you are still going to die, often when it is most unexpected. Life is full of uncertainty, we can only hope it's not full of regret. The decisions we make today, about tomorrow, aren't realised for 2 days.

True that there is a reasonable expectation that our lives will proceed along a particular path, but it is not guaranteed. I know from personal experience.

bn

[Fab1]

47 minutes ago, big Neil said:

No doubt you would have experienced many such situations Donna. Indeed you have first hand experience. One of the interesting considerations of our lives, as humans on this planet, is prioritising what we do today and what we hope to do tomorrow. I see lots of very rich people who are mean to the extreme...won't buy a raffle ticket or contribute to some charitable concern, renege on their shout, etc. End of the day, you can't take it with you! No matter how wealthy, you are still going to die, often when it is most unexpected. Life is full of uncertainty, we can only hope it's not full of regret. The decisions we make today, about tomorrow, aren't realised for 2 days.

True that there is a reasonable expectation that our lives will proceed along a particular path, but it is not guaranteed. I know from personal experience.

bn

Those with the least are usually the happiest,humblest,most giving people mate.I have a relative worth about 100million( construction business & land everywhere) He is an awful person that even his wife and kids hate him.Yes hate him and he will die a miserable man and I highly doubt anyone will miss him.I certainly won’t!!!

  As for me I earn excellent money working my job and it all goes to helping sick and struggling family what’s left after our own bills etc and that’s what gives me the most joy.

[JonD]

I can highly relate to this!!!!!!

 

 

 

[JonD]

4 hours ago, Fab1 said:

Those with the least are usually the happiest,humblest,most giving people mate.I have a relative worth about 100million( construction business & land everywhere) He is an awful person that even his wife and kids hate him.Yes hate him and he will die a miserable man and I highly doubt anyone will miss him.I certainly won’t!!!

  As for me I earn excellent money working my job and it all goes to helping sick and struggling family what’s left after our own bills etc and that’s what gives me the most joy.

Thats not always the case. The guy I fish with owns many properties, boats and lives an extremely exciting lifestyle of fishing and hunting etc, going where ever he feels like going.

His family also do these trips and can go from beautiful hotels to roughing it in swags and surviving on what's caught and loving it all. He is also extremely generous, not only to his friends and family but strangers too. His life is about family, his business has been built to provide security for them and spends much time with all of them, more than most people could believe possible. Schooling is private so that he can take them out of school easier in the knowledge they will catch up after trips away. His boys always thank me at the end of any fishing trip whether its beach, my boat or their boat.

Some people are simply jerks, with or without money.