The Weird-Ass Boat Saga – Part 2

Here’s Part 1 in case you want to get up to speed.  Weird-Ass Boat Saga Part 1

Just for fun, I mentioned the boat to Bill and got the questions I expected.  I really didn’t think this would be more than an exercise we often engage in. One of us will come up with some crazy idea (usually me) and the other will pose very logical questions (usually not me) trying to show how ridiculous the idea is.  The person who is being questioned (ok, it’s always me) has to come up with very logical answers to support the idea.  It’s almost always theoretical and rarely ends in shouting.  It didn’t end in shouting this time, either.  There’s really no sport in the thing if I just get the questions I expect, but this really was an odd topic so it could go in any direction…probably around in circles.

The conversation went something like this (his part is in red):

“How big is this boat?”  15 feet long.   “Are you crazy!?”  As if he didn’t know the answer to that already.

“Does it take gasoline?”  No, it’s powered by pedaling, along with electricity…and maybe even solar if we want to get that package.

“No gas?”  No gas.

“I can pedal it?”  Yes, you can pedal alone or we can both pedal together.

At this point, his face lit up.  Not only would he get his exercise, but I might get a little, too!  For some reason, he thinks it’s healthy for me to get exercise.

“You’d really go boat-pedaling with me?”  Yes, I would go boat-pedaling with you…with electrical back up and an optional solar package.  I might have left that last bit out, but in the spirit of full disclosure here,  I figured I’d mention what I was truly thinking at the time.

“Where would we store it?”  We have two acres of land at camp, store it anywhere you want.  We can just cover it and let it winter over.

“How would we get it there?”  I’m sure they deliver, and if they don’t, we could always buy a trailer.

“A trailer!?  I don’t want to drive a trailer with a huge boat on it!”  Then we will offer them some money and they will deliver it, I’m sure.

“How will we moor it?”  We’ll get a dock.  “A dock!?  We’ll need a dock!?”  Yes, that’s generally how it’s done.

“I really won’t have to deal with a combustion engine and gas?”  Not even once.

“And I really won’t have to haul gasoline to camp?”  Not a drop.  I think we were repeating ourselves quite a bit here, but if that sort of emphasis gave weight to my arguments, I was willing to endure it.

“Ok”  OK!?

“Where do they sell them?”  Uhh…let me look.  I told him where it was.

“That’s on the way to your appointment tomorrow, let’s stop and look at them.”  HUH!?  Here I was, winning the purely theoretical argument (go me!) and suddenly things got real.  I had to tell him that no one in Maine had one of these in stock because they are so weird, but he wanted to check the place out anyway.  I couldn’t believe it.

And that’s how we bought a boat while on our way to my appointment*

*Dock to follow.  🙂