Greg loves to fish, and we all love to be with Greg. That combination alone rules out a lot of “simple” solutions.
A boat, for example, sounded great in theory. In reality, it came with a long list of questions we didn’t want to answer:
Where would we store it?
Which lake would it live on?
How do we get it there and back?
What kind of vehicle would we need?
And did we really want to add another monthly payment to our lives? This one was a quick and easy - no!
What was a yes came in the form of kayaks — specifically, wider, more stable fishing kayaks that don’t feel like you’re going to tip over every time you shift your weight. Once Greg discovered that people could comfortably stand and fish from them, it was game over. And when Greg thinks about anything, it means research is coming. Hours turned into days of YouTube videos, comparisons, reviews, and deep dives until he landed on something in the NuCanoe realm. Not long after, he found Westbrook Supply - which, as it turns out, is less of a store and more of a gathering place for people who are very serious about kayaks. From there, narrowing down the final choice became part of the fun.
One of the best things about kayaks, especially fishing kayaks, is how customizable they are. Greg is constantly tweaking his setup, adjusting things to make the experience more efficient, more comfortable, or more suited to whatever he’s working on that season. It’s never really “done,” and honestly, that’s part of the appeal for him.
For our family, this setup ended up being perfect.
Greg can go kayak fishing anytime - solo, focused, fully in his element. At the same time, the rest of us can easily join in because our kayaks are just standard, lightweight ones that we can carry by hand and launch ourselves. No special equipment, no complicated logistics.
While he fishes, we explore. We paddle into smaller streams, check out islands, and follow whatever catches our attention that day. We’ve seen otters, turtles, and all kinds of birds — which is how I discovered I had officially entered a new stage of life: the day I downloaded a bird identification app. You record the sound or snap a photo, and it identifies the bird. There are certain moments when you step back and think, Wow. I’m really old now. Downloading a bird app was one of those moments.
Our trailer can back his kayak right into the water like a boat launch, while we can still pull ours off and launch on our own. Again — flexibility.
Greg loves exploring lakes. The girls and I are firmly river people. Rivers come with their own learning curve, though. Even after doing it many times, we still struggle to gauge how long a trip will actually take. Greg might want to stay in one area fishing for a while, while we stop every few minutes to explore something new. Planning becomes… optimistic. Our solution has been to find a boat ramp near where we want to get out, drive to the entry point together to unload everything, and then I take the car to the exit location and Uber back. It’s not fancy, but it works — and it lets us enjoy the day without stressing about logistics mid-float.
Another unexpected perk of our setup is the motor on Greg’s kayak. Most of the time, we don’t miss having a motor at all — we’re mainly there to explore and enjoy being on the water. But when we’ve been floating downriver for a while and everyone is tired and ready to be done, we can tie our kayaks together, hook onto his, and let him motor us back to the car. It’s the best of both worlds.
Why a Kayak Fleet Worked Better Than a Boat
Looking back, choosing kayaks over a boat gave us a lot of unexpected benefits:
- No special vehicle needed to tow the small trailer
- I can take the girls on my own - our kayaks are easy to carry and launch
- Storage in our garage, no paid storage required
- Significantly lower upfront cost than a boat
(Though, in full transparency, with all the accessories and “just one more upgrade,” I’m not entirely convinced we couldn’t have bought a small, used boat by now) - Freedom for Greg to go alone and enjoy quiet time — without a boat full of singing, dancing females accompanying him
Kayaks gave us flexibility instead of forcing us into one version of how time on the water should look. Greg gets serious fishing time. We get exploration, adventure, and togetherness. Sometimes those overlap, and sometimes they don’t - and that’s okay.
What started as a practical decision turned into something better than we expected. Not a compromise, but a setup that actually fits our family. And if you ask me, that’s worth far more than a boat.
