A Sentimental Story About a Little Boat

This little boat has had quite a journey.  As with most journeys, it is important to start at the beginning, or at least what I know about the beginning.  I have two cousins, Eric and Bryan.  Their dad, which would make my uncle their step-dad, passed away about 10 years ago.  After he passed, I was contacted by the boys to see if I would be interested in buying his small, two man bass baby fishing boat.  I jumped at the chance and bought it for about $200.  I instantly loved the boat because it was identical to the bass baby that I already owned with the exception of mine being gray.  My plan was to take it up to our family farm and leave it there.  I made this decision so I would always have a boat there and wouldn't have to tote a boat back and forth.  The plan worked out really well for a couple of years.

As my sons got bigger, I came to the realization that the boat needed to come home.  I wanted to go on more local fishing outings and wanted the boat to be a little handier.  I bought a small trailer, stacked the boats on top of one another, and we would go off on adventures.  Sometimes both kids would hop in the boat and head out and sometimes the oldest would navigate it on his own.  He liked the independence...and being away from his little brother.  This was a great system for a couple of years.  

I've also used this boat to take out folks that are new to fishing or don't have access to a small boat.  This boat has taken out friends, relatives, and dogs.  A lot of fish have been in this little boat as well.  I have never had a single problem with it and zero maintenance (aside from charging the trolling motor battery) which has made its use problem free.

In the last couple of years though, I have wanted to gain access to bigger lakes and to have more room.  Having two people (Wendy and I) as well as a dog in a boat this size is a challenge.  I would also like to have my two sons in the same boat with me sometimes as well.  So, I have decided to go a different direction which means that this little boat isn't as necessary as it once was.

I thought about selling the boat.  I thought it would be nice to get some money that I could put towards the purchase of a bigger boat.  I thought it would probably sell quickly if I posted in on Facebook Marketplace this spring.  Then it dawned on me.  I was going about this all wrong.  I realized that I needed to call my cousin Eric.

Between Eric and Bryan, Eric is more of the angler.  I asked him if he would have any desire at all to have his dad's old boat back.  I could hear the sincerity in his voice when he said, "Actually, I would really like that."  So this little boat that has meant so much to me and created memories for a lot of folks, is headed back home.  I didn't ask Eric for any money because it just felt like the right thing to do.  I figure that I just rented it from them for about $20 a year.  

Maybe I'm being a little sappy and a little sentimental, but I'm kind of a sappy and sentimental guy.  I'm glad this this boat that has been a lot of fun and served a lot of purposes is going to stay in my family and continue to serve a lot of purposes in the future.  I'm excited to see pictures of Eric, his buddies, and his kids having fun in the boat that their grandpa used to own.  I'm glad to see that this journey hasn't come to an end, it's just charted a different course.