Who Knew?

Selling (or buying) boats isn't always an easy thing. Those you figure will sell quick never do, and those you don't, do. You know what I mean? If not, I'll tell ya.

Kineo 158 (still for sale, anyone?)

Here's the deal. I'm selling three canoes so I can purchase an aluminum v-hull with a motor. A local dealer was going to take my canoes in trade for that v-hull I'm looking for, but they bagged out at the last minute. Go figure...... Can't really blame them I guess. If their not moving used canoes, its a bad business decision for them. I can probably move used canoes faster than they can, and as a matter of fact, I did. And the least suspected one at that.

Disco 169 (still for sale, anyone?)

The canoes I'm selling are my OT Kineo (yes, the pinned boat in 2004). Thought for sure this would be first to go. NOPE. Next, my OT Disco 169 (too damn heavy at this point in my life). NOPE. No one wants that heavy beast. Lastly, my last livery boat, the 17' Grumman. And YEP, the Grumman is the first to go. I tried selling this beast last year AND the year before, but no takers. Then, I post the ad last night, and POW, like a Brook Trout on my Black Fury, I got an email an hour later, and a dude named Xavier is picking the thing up tonight. DONE! Boat is gone and on its happy way to a water world in Putney Vermont. Really, Xavier drove all the way from Putney Vermont tonight to pick the thing up. That's determination. I also think he had some fortitude in the cooler stashed in the front seat next to him. Good guy though, and hell, its a long ride. Fortitude is good.

Grumman (gone like the wind).

The moral to this story kids? Don't ever judge a book by its cover. The reason this canoe sold so fast was quite simply, the right buyer at the right time. Matter of fact, Xavier has never paddled another canoe in his life and he knew no different than what he bought. And sometimes, nostalgia has a lot to do with it. He remembered paddling a boat like this as a kid in upstate New York. So his roots brought him back to a boat he was familiar with. There is no substitute for child hood memories (good or bad). And those memories purchased my boat. Now, all I got is memories of how those heavy Grummans gave me gray hair and a bad back from carrying so many of them, but at least I don't have to carry them anymore.