So, my wife doesn't want to go look at a new boat...

NO, not me.  That was the gist of a post from the Ranger Tug owners forum.  Here's my response...

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Plan a romantic getaway to quaint Apalachicola. Call Marc at Wefings to get a recommendation on the best accommodations... oh, and while you're at it, ask about his current Ranger inventory. After a nice evening and a great breakfast, take your wife by Wefings to see a Ranger in person.

If she is not smitten by your thoughtfulness and unwilling to even look, you have several options:

* Resign yourself to being a dirt-dweller, and live a life of quiet desperation
* Buy the boat anyway, and hear about "that damn boat" the rest of your life
* Beg, plead, play the "I'll never ask for anything ever again" card
* Try the guilt-ridden, "I feel sorry for you, having to be married to a man with broken dreams" speech
* Consider if you could live on the boat, alone, on half your income
* Use your veto power to derail any purchase she will ever want to make (see the line above)

OK, mostly kidding. A boat isn't for every couple. The happiest cruisers you see are couples who work together on the boat. The partners share the chores and support each other. The saddest ones you see are when one half of the couple is miserable.

Be honest with yourself: why do you want a boat? What do you really plan to do with the boat? If it isn't part of your "lifestyle", it will be cheaper to charter one once in a while. I've seen plenty of couples who talk about "the escape" of a boat or RV, jump into it, and find one or the other hates it... an expensive learning experience.

Be even more honest with yourself: have you done other hair-brained things in the past? "Honey, let's buy a vineyard!" when you know nothing about grapes, wine, or running a business. Or: "Honey, I think I want a Harley," when you've never ridden a motorcycle in your life... it is painful and expensive to have that giant back tattoo removed. Or: "We should get a live-in nanny - that girl who came in second in the Hawaiian Tropic Bikini Contest is looking for a place to live, I heard." This is especially bad if you don't have children.

See what I'm getting at? Have you done things in the past that would make your wife dig her heels in over "just looking at a boat"? You didn't mention what model you're interested in... leading to the big questions: is it in the budget and do you have the skills necessary to safely operate the boat? Safe Boating classes are available. So is marriage counseling. While I don't have first-hand knowledge, I hear that if the wife isn't onboard with getting onboard, the outcome isn't likely going to be good.

Good luck.

Jim B.

PS I am fortunate that my wife and I support each other in decisions like this. She looks forward to time on our current boat. Last year, I suggested we "just look" at an interesting (to me) motorsailor withering away in a nearby marina. Definitely one of those "over the horizon" kinda boats. We have had sailboats in the past... she knows what work is involved. She indulged me, and went to look at the boat... lots of wood, all of it in need of "sprucing up." She looked at it from the bow to the stern and said, "You can do this with your next wife."

So, there are options.