Come Up With a Creative Way to Dispose of Your Old Boats

Do you have any old boats lying around in your yard or taking up precious space in your garage? For many boaters, it is actually taboo to even suggest getting rid of an old kayak or canoe. We make up a wide variety of excuses to defend our stubbornness in this regard:

"I save my old boats in case I need to teach a friend."
"I'm going to sell it one day."
"I still use that kayak once in a while."

While there is merit to each of those defenses, the truth is we simply don't like to get rid of our old boats. I think one main reason for this is each kayak or canoe we own holds cherished memories of the paddling trips of former times deeply embedded in the various dings, dents, scrapes, and scratches found in each of their hulls. Getting rid of an old boat is like saying goodbye to an old friend which simply put is not an easy (or very nice) thing to do.

But maybe you're not the sentimental type and for some reason you still have old boats laying around. Then what? Well, you could always try to sell them. This viable option will also serve to help support your habit. There are other more creative things you can do with your old kayaks and canoes. How about making lawn decorations out of them? That's right, you could make a sign, a decoration, or even a distraction from the other junk you have abandoned in your yard. If you don't like that idea, do you know any kids? Old kayaks and canoes can make great accessories to jungle gyms and the kiddies just love to play in them.

So as you can see there are other ways to make your old friends, um..., I mean boats continue to live on. It just takes some creativity and the ability to let go. If you have some other cool suggestions on how to breath new life into an old boat, feel free to comment on this entry and let us know about it.

Photo © 2008 by George E. Sayour