5 Ways to Get Your Family on the Water Part 2

5 ways to get on the water with your family, without throwing yourself into an emotional pit of despair that makes you regret every decision you have ever made.

First I want to thank you so much for checking in on part 2 of this series, I really appreciate it.  As a person who is constantly looking for validation, I want you to know that you are a flicker of light in the otherwise cavern where my heart once lived. No, seriously my heart is mostly made of plastic, my original heart tried to kill me, but that’s for another time—that time being step 5 so you will have to stick around for that story.

As a reward for continuing on in this journey with me, I have a story. It goes like this: 

Once upon a time there was a man (not me) who had four kids. This man wanted to introduce his kids to a magical place called “The Outdoors”. So he bought a canoe and strapped that beast onto the roof of his minivan and took them to a local lake for a day of fun on the water. This man (def not me) had such high hopes for the day. He and his family were going to connect and share in a new adventure. 

Now keep in mind, this man, (I swear it’s not me) already violated step 1 of our little blog post, but lets ignore that fact for now. This man was about to get on the water, and violate step 2. This brings us to Step 2:

STEP 2: Make sure everyone is fed first.

Pack water and snacks even if the kids say they don’t want them—take them anyway. You’ll need them (you will thank me later).

Now, the summers in Austin get, how should I say, FLIPPIN’ HOT. And being new to the world of paddling, I had no idea how heavy and awkward a canoe could be. So, here’s a bit of advice: if you are planning on making your first canoe/kayak/paddle board purchase, think about two things, 1) the weight (you are going to have to move it, and sometimes a good distance between your vehicle and the water) and, 2) the length (you are going to have to store it after you’re done with it).

But let’s get back to the story.

After unloading and struggling to get his canoe toward the water, the man was totally drenched in sweat due to the 100-plus degree day. He finally got his family on the water. They pushed off from shore towards blissful adventure when his youngest son immediately finished the only water they had. That, of course, began his slow painful descent into an abyss of utter madness. If you are a parent, you know what’s about to happen. We’ve all been there. It’s like kids have this 6th sense to find those little buttons. At this point the kids are already weak and light-headed, whining and complaining and, all of a sudden, going to “die from dehydration” (even though they ate breakfast less than 3 hours prior). Bottom line, it was stiflingly hot and the man knew better. But still, there they were… a dumpster fire on the water. 

What saved the day from total misery was an impromptu splash fight that the man’s oldest son started. In the end, we (I mean “they”) made it back from their first day on the water as a family. The canoe was nearly full of water because of the splashing. They were all drenched, but laughing. The only casualty was the cell phone in the man’s breast pocket. As they returned to shore, the man knew that if he had only brought food and drinks, the day might’ve lasted a little longer. However, with everyone soaked and smiling, the man felt good. So all-in-all, A WIN.

Okay, it was me and my family! You got me!

So, now that the kids are a bit older, we’ve all moved on to having our own watercrafts. My wife and I use the Bird Island HERON inflatable paddle board and have not looked back. I know, that sounds like a shameless plug, but hear me out—I went from that lunky canoe to a burly Field and Stream fishing kayak. I loved them both. My family and I had a bunch of wonderful days exploring together (a loaded cooler usually making the journey with us). We still love being on the water despite the fact that two of our kids are out of the house now. But for me, there is one huge drawback to those hard plastic boats: the weight. Upon heading down to the lake I would, more often than not, choose not to take those big boats simply because of the massive effort it was to load them onto the roof of the car not to mention dragging them to the water. Eventually I found a Craigslist trailer and kept the kayak on that. However, this isn’t an option for everyone and it’s still a ton of hard work. So again, if you are thinking about buying something to get you and the family out there on the water, do yourself a favor and really weigh those options. Factors such as the weight of your watercraft are important. Listen, I’m a 6’3”, 300 lb man and the weight of my canoe and fishing kayak was something that I struggled with. With the new Heron inflatable board, I just throw everything into the bed of my truck and don’t even think about the struggle that I used to endure. And yes, we bring snacks!

Stay tuned for Part 3…

Tony Carreon
Product Development
tony@birdislandoutfitters.com