> One thing that I never anticipated when I started building the Guillemot
> was it's potential for generating resentment from my spouse and kids. I
> have been doing most of my building at night after the kids go to bed. My
> wife now refers to the kayak as the "long curvey mistress in the
> basement you keep visiting at night".

Hey, the "long curvey mistress in the basement" told me I was the only one!

The trick is to build her something next to the kayak. I built several corner shelves for my wife last week; I'm starting a porch swing now. My main projects right now, though, are refinishing my Chesapeake and building paddles. When she comes downstairs and asks why I'm working on a paddle rather than her shelves, I tell her that I'm just killing time waiting for the glue to dry on the shelves--if anyone tells her how fast Titebond dries, I'll kill you!! :)

As far as kids go, I just have the black lab, and she thinks it's neat hanging out in the shop with me because there are always wood scraps on the floor to chew on. I don't let her chew much for fear of splinters in her belly, but she thinks it's neat nevertheless.

> I got my kids involve in the woodworking parts but with epoxy fumes and
> fiberglass dust hanging in the air, I have not been enthusiastic about
> them helping with the latter stages. I guess Edgar Kleindinst has the
> secret...build it together with his wife Judy.

I think Joe Greenley's wife is involved in building Redfish Kayaks, too. Lucky guys!

Hmmm... *rriiinnnnggg* "Hi honey, it's me. I have to work late. Can you sand down the epoxy on the hull and fill in the weave for me? Thanks, love ya" *click* Maybe building with the wife could have its benefits! just kidding

> When I read about guys who spend 5-10 years building 40' boats in the back
> yard I get more intimidated by the prospect of balancing a personal life
> than the actual building process. It is easy to get obsessed with these

Yeah, but do you hear much about their personal lives? :)

> projects. I can only imagine the reception I would get if I were to
> announce that I was going to spend 5000 hours on a real boat.

I wonder if making an announcement would be a safe idea. Especially an announcement telling her exactly how long these projects actually take. I never would have built my Chesapeake if my wife had known that I'd put 120+ hours into it. I'll never build the Guillemot if she knows it'll be twice as long or 300+ hours! She's not real fond of the idea of me "needing" a second boat and I'm not going to give her any more ammunition for me to not build it.

I mentioned building a 40-footer someday when I retired. Do you think she was in the least bit enthusiastic about it? :(

> All this and I havn't even gotten on the water yet!!! Maybe I should take
> up golf.

Yeah, but then you'd start building clubs! When you do get on the water, it will all be worth it. One word of advice: (hard-earned knowledge on my part) don't let your wife "try" your boat for the first time on a cold, windy day, with waves and a paddle that is too big for her. Do you think I could get her in it a second time, even on a nice day? Yeah, right!

Inuit women didn't build kayaks either. You'd think that in this era of equal rights and political correctness, ladies would be clamoring for their own shop space. Maybe you could go up to a radical feminist and tell her she should get into boatbuilding because it's male-dominated. The sad thing is that it's probably just perceived by women as being male-dominated, but I've certainly never discouraged _anyone_ from the prospect of building a boat.

Shawn

Here's a picture of my wife's first and last time in my boat: (Oh, and the waves weren't real big--she just thought they were!)