Jan and I sold the center console in late summer. Decided to go into the next year without a boat in the back yard. WoW. Mid-April the following year we had one of those beautiful 60 plus days. Full sun and no wind.

We packed a picnic, grabbed a few diet-colas, fishing rods and headed for Starve Hollow lake. Found a table by the lake and were just making a spread when we saw them. A man and a woman about our ages (60- ish) coming toward us. That explained the parked car to our right.

KAYAKS, not those river jobs, long and narrow, but 8'6" boats with wide, nearly flat bottoms. Just had to walk down the shore and say howdy and talk a bit. Learned this fellow was checking out a Christmas gift to replace his old boat. These folks tell us they duck hunt and fish out of these Magic lil boats.

Sure you know the rest of that story. In a matter of weeks we each had our own lil boat.

Since then they have become a bit tattered, scratched and generally beat up. Traveling, my lil machine sits in the hall of the Roadtrek (19'6") Vancamper. These things have been on farm ponds, White river  and the Mackinaw straits, lakes Michigan, Georgian Bay and Erie. And lakes on Manitoulin Island.  

in 07 fished perch in four foot swells on lake Erie. Never a problem, they are like bobbers. Just bounce right over the bad stuff. They are so silent you can drift in among the fish. Only problem is at 70 something, after a few hours we often are forced to crawl out on the bank to get out of the boat. Legs just get stiff. A plus, no boat ramps required. Just toss Em in.

One other problem. Never drop a fresh caught northern pike into the boat with you. Tried that once, it did not work out well in that confined space.