How to convince your divorce attorney wife that.........you need....

[BSUBU_Kris]

I have heard that the model and year that you currently have starts to have a lot of expensive problems right around 850 hours. Sounds like you should get rid of it before it starts costing you a lot of money.

You can tell her that is true because you heard it on the Internet.

Bonjour!

[Slayer]

No registration is consistent with a private ski lake boat, but low hours is not. Hmmm.

Edit - Inlandlaker if you have not been laying the groundwork for this then shame on you, because the perfect boat is sitting there waiting for you and now you have to play catch up.

So, if that is so you will have to describe why you were looking at boats and thinking that you need to buy one without bringing it up yet.

- to get an idea of the market and what is out there

- to see what we might get for our boat

- to see if it was even "doable" before I brought it up

- in the process I found this great deal too good to pass up.

May the Crew force be with you!

I've been laying ground work for the last year or two and I'm always looking at boats. So much so that I've been questioned before and have used the responses you suggest. I'll continue but suspect she'll be less than receptive. She's kind of tough to crack on this. Plus, she wants to upgrade our stinking pontoon.

New boat, what new boat ...,,,

Go get the new boat, tell her you briefed her on it last week, while she was in that trial

Good thinking......

[Badger]

This is great!

Even more funny is that I know this isn't the first time this same situation has come up in your household. Good Luck!

[Michigan Tim]

Buzzkill.

j/k

Sorry!! Beautiful boat..... Onward with convincing the wife!!!

[Michigan boarder]

I may be not quite up to speed...but....didn't you buy her a waverunner that never gets used? That's your biggest card. Showing that although you wanted NOTHING to do with it you went ahead and bought it to make her happy....and it never gets used...and it was freaking expensive. Now you want a newer boat, that you clearly use a lot, and she won't support you? Come on...

[Badger]

I may be not quite up to speed...but....didn't you buy her a waverunner that never gets used? That's your biggest card. Showing that although you wanted NOTHING to do with it you went ahead and bought it to make her happy....and it never gets used...and it was freaking expensive. Now you want a newer boat, that you clearly use a lot, and she won't support you? Come on...

Great points! I'm currently looking into used Seadoos and granite countertops that my wife wants, in hopes that it gets me closer to my new VTX.

[windy1]

I got a new boat when my old one broke down with the wife in it. She suggested we upgrade to something more reliable. Those kill switches can be tricky.

[JasonK]

Might help if you have a buyer for your current boat. I'm looking to upgrade. PM me details.

Or, I could just say I'm gonna buy that new boat if you don't. Tell her that.

[Nitrousbird]

A lot of "funny" or responses that are dishonest to your wife in order to get you a new toy.

The reality is that unless we understand how your family runs your financial plan, there is no good way to suggest how to go about this (or if to at all).

In my situation, my wife and I keep our finances 100% separated. We each have our own bank accounts. We each pay for certain bills and I give her money towards the mortgage (and we split daycare costs). Because of this there is never any judgement or questioning about what I spend my spare cash on. I go dump a couple grand in toys on the boat and she doesn't even flinch. I guarantee if it were shared funds our boat would be nearly stock.

I'm sure our situation is similar in that my wife makes significantly more than I do (though I make a decent enough living). We went halves on the boat purchase (last boat was mine that I had before we were married, this one is our boat). I have more invested in the boat at this point but it is still half hers. If I want to upgrade and she doesn't, I'm sure it would simply be sell it and pay for the upgrade difference myself and it is still half hers. Or pay back her half of the current boat and buy the new one on my own...either way she doesn't have any more money in the game.

Bottom line is that if SHE is funding the purchase, SHE should be the person that decides to purchase the boat. If its your money buying it, go buy it. If it is "our money" then have fun with that...the "our money" thing is one of the biggest problems marriages have so the wife and I eliminated that problem.

[DenverBu]

Explain it in terms she understands. The boat would hers in the divorce! (j/k, that joke was too easy...)

[LS-One]

The way I see it you have two choices:

1. Man up, let her know you are the boss, and unless she wants to represent herself in court, the family is getting a new boat. End of discussion.

2. Wine, beg, and plead, like a little school girl.

Personally I'd go for option 2.

[barefootpaul]

My wife hates to spend money, especially on ridiculously expensive things like ski boats... She also like to help me live my dreams. A quick explanation that this is the boat of your dreams, it is good for the family, and it is a good deal that wont cost much extra out of pocket would convince her quickly.

I once made a deal with my wife that we could get a dog if I could get a Sky Ski. Today I have 2 Sky skis in the mail and no dog I have the best wife ever

[dtm8119]

I look forward to seeing the outcome of this...I may need to use some of the same tactics in 10 years when I hopefully upgrade to a TXI

[Chia]

it is all about safety, i know you have been concerned for a long time about your current boat with its narrower beam and lower freeboard, and now that you have read about that boat swamping and sinking you have been looking around to see what is available. The SSLXI is the perfect boat, affordable and much safer.

You owe it to your family to bring this conversation to the table. She has prolly even been thinking the same thing. Print off the brochure for the SSLXI from the resource section and get to know all the features of that boat

All you want to do is get her to look at it. Don't go for anything else. When she agrees, call the dealer, make an appointment, have them pull it into the showroom..bamn!! sold!

[kayakwv]

My wife wanted to go see the Black Eyed Peas; and I wanted a Malibu VLX

She got

So I got

I am a damn good negotiator!

[NCVride]

I like your thinking. We went through that with the boat we have now, which she believes is totally adequate. The issue that I have is the boat that I have my eyes on will not last long on the market.

That's the problem, that the one you want will go fast? That's where my big close happened. We found an '07 MB B52 that was about 9K below where it should have been. She seemed to like it, but it went too fast. I then sold our boat and she was like a woman at the mall with no $$ when we didn't have a boat for 2 weeks. She was pushing me harder than I was pushing myself to find another boat. Sell her on the one you have your eyes on then if you miss it, tell her you have to sell before you buy. If she enjoys the water at all, she will be screaming for another boat. You may even get a better boat than what you have your eyes on.

[racer808]

I must be the only guy on this board that always gets the last word. Sadly, those last words are usually "yes dear"

Edited August 8, 2013 by racer808

[jeepurz]

My wife wanted to go see the Black Eyed Peas; and I wanted a Malibu VLX

She got

So I got

I am a damn good negotiator!

I agree about being a damn good negotiator because if I'm seeing the pic right, she got screwed. Those aren't even good seats to the concert. Row QQ seat 3 cost compared to the bu' is not even CLOSE to an even trade. Count your blessings, you got lucky on this trade....

[kayakwv]

front row tickets would've cost her a 247 LSV

[Slayer]

I may be not quite up to speed...but....didn't you buy her a waverunner that never gets used? That's your biggest card. Showing that although you wanted NOTHING to do with it you went ahead and bought it to make her happy....and it never gets used...and it was freaking expensive. Now you want a newer boat, that you clearly use a lot, and she won't support you? Come on...

No, Sir, you are right on. 2 seasons and about 13 hours. Stupid. Fact is, if I sold the SSLX, it would take less than what I spent on the stupid seadoo to get that SSLXI.

Might help if you have a buyer for your current boat. I'm looking to upgrade. PM me details.

Or, I could just say I'm gonna buy that new boat if you don't. Tell her that.

You PM is full. Hit me up when it's cleaned up and I'll fill you in on mine if you're interested. You're right though. A buyer for mine would be a BIG help.

A lot of "funny" or responses that are dishonest to your wife in order to get you a new toy.

The reality is that unless we understand how your family runs your financial plan, there is no good way to suggest how to go about this (or if to at all).

In my situation, my wife and I keep our finances 100% separated. We each have our own bank accounts. We each pay for certain bills and I give her money towards the mortgage (and we split daycare costs). Because of this there is never any judgement or questioning about what I spend my spare cash on. I go dump a couple grand in toys on the boat and she doesn't even flinch. I guarantee if it were shared funds our boat would be nearly stock.

I'm sure our situation is similar in that my wife makes significantly more than I do (though I make a decent enough living). We went halves on the boat purchase (last boat was mine that I had before we were married, this one is our boat). I have more invested in the boat at this point but it is still half hers. If I want to upgrade and she doesn't, I'm sure it would simply be sell it and pay for the upgrade difference myself and it is still half hers. Or pay back her half of the current boat and buy the new one on my own...either way she doesn't have any more money in the game.

Bottom line is that if SHE is funding the purchase, SHE should be the person that decides to purchase the boat. If its your money buying it, go buy it. If it is "our money" then have fun with that...the "our money" thing is one of the biggest problems marriages have so the wife and I eliminated that problem.

Yeah....sometimes I wonder if keeping separate accounts would have been beneficial. The flip side is that she is more frugal than I and saves better than I. With our finances combined, we save more, invest more, and earn more on those investments if we were doing so separately. It's also nice to have the deposits to our children's college savings accounts come from one joint account.

My wife and I are fortunate in that we both earn a good living, or what we believe to be good anyway. We live below our means rather than beyond them and don't finance things, other than the house. In keeping with the spirit of saving for our future and saving separately for the things we wish to have, the decision must be jointly made. Therefore, I must convince her.

Stretching the truth about costly repairs by playing with the kill switch may help get me there, or, as LS-one suggested, I whine, beg, plead, and cry like a little school girl.

[Pnwrider]

I told my wife I would never ask her for anything else if she let me buy a boat. She did and now she loves the malibu almost as much as I do. Not sure what tactic I will try when it comes time to upgrade, but this thread is full of good ideas. Time to start planting a few seeds...

Edited August 9, 2013 by Pnwrider

[danadog]

I was in your shoes this past spring. I was upgrading from a 93 Echelon to a 2002 SSLXI. I found the SSLXI I wanted, posted my Echelon and was able to make the upgrade for $3000. The wife saw it as a no brainer as she was getting a Bimini top and an open bow.

Work it my friend and make it happen! I am so stoked on the ski wake!

[Slayer]

I was in your shoes this past spring. I was upgrading from a 93 Echelon to a 2002 SSLXI. I found the SSLXI I wanted, posted my Echelon and was able to make the upgrade for $3000. The wife saw it as a no brainer as she was getting a Bimini top and an open bow.

Work it my friend and make it happen! I am so stoked on the ski wake!

The ski wake is reason #1 for wanting it. Reason #2 is that it satisfies all her needs in a boat that's family friendly.

[Michigan boarder]

No, Sir, you are right on. 2 seasons and about 13 hours. Stupid. Fact is, if I sold the SSLX, it would take less than what I spent on the stupid seadoo to get that SSLXI.

Well then, there's your solution! It's purely logical, and she must have a very logical brain to be in her career...I bet she's praying that you don't play that card because she will have no defense against it.

[powderjay]

Howdy neighbor! My wife wanted the new boat due to lack of size and shade on the supra so I was lucky!!! What lake are you on? Good luck with your plight.