It's All Fun & Games Until...Somebody Loses an iPhone!

The Nancy's & Dave's

Another paddle - another story!  This one with a happy (but expensive ending!).
This past weekend found my sister and brother-in-law visiting.  One of the things I love about being with Nancy & Dave (no lie - there are TWO sets of Nancy & Dave's in our family) is that they enjoy kayaking as much as I do!

After a delicious and hearty breakfast we grabbed our gear and headed to one of my favorite spots on the Charles River - West Street in Medfield, which brings us to the Great Marsh Area.  My sister joined in the fun too so there were 5 of us altogether.

Sunday was bright and sunny with a slight breeze.  The morning progressed with little or no incidences.  We were treated to sightings of several Great Blue Herons and even some younger herons. Turtles were in abundance - even the snapping kind.  At one point on the return trip we joked about counting the painted turtles - we got to 100 and stopped counting! Amazing!

Testing the damage in the pool

Midway through our return trip my boat started filling with water.  There was over 3 inches of water inside the kayak.  Clearly something was not right! Using an empty water bottle to bail had little or no effect - even after emptying the bottle 8 times!  Clearly something was WRONG.  Fortunately, we made it to the end of the trip safely.  However, when side exiting the kayak, my iPhone fell in the Charles River. (Not sure if I was distracted by the problem with the boat or just not paying attention.) It was retrieved but could not be revived. This is the second item the river has claimed for itself! (The first item was my Nikon camera).

After the other Nancy & Dave headed home, I drove right to the AT & T store where I was able to purchase a new phone.  (Expense #1)

The next day, I hoisted the kayak on some saw horses and filled it with water in effort to pinpoint the leak.  From the bottom of the boat there was a "slice" (for lack of a better word).  Water was   s l o w l y  dripping that I couldn't believe it could be the culprit.  So, when my sister came over we discussed the situation.  We decided to try it in the pool to see if it would leak faster with weight in it.  Well, to my sadness we discovered that the leak was actually caused by a crack where the seat meets the hull.  It was going to be a tough repair at best.

L.L. Bean, Mansfield, MA

Just when despair was at its peak, my sister remembered that the kayak was purchased at L.L. Bean.  Do you know they have a "lifetime guarantee"?  Even on kayaks?  So we drove down to our local L.L.Bean store and went to exchange the kayak.  Of course the particular model I own is no longer available so they gave me a credit for the purchase price.  With that and a little extra money (Expense #2) I was able to get myself a NEW kayak.

View from my NEW kayak

While I'm not the biggest L.L.Bean fan, I am fast becoming one! Here I was looking at the thought of trying to repair my boat or purchase a new one.  Never in my wildest dream would I think that a company would take back an item after 3 years!  So, my question: Why would anyone buy a kayak from anywhere but L.L.Bean?  With a policy like that I'd be hard-pressed to go elsewhere!


Check out their Guarantee HERE!


 So, thank you L.L.Bean for my new Manatee 100 in Sunrise.  (For all intents and purposes - it's the same boat as mine - same color, length & it even has the same logo - the name has been changed).  I don't care what they call it because I now call it mine!  (Now if AT&T had a similar policy........)