re: 2 questions on Boating Costs

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Also, wouldn't you boat owners say that it is priceless to have good conditions and be able to plan a trip for the next day without worrying about a boat being available

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Nothing is priceless, but convenience is the biggest thing about owning your own craft.

The boat I just sold I owned for 6 years. I put a lot of hours on that boat so I did plugs and lower unit oil every 100 hours. I replaced a fuel filter here and there, two batteries and a hub on the trailer. Other than that I never had a single issue except for the few times I tore off the skeg.

It's possible to have very low maintenance costs if you stay on top of your junk. If you're one of those people who has to haul the boat to the shop every 100 hours then that's a different story all together. If you can turn a wrench and recognize when things need attention, you shouldn't have too many problems.

edit- My tow vehicle did 20 mpg loaded, and the boat did about 8 mpg. Typical day is 200 miles on land and 30-50 miles on water @ $3/gallon. So call it $50/trip. Some more, some less. I did not carry boat insurance

If you want to get really crazy you can break it down over the life of the boat. You can spend $20k and pay a $350/month note and fish once a month to the tune of $400/month. Once you start fishing 3 and 4 times a month it turns in to $600/month give or take, or the roughly the price of 1 day on a charter boat. You can, in theory, spend 60% more time on the water for the same money if you own your boat.

I wouldn't say it's priceless. But having a boat is definitely nice. My plan is to get a cheap boat I can fish the marsh with and just take charters if I want to fish the islands.