re: Owning a boat vs charter

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This is what's not talked about with the pro-charter talk. The owning a boat allows complete freedom for when you go, when you come back, where you go, exploring, etc. I can't count how many times one day, or east side vs west side made all the difference in the world for fishing. I've also put all my marbles into going charter fishing on a particular weekend. Plan and look forward to it for weeks/months in advance... then get cancelled. My last charter trip was during a polar vortex and high of 37 deg with winds 15-20 and rainy. Two days prior, it was mid 60's winds 5 and no rain. We couldnt change the date. The captain was as miserable as we were. Like said earlier in this thread. You need to put a charter captain's kid through college, then you get that buddy-buddy priority scheduling, last second change of schedule ability, no deposit, refundable deposit, etc.

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Its happened to me so many times I can't count. The idea that you can plan a trip this July for next July is at best wishful thinking. At worst it is impossible.

And having a relationship with a guide / charter boat captain that allows for booking a trip when times and tide coincide with acceptable conditions requires YEARS of nurturing....something most people can't accomplish. I just don't like the whole idea but for the casual angler who can only go 6 - 8 times a year it is the only option.

The ideal set up is to own the charter boat with the understanding that it is your boat when you want it but the captain has it, after expenses, the rest of the year...but that relationship also takes years to nurture. The next best situation, and one I was blessed with, was joint ownership....but again, that takes some serious stroking and willingness to work together to make it work...it usually goes south in a hurry with hurt feelings /egos all around. The ideal situation is an 8 hour drive from the gulf /gulf stream and a trailerable boat that can also be used for striper / hybrid or inshore fishing...one that you own, maintain and use when you want and have time....but it ain't cheap. Dry docking is also a viable alternative but it ain't cheap and you are stuck with conditions in the area whereas a trailer boat can be hauled another 100 miles and you are in the fish where the dry dock boat is stuck in unfavorable conditions. There ain't no good answer....

Is my boat worth the note I pay every month? Probably not, but having the freedom to hookup and go fishing or pulling the kids in the tube whenever I feel like it is freeing to me.

well for what its worth, I have a good friend wanting to do the opposite. He wants to sell his boat and just hire charters. Doesn't use boat enough to justify slip, maintenance, etc.

I don't know what kind of boats yall have/had, but I've owned two welded aluminum boats with galvanized trailers. I've had a total of four different motors on those two boats. Its been four years, I believe, since I bought my first boat, and I've only had to spend money on having something fixed twice. Once because I bought a used motor and it needed some maintenance done to it to get it running perfect, and once because I fricked up some gears in the motor (that was completely my own fault).

Any money I've spent on the boats in the last four years other than those two instances is because I wanted to. I WANTED a new trolling motor. I WANTED a bigger motor. I WANTED to redo the floors. Etc.

From what I've seen online, if you get you a welded aluminum hull on a galvanized trailer, they will hold their values quite well. If you take care of your shite, the motors can hold their value pretty well, too.

Sold my first boat for $600 more than I bought it for. Sold my third motor for $300 more than I bought it for. You just have to be patient when buying and selling.

The key is taking pride in your possessions. Some might say I go overboard in how I take care of my shite. I do not leave my shite out in the weather. I clean it every time I get home from fishing. If I dont have time to hit the water in a few weeks, I run the motor on muffs for a little while. I use fuel treatment. I keep up to date with oil changes. You do all of these things, and your rig will hold some value, and you wont be bitching too much about how such n such doesnt work, or this or that is broken.

I sometimes enjoy cleaning my boat, and sometimes I do not, but it still gets cleaned because I enjoy hitting the water in a nice clean boat.

I have the most basic simple boat, yet I get a lot of compliments at boat ramps, on the water, or just when I'm heading somewhere with it trailered. I have a lot of friends that tell me they wish they had a boat like mine.

So for those who say owning a boat isn't worth it, I disagree completely. I love owning a boat.

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Is my boat worth the note I pay every month? Probably not, but having the freedom to hookup and go fishing or pulling the kids in the tube whenever I feel like it is freeing to me.

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THIS.

It ain't all about fishing for me, either.

Just going on the boat with the kids, riding around, exploring waterways, stopping and jumping off the boat and going swimming when the urge hits you, camping overnight on the barrier islands-- you can't hire a charter to do that kind of stuff.

I think it all comes down to how much you want to "own" the boat. I hate renting stuff, its probably a vice. I do so more and more now, but vehicles and boats I just don't feel comfortable driving when I don't own them. Furthermore, there's something about fishing and hunting by yourself without a guide that makes it seem more enjoyable and rewarding.

As far as money goes, it really all depends on how often you use it. If you fish 10 times a year, a guide may be worth it. If you fish 30 times a year, no way a guide is worth it.

If you have to ask the question you already have the answer.

I couldn’t imagine the day I didn’t have a boat. I fish a lot at times, others not so much. My truck stays hooked to my boat 90% of the time, batteries charged, gassed up. All I need is decent weather, an itch to scratch.

Bill fishing charters are boring to me. Everyone lets the deck hands pitch the baits or set the hook and then you get handed a rod with a hooked fish. That is not fishing. The captain and mate caught that fish period.

Part of the fun is shopping for tackle, rigging it, then seeing it all come together in that magic moment.