Partnering with friend(s) on a camp/boat

The good… Sharing experiences outdoors with friends always makes the moment a little better imo.

The bad… Split costs. When items fail/break, which they will it can cause head butting. Unless you and said friendS have the same logic on things (good luck with that). Literally heard an example of that over the weekend from a friend.

Ex: camp mower battery is dead. Guy 1: We need a new one before next trip. Guy 2: Can’t we just charge it? Guy 3: Doesn’t it have a pull start too?

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Why can't Guy 1 just go buy a battery?

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Guy 1 bought 20 gallons of fuel for it last time, Guy 2 will go get one but he needs the other 8 members to each Venmo him $7 to cover the cost, Guy 3 is still convinced it can just be pull started and a battery is unnecessary, and Guy 4 hasn't paid dues in 2 years so good luck to Guy 2 collecting his $7 to cover the battery.

I don't think I could ever partner on a boat with someone for sure. To much stuff breaks all the time, upgrades are valued differently for people, and then people are at fault for certain costs and then it's grey area on if it should really be split.

You’re picking up what I’m putting down.

What is your gut telling you?

I’ve seen it work out much fewer times than it has actually worked

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splitting camp and/or boat with a friend.

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Can't speak from experience but I'd take a hard look at how they keep up with their own items (boat, car, house, property, tools, etc..)

Size of camp and/or boat makes a difference too. No sense in sharing a bay boat if you have multiple guys that also want to bring friends/kids/family. It would have to be designated weekends or something everyone could use at the same time.

With a boat, hell no. With a camp, possibly... There would need to be an operating agreement in place outlining all how repairs, costs, insurance, etc are paid. You'll need an exit clause as well. Most camps are a lot of work and very costly to maintain. If your camp is located anywhere near the coast, then insurance will be your biggest expense, unless you self-insure and own out right.

You could always purchase a camp and have it as a rental to offset costs.

I owned 1/4 of a 26 foot Mako center console with twin 250's on a bracket from 1996 - 2010. It was in dry storage at a marina in Stuart Florida. The other 3 owners consisted of 2 old friends of mine and an old friend of one of those 2. We never really had any issues. All of us worked hard not to...we all lived in Athens and Atlanta and 2 of the 4 us may have used the boat 10 times without one of the other 2 of us present...I used it more than anyone because I was self-employed and could get away about any time I wanted. I did most of the maintenance myself and I don't remember anyone ever squabbling over spending money on the boat on their own...if it needed something one of us just took care of it. We had a "maintenance" fund but I had restored the boat from the keel up myself so it was kind of my baby and as such I did almost all of the maintenance myself and out of my pocket...had we had to repower or something like that it would have been split 4 ways but luckily it never needed it...2 stroke OMCs were easy to fix and about bullet proof. We each had our own tackle and the boat had some tackle (almost all of the "boat's tackle" was mine originally). We had a storage unit about a mile from the marina where we stored tackle with the boat tackle staying on the boat. I had a truck parked at the storage unit and we all used it while in town. Most of the time I was partners in the boat I could fly from Atlanta to Ft Lauderdale for less than $100 round trip and most of the time the marina would pick me up at the airport and take me to the truck. There were times when I would have to pay one of the deck hands in the area (LOADS of them in the area) to pick me up but the Marina was pretty reliable about it....I could call them on Thursday and tell them I would be in Ft Lauderdale at 8 AM Friday and the boat would be in the water, iced down and full of gas by the time I made it to the storage unit and to the Marina. It worked out great. We were lucky though and we worked really hard to make sure it worked because we all had heard the horror stories and were committed to having as little drama as possible. Had any one of the 4 of us not been willing to do what was necessary to get along I am certain it would've been a NIGHTMARE.

We allowed family and friends to use the boat while we were present. During especially good times of the year (sailfish bite off Stuart November - March is world class) we each had a seat on the boat if it was in the water....so we all knew that there may be 4 of us at anytime which is pretty tight on a 26 foot boat. Guests were allowed during these times with the understanding that if one of the owners wanted to go there was practical space for 4 people. It never became a problem because none of us lived in the area and getting there was an issue....had we lived in the area this would have not worked as well most likely. We planned accordingly even then. Most of the time when one of the other 3 planned to come something happened and they couldn't make it...I almost never cancelled LOL.

The key is to make certain that the other people involved are open and willing to do what is necessary to avoid drama...not easy to find amongst men. It can work but it is a razor thin margin of error that any single person can ruin for everyone.

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What is your gut telling you?

I’ve seen it work out much fewer times than it has actually worked

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It absolutely goes to shite way more often than not. In my experience the worst groups are families...they bring all of that baggage with them every time they go. Wives, god love them, are one of the biggest issues because men will try, for the most part, to avoid acting a fool because it probably will wind up with some violence and the police coming LOL...women, on the other hand, will say anything that pops into their pretty little minds and expect their husbands to back them up.

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.and this is why I'm not a member of a club or lease

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Eh its not all bad, in our lease if you cause any type of headache or disagree with the majority we'll just cut you a check with your money back and send you on your way efficient system. If something breaks a member usually does it themselves unless its a big ticket item then we'll all pitch in.

Just have to set some clear guidelines down.