angus99
Guru
As we get closer to the reality of keeping a trawler on the Chesapeake (either the one we have under contract or a future boat if this doesn't pan out), the costs are coming into sharper focus. While nothing has been a show-stopper, if you step back and just look at the numbers, they can be sobering. All the more so when I consider I paid about $100 per calendar quarter to dock my 28-foot sailboat at our club.
OK, so those days are over. To be clear, I'm not a cheap-skate, and I do expect to pay inflated prices because the word "boat" is part of my hobby. But I hate to pay grossly inflated prices for things like slip/mooring fees (long and short term), labor, fuel and insurance simply out of ignorance.
So, what are some of your secrets for preventing boating from costing more than necessary? How hard do you negotiate for long-term/transient dock space or work you can't do yourselves? Which suppliers do you look to for reasonably priced parts?
Finally, no lectures please on "if you can't afford it, don't get into it." We can, but my last name begins with an "Mc" and reasonable frugality is in the DNA.
Thanks in advance.
OK, so those days are over. To be clear, I'm not a cheap-skate, and I do expect to pay inflated prices because the word "boat" is part of my hobby. But I hate to pay grossly inflated prices for things like slip/mooring fees (long and short term), labor, fuel and insurance simply out of ignorance.
So, what are some of your secrets for preventing boating from costing more than necessary? How hard do you negotiate for long-term/transient dock space or work you can't do yourselves? Which suppliers do you look to for reasonably priced parts?
Finally, no lectures please on "if you can't afford it, don't get into it." We can, but my last name begins with an "Mc" and reasonable frugality is in the DNA.
Thanks in advance.