MTOA Marine Trader Owners Association

MTOA - Marine Trawler Owners Association

Has anyone joined this organization and if so are the benefits worth the cost

the cost is under $60

thanks

I am not sure what the $60 buys you.

A burgee? I mean we have all the other resources right here. I have made contacts and friends all up and down the east coast. I havent' had to use any favors yet. But i think the group is willing...as evident with Cardude's epic ICW voyage. we have great brokers who offer members here bottom line prices on their boats, a resident insurance guru and a Cuban coffee guy that also sells marine parts/equipment.

I guess as boaters we have spent $60 on dumber things. i though about joining too but its one of those things i kept meaning to do and never actually followed through with.

eseyoung said:

I am not sure what the $60 buys you.

A burgee? I mean we have all the other resources right here. I have made contacts and friends all up and down the east coast. I havent' had to use any favors yet. But i think the group is willing...as evident with Cardude's epic ICW voyage. we have great brokers who offer members here bottom line prices on their boats, a resident insurance guru and a Cuban coffee guy that also sells marine parts/equipment.

I guess as boaters we have spent $60 on dumber things. i though about joining too but its one of those things i kept meaning to do and never actually followed through with.

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Thanks I tend to agree as active as this forum is and the knowledge base is great

thanks

They/we are affiliated with numerous marinas that provide discounts on fuel and dockage. They also have negotiated special deals with insurance companies as well. Most MTOA members are very active boaters and the discounts and other benefits (they are many I have not mentioned) we take advantage pays for the $60 membership fee and much more. One benefit that is great is there are Port Captains throughout the cruising grounds. If you pull into one of the Port Captains areas they can provide local knowledge, transportation to hardware, grocery, or other stores for supplies. With over 2000 members it is a great resource. Check the website where it talks about member benefits. BTW, the burgy cost extra!

windmill29130 said:

They/we are affiliated with numerous marinas that provide discounts on fuel and dockage. They also have negotiated special deals with insurance companies as well. Most MTOA members are very active boaters and the discounts and other benefits (they are many I have not mentioned) we take advantage pays for the $60 membership fee and much more. One benefit that is great is there are Port Captains throughout the cruising grounds. If you pull into one of the Port Captains areas they can provide local knowledge, transportation to hardware, grocery, or other stores for supplies. With over 2000 members it is a great resource. Check the website where it talks about member benefits. BTW, the burgy cost extra!

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great insight thanks

I just joined last week. Still checking things out. One of the things that attracted me was their Yacht club affiliations. They are an active group and I look forward to learning more about them in anticipation of our Loop trip this summer.

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We have been affiliated with MTOA for 7-8 years. In some regards, the MTOA forum and this one are similar, offering insight into cruising, boat issues and the like. Unlike TF, the MTOA forum (Listserve, an email based forum) does not provide a space for non boating discussions. There are quite a few members of MTOA but from my perspective (having attended two rendezvous) it is really two groups; one comprised of full-time live aboards (with a handful of seasonal cruisers) and a 2nd (larger in number) containing weekenders and part time cruisers. The live aboards tend to dominate discussions, I think. One of the benefits is the existence of several regional groups; Chesapeake Bay, Southern Chesapeake, Palm Coast, that organize local cruises. Other benefits include the already mentioned port captains and a good group insurance policy written by a boater (underwritten by Travelers and somebody else). We fall into the weekender category but have remained MTOA members as I think we have contributed and benefited from the experience. Not unlike this forum.

I am also a member for about 9 years. I just renewed my membership, but I am not sure it was worth it. Yes we have met people, and that's about it.
We attended a couple of rendezvous in Mystic, Ct (our home port), and we actually ran one of them. They were fun.
However, we haven't attended any since 08 because it just plain too expensive for us to leave our home marina slip to spend $500 for a weekend slip 1/4 mile away (plus the rendezvous cost). And we don't stay in port and drive up because we'd rather be someplace anchored. Plus the agenda remains almost identical so it's not that interesting to me any more.
There is a magazine, but I have never been too enthralled with the articles. That's just my opinion. I'm sure others enjoy them.
Our cruising has not taken us anywhere with the reciprocity or discount agreements. Maybe that will change if we cruise the Chesapeake this summer.

Make sure you let me know if you stop in the Cape May, NJ area!!!

psneeld said:

Make sure you let me know if you stop in the Cape May, NJ area!!!

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Of course! Will likely stay at Utch's if we do end up cruising to the Chesapeake.

jleonard said:

I am also a member for about 9 years. I just renewed my membership, but I am not sure it was worth it. Yes we have met people, and that's about it.
We attended a couple of rendezvous in Mystic, Ct (our home port), and we actually ran one of them. They were fun.
However, we haven't attended any since 08 because it just plain too expensive for us to leave our home marina slip to spend $500 for a weekend slip 1/4 mile away (plus the rendezvous cost). And we don't stay in port and drive up because we'd rather be someplace anchored. Plus the agenda remains almost identical so it's not that interesting to me any more.
There is a magazine, but I have never been too enthralled with the articles. That's just my opinion. I'm sure others enjoy them.
Our cruising has not taken us anywhere with the reciprocity or discount agreements. Maybe that will change if we cruise the Chesapeake this summer.

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Thanks for the information

And they used to produce a very good magazine with lots of technical writing... Still?