Bumming Fuel Money From Guests?

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We place a really nice looking piggy bank on board. It says: Any Donations Appreciated... for cruises over 5 hrs with food and drink supplied. We've gotten rich!
 
That's it. I'm making a new sign!

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Being the guest of Vern, enjoying his St. Jorge wine and tri-tip lunch, prior to examining his Stephens boat and Stephens dinghy:


 
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cappy208 said:
Two answers. The friendly one: Sure. It helps defray the cost.

The legal answer: (In the U.S. At least).
Exchanging anything for a ride (fuel, food, money, dockage fees, expenses) makes the 'fee for hire'.

Are you licensed? Is your vessel up to passenger carrying safety levels? Does your insurance cover this?

Very boring, mundane stuff. But, 'if' something happened, you are treated in court in a whole different way as if you just 'brought someone along'.
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Agree with above comments, be very careful with your insurance coverage as it would be a game changer to find out you voided your coverage after an accident.
 
markpierce said:
Being the guest of Vern, enjoying his St. Jorge wine and tri-tip lunch, prior to examining his Stephens boat and Stephens dinghy:


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Mark

did anyone eventually join you at the table ??
 
Fishing yes

Cruising no

Many times we have had people come with us and cook bring or prepare the meals and drinks

On the 4th of July we always go out and watch the offshore powerboat races this year instead of in our boat a friend offered to take his out instead of ours

So I offered to get the food for the day
 

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Baker said:
The entire reason for me having a boat is to have a place where my friends and family can gather. It is an honor to have them aboard!!! The vast majority of them offer to bring something...beer, ice, food, etc. and a few will offer to pay for fuel. I do have a close friend who will occasionally beat me to the fuel pump cashier. But that is just the kind of guy he is. Y'all come to Texas...some people view spending money as a sport.
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Exactly!!
 
Get a captains license then you can ask for money whenever you want. Just don't take more than 6 people out at a time or you will have to have the boat inspected.
 
I have a sign that indicates what the price per gallon of fuel is and a short list of guest's names. They must put a check mark by the FloScan entry, indicating they've acknowledged the level of the fuel tanks when we start the cruise. :blush:
 
Codger2 said:
I have a sign that indicates what the price per gallon of fuel is and a short list of guest's names. They must put a check mark by the FloScan entry, indicating they've acknowledged the level of the fuel tanks when we start the cruise. :blush:
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Walt - You're Bad! - LOL

At bottom of our piggy bank we have pen and note asking contributors to put initials on any large bills (20's or larger). Saying that: There is a drawing at years end and we give the winner 25% of donated funds acquired. "Give and you shall receive" As I mention in post # 31 "We've gotten rich!!!"

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
 
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Retriever said:
I try not to let guests know how much the boat costs!...

I never take money for day trips...

...I'm 25 and the only one of my peers with a boat. I'm happy to have guests onboard and don't want them to feel it's a burden. But I don't want to pay for all their meals and drinks, either.
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Without sounding "old", IMO you're a heck of a young man sir, and I love your attitude toward boating! Not what one might expect from a 25 year old.

Heck, I know some people your age, that wouldn't take a "friend" to the airport without expecting some sort of compensation! :-(

To Baker and the many others here that have expressed similar feelings bravo!!!!

It's about the friend/relationships we enjoy while underway.

Every year, through an organization called B.O.A.T. kids, a large group of boaters, from trawlers to offshore power boats, to small center consoles, all come together to bring some joy and happiness, to kids and young adult's who are mentally/physically challenged. Hopefully that one day of joy, will leave a lifetime of memories.

Every one donates their boats, time/cost, etc. To the event. Local commercial sponsors cover food/drinks, and such, and the local park service at Caladesi opens their arms (and their hearts) to the teams, by providing dockage, shelter, and of course safety, to everyone involved.

But back to asking for $$$...no.
As a few others have stated, that "may" place you in a tight spot from a litigation perspective, should something go wrong.

As far as the USCG regs are concerned, again unless you're doing it regularly (trying to avoid licensure), there's a problem or complaint, the likelihood of an issue with them is minimal.

I go out with several of my friends regularly.

One owns a sailboat, so there's not a lot of fuel usage there. The hosts always go big, providing everything from boat to booze.
Just the same, I always bring booze, water, sports drinks and food.

The foods usually gone by the time we return, and I usually manage to conveniently forget the drinks when we offload (lol). If he or his wife ask, we just tell them to keep them. By doing so, we ensure that the liquor locker is always stocked, and it contributes to our passage.

Oh, and when it's time to chip, paint, or do repairs, I'm there, work clothes and tools in hand!

My other friends gave power boats, and it's always a day trip. May be a few hours, may be all day into the evening. Regardless, we always try to chip in for fuel. Sometimes it's a staunch NO from the skipper, but these are usually for tech days when we're checking/testing equipment and repairs, or what we consider "RE-SALINATION" days. Time to slip away from the hustle and bustle of dry land and the working world for a day. Time to recharge if you will. Fuel for those days, is almost always on the requestee - lol


The only time I took money for fuel was when I had my dad, stepmom, and kids out for 10 days in Alaska. Dad swiped his card at the fuel dock before I could, and I didn't complain!/QUOTE]

BTW, that's what "dad's" do :)
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Not sure if anyone read my reply at post #25. . .

BTW, I like that sign! But given some of the people I know, I'd end up with a helluva lot of weed :facepalm:

If you have to worry about fuel costs, you probably cannot afford the boat.
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If I didn't have to worry about fuel costs, I wouldn't be here researching a trawler that would allow me to entertain my champagne tastes on a beer budget :thumb:

I also worry about food costs, electricity, clothing, etc. . .and yet I manage to eat well, keep the lights on, and I'm not running around naked. It's because I budget that I eat and live pretty well.

I wouldn't treat fuel any different. $XXXX a year = YYY running hours. . .how many trips out would that net me? And I would plan accordingly and enjoy myself. It sure as hell would be nice to be able to swipe the credit card with a smile on my face and not give a thought to how much it cost to top off the tank, but I currently don't live in that world.
 
cool beans said:
Not sure if anyone read my reply at post #25. . . .
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The difference is how you ... ahem... 'suggest' it is the real issue. The #25 answer is the way to go.

You must make it NOT part of the requirements to come aboard: "Hey if you want to chip in..... I'd appreciate it." Versus, "If you want to go with me this weekend you HAVE to pay for fuel,"

You will soon find out who the 'freeloaders' are, versus the friends who understand and contribute.
 
Bummer!!
A little different point here- when we entertain with two or three couples ( or at home for that matter) and everyone brings "something" for the meal- the stocked fridge goes into overload. New approach is "if you bring something that needs to stay cool, please have room in your ice chest to store it". This helps a lot - and guests seem to give a little more though to their packaging. And when you leave, TAKE IT HOME, or it just becomes one more thing we have to dispose of.


1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's
✌️
 
The way I handle the cost sharing is to be clear that no contribution is expected on the first trip -- or any trip. If you enjoy the trip and want to come again, contribute. If not, don't, but that tells me you didn't enjoy it so I probably won't invite again. In the future, you can always opt not to contribute -- no hard feelings, but maybe no invite back (unless you are poverty stricken, then exceptions are made). I adopted this approach without regard to USCG requirements that contributions be voluntary, but it seems to work well from that perspective. (And as I stated above, this only applies for guys multi-day fishing trips where costs easily exceed $2K -- everything else is on me without question._
 
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cool beans said:
If I invite a group of people to come out for a day on the water. . .picnic, swimming, motor over the Waterside to watch fireworks, etc. . .can I ask for a fuel surcharge or should I eat the fuel costs?

Ok, let me rephrase that, since I can ask them whatever. . .is it rude, or is there any etiquette involved?

Not a big deal if I eventually ended up with a single diesel trawler. It would be a bigger issue with twin 454's :facepalm:

I know with any fishing boats I've had or have been invited out on, it wasn't even a question. . .you at least offered to chip in $10-$20. Just curious.
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You invited them!!!! Why would you then ask for $$$ ... Makes no sense. If you pulled that **** on me I'd cut ya lose cause the things I would have done for you as a friend in the past clearly wouldn't have meant anything. For me, you basically put a small cost on your friendship, for what?

If they rang and asked that you took them out like a charter then you'd probably ask for something

But in either scenario, ya better bring ya own beers and some food for the table or you'll be thirsty and hungry for the day

Sent from my iPhone using Trawler Forum
 
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FlyWright said:
Now she's not talking to me after she found out I used her picture in the sign. :eek::facepalm::banghead:

Looks like I'll be rethinking my original plan...:hide::flowers::angel:
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Yep, that's her alright.:hide:
 
cool beans said:
Not sure if anyone read my reply at post #25. . .

BTW, I like that sign! But given some of the people I know, I'd end up with a helluva lot of weed :facepalm:
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And I'd end up with all the ass!!!!
 

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cool beans said:
If I invite a group of people to come out for a day on the water. . .picnic, swimming, motor over the Waterside to watch fireworks, etc. . .can I ask for a fuel surcharge or should I eat the fuel costs?

Ok, let me rephrase that, since I can ask them whatever. . .is it rude, or is there any etiquette involved?

Not a big deal if I eventually ended up with a single diesel trawler. It would be a bigger issue with twin 454's :facepalm:

I know with any fishing boats I've had or have been invited out on, it wasn't even a question. . .you at least offered to chip in $10-$20. Just curious.
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If I was invited for a trip out I would make the offer...Just good Manners
 
Get a captains license then you can ask for money whenever you want. Just don't take more than 6 people out at a time or you will have to have the boat inspected.

Even a 6 pack boat will be inspected to have a license.

Its a nothing , a cardboard box with life preservers , fire gear etc would easily pass.
 
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