Some of you seem actually mad I would dare ask to crew on a boat in exchange for knowledge. If that offends you I apologize. .
No, you're missing the point. For some sharing of fuel or $100 you're thinking I'm going to invite a total stranger to join me and my family or other guests. Oh, Friend Carmen, this is Armstrong joining us. I don't really know him.
Oh, Carmen, feel free to slap the h... out of him for saying that to you.
See, on our boat we have females wearing very little. I don't know how you'll behave. I don't know you. You may be the nicest most courteous man in the world, but they're likely to be uncomfortable.
Now, you want training. That generally goes for anywhere from $500-800 a day with those who charge for it. You don't want to pay for a charter, but instead pay $100. That's fine, but then you are getting upset and acting like the forum members are bad people because they're not running to take you up on your offer.
My wife and I are very private people. We have our friends and family but we remain mostly incognito outside that group. You may think it's unfriendly, but we're just not going to invite a stranger to join us for a day on our boat.
Also, keep in mind that most forum members are not even in your area.
Perhaps spend time here, then fly to Ft. Pierce for the gathering next February and meet people you've made friends with here. They'll invite you aboard their boats and perhaps when the gathering is over, one will even invite you to join them for a day and they'll likely do it without accepting money. After they know you, after you're a friend.
I also think your purpose won't work. In one day on a boat as a passenger you're not going to learn whether it's cool or not. Yes, it's cool to take a free or cheap boat ride, but what about maintaining the boat, the costs of boating,
Paying for fuel isn't sharing expenses. Paying toward the cost of the boat and the slip and maintenance is. Fuel is such a minor expense in the total picture.
Now, you keep talking without listening and I asked you some questions earlier that I thought might help move this discussion forward. You chose to ignore them but instead go off about your 20 years in the military and something about guests are guests and crew is crew (well, parts is parts but I have no idea the relevance) and taking someone out on a boat is no different than going anywhere else (oh for the record I don't invite strangers to go anywhere else with me).
If you want help in figuring out if a trawler might be right for you, then discuss, but if all you want is a cheap day on the water with strangers, it's not going to likely happen.