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Old 01-11-2015, 05:59 AM   #41
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>Any business who only takes cash is most surely the unscrupulous player in the game.<

I see them as the most responsible and Patriotic as they lower the cost of doing business for folks.

No company PAYS taxes , they simply collect tax money (for free) for the dead hand of government to squander.

Not paying taxes reduces the cost of doing business for both the business and all its customers.

Fueling up ? The first question is what is the pump price , and what is the CASH price.

At big marinas its frequently the same price,
at the fuel dock by the fish house , the difference can be huge .
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Old 01-11-2015, 07:35 AM   #42
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Not at all. Some places / people don't take plastic. My boat mechanic doesn't take plastic. Got tired of the occasional out of town scum trying to screw him by stopping credit payments to negotiate a cheaper bill. While credit cards offer the consumer very good protection, they make it easy for unscrupulous consumers to screw very small businesses. If you want the best mobile mechanic around here plan on paying cash. Or you can go with number 2 (who is very good) and pay 25% more on your plastic.

Secondly, I never tip on plastic. Some restaurants charge horrible percentages to their employees to recover their tip money from credit card payments. I tend to frequent the less expensive restaurants and feel most of those who wait tables work hard for their money. Want to make sure they get all of what I want to give them.

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In Florida if they are paid the very low restaurants server wage it is actually illegal for them to take a fee out of the wage even if it is from card charges ( but your right some owners still do it just like the pooling of tips is not legal by wage and labor laws )
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Old 01-11-2015, 07:41 AM   #43
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Credit card companies don't always treat vendors very well and can charge some pretty steep fees for accepting CCs. Many times, fuel prices are kept low to stay competitive, so there isn't always the margin there to NOT want to give discounts for cash (or check). In addition, LOTS of marinas are in pretty rural areas and are small business ventures for the owners, fuel purchases are big ticket sales for them and fees add up quickly. a $0.10/gallon discount for 200-500 gallons means both a nice discount for us and better profits for the business. It's a win-win.

As to the original topic, I have never done the loop, so I can't speak DIRECTLY to the OVERALL amount you should take. However, from someone that has been robbed while we slept in a big city marina, I would be careful about the amount you carry at one time. Your comfort level may vary from mine and you can always recharge your cash funds at ATMs or bank branches throughout the trip. If it were me, I would carry enough to buy fuel, food, and possibly enough for a motel stay and car rental for a week should you lose your wallet or have an emergency and are in a more remote area. Plus for lots of tipping of people along the way. Maybe $1000 or so?
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Old 01-11-2015, 08:49 AM   #44
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We travel frequently and carry cash.

Yes we have credit cards, and we use them as well.

Our rule is simple...

If we can swipe the card, or can see the person actually swipe the card we tend to use a card.

If we have to hand over a card and the person disappears with it, we tend to use cash. The only exception to that is a very nice restaurant. The way I look at it is that a waiter that is getting a $50 tip for dinner is less likely to steal my card because he's making good money anyway.

That way we have very few problems with our cards being compromised.

As far as the concern about being robbed, its non existent. Think about it. Your wifes earrings, or your watch are probably exponentially more valuable than any amount of cash you might have in your pocket.
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Old 01-11-2015, 10:17 AM   #45
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Your wifes earrings, or your watch are probably exponentially more valuable than any amount of cash you might have in your pocket.
Clearly you haven't seen my wifes earrings.

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Old 01-11-2015, 10:51 AM   #46
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Clearly you haven't seen my wifes earrings.

Ted
Oh Ted! I was speaking metaphorically , but the whole carrying cash thing as a risk is overrated.

Say you've got even a thousand dollars in your pocket and get robbed.

Replacing that cash is going to be the least of your worries.

Of course you do not want to add to your risk by publically pulling out a wad of bills in a bad neighborhood, but in reality I don't go to bad neighborhoods anyway.
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Old 01-11-2015, 11:17 AM   #47
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Oh Ted! I was speaking metaphorically , but the whole carrying cash thing as a risk is overrated.

Say you've got even a thousand dollars in your pocket and get robbed.

Replacing that cash is going to be the least of your worries.
Absolutely. I don't carry cash because I don't want to be a target. However, I'll gladly hand the cash over. Replacing all credit cards and driver's license and everything else in your wallet is far more troublesome. Or laptops or computers with information on them. Or jewelry that has more meaning to you than it's value. So when looking at security, don't just think cash.
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Old 01-11-2015, 11:45 AM   #48
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As to cash vs. card and discounts. First, the equation has changed as the price of fuel has come down.

For me, I get 2% back on all credit card expenditures for fuel. When fuel was $4 per gallon that was 8 cents so a 10 cent a gallon cash discount was good but not that great. On 1000 gallons it would save $20. However with fuel at $2 per gallon that becomes a $60 savings to pay cash as the 10 cents a gallon is 5%.

Now for the retailer. The average fee being paid is 1.6% for credit cards and 1.2% for debit cards. Some large marinas are paying less. At 1.6%, we make the same calculations. At $4 per gallon the marina gets $36 less on that same 1000 gallons giving a 10 cent per gallon cash discount and $68 less at $2 per gallon.

With gas prices dropping you're going to see marinas changing from a 10 cent per gallon cash discount to 5 cents.

Regardless the cash does not get the marina more money. For the large corporate marina it makes no sense. But for smaller marinas it does avoid some of the other hassles with cards. It avoids disputes, even though they'd be denied. It avoids the potential the card is stolen. It avoids credit card hold backs due to volume where they might delay some payments to small companies. As long as it's not counterfeit then cash is here and now. That does bring one worry into the equation and that is counterfeit bills can wipe out a lot of profit.

There are also many other available discounts on cards or credit. Boat US and other organizations. Quantity. The point is to ask. Our fuel purchases when traveling are large so we always ask and check. At home, we rarely buy from marinas. Wish it made sense to. But as an example, right now Anchor Petroleum delivers Vavltech Diesel for $2.39 per gallon. The marinas are all $1 more. So we fill at our dock.

Just wanted to put some real numbers to the cash vs. card discussion.
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Old 01-11-2015, 12:12 PM   #49
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Oh Ted! I was speaking metaphorically , but the whole carrying cash thing as a risk is overrated.

Of course you do not want to add to your risk by publically pulling out a wad of bills
When traveling in Europe, we like to hit the smaller shops, restaurants and cafes along the way. We mostly travel on a credit card, but we often would have the cashier ask if maybe we had cash. I'm sure its the Visa fees they would like to avoid.

Last year the further east we traveled the more we heard it, plus several vendors qualifying that with "We accept U.S. dollars." I got in the habit of carrying 200 U.S. and 200 Euro in a money belt to pay for small items, with 50 of it in my pocket. If it helps the vendor better yet.

I have never had a problem with theft, but have witnessed a few purse and cell phone/tablet snatches Europe and here. Most of those occurred on the sidewalks, open venues or from locked cars. Leave your valuable jewelry home when traveling and use common sense where you wander especially at night.
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Old 01-11-2015, 02:20 PM   #50
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I always carry $300+ in my wallet on the theory that one day I may be looking at the wrong end of a Smith & Wesson. Would rather loose the $s than get a cap in my a$$ for being a cheap Muther f☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ honkee. More than one person has learned that looking like you should have money and having little to take, was a big mistake. I make every effort to avoid those kind of places and people, but you never know.......

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Old 01-11-2015, 03:04 PM   #51
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When traveling in Europe, we like to hit the smaller shops, restaurants and cafes along the way.

Last year the further east we traveled the more we heard it, plus several vendors qualifying that with "We accept U.S. dollars."
That is different issue. The further East one travels in Europe, the larger the black economy. The percentages of underground economy is amazing in some.





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Old 01-11-2015, 03:27 PM   #52
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Nobody is saying to carry $1000 in your wallet at all times. Just have SOME cash hidden on the boat at all. Times. You may not be robbed like we were, but losing a CC is a real possibility. We got lucky that another guy at the marina GAVE us$100 to get us home. Without that, we would have been in real trouble. If you are 500 miles from home, you lose your wallet and. Need to get a plane ticket, you will be glad you had some spare coin. That said, you can easily hide an emergency CC in your boat too. You cannot be too prepared.
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Old 01-12-2015, 10:16 AM   #53
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When we traveled in the Carib we had cash in a number of locations on the boat incase we were broken into or stuck up.

I also had really well hidden a stash of Zircons , (look like diamonds) that perhaps woyld make a machetti hacking thief go away.

Happily having a smaller boat , with cattle fence wired life lines , we never had a problem.
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Old 01-12-2015, 11:17 AM   #54
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I have a friend who wraps up cash in aluminum foil and keeps it in the freezer. Seems like it was a reasonable hiding place.
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Old 01-12-2015, 11:30 AM   #55
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If thieves actually board the boat, then cash and how well it's hidden or not, is the least of my worries. I'll give them the cash to not mess with the computers and electronics. Obviously will give it to them for no one to get hurt.

That all brings me to a topic I don't see discussed her frequently which is security systems. There are now many available for boats. On larger boats they're used somewhat widely though not as often as I would expect. However, it seems to me that in the 30-70 foot range, very few boats have them.
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Old 01-13-2015, 04:54 AM   #56
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In the US having a great video of the perps might be worthwhile.

In many other countries all it would do is create Christmas Card photos for the perp.
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Old 01-13-2015, 10:15 AM   #57
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In the US having a great video of the perps might be worthwhile.

In many other countries all it would do is create Christmas Card photos for the perp.
I'm not just talking cameras. What about intrusion detection? Sirens, even to the point of being unbearable and chasing away? Lights, even to the point of those that are strong enough to scare away and/or incapacitate? Smoke, too thick to go through? Or just something to alert you? Many houses have some form of "burglar alarm" but not many boats it seems in the 30-70' size range. And this isn't to say cameras aren't part of it. Even cameras and speakers so you can speak to the intruder.
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Old 01-13-2015, 10:53 AM   #58
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You can even get a pepper sprayer that will shoot out when motion activated.
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Old 01-13-2015, 12:30 PM   #59
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If thieves actually board the boat, then cash and how well it's hidden or not, is the least of my worries. I'll give them the cash to not mess with the computers and electronics. Obviously will give it to them for no one to get hurt.

That all brings me to a topic I don't see discussed her frequently which is security systems. There are now many available for boats. On larger boats they're used somewhat widely though not as often as I would expect. However, it seems to me that in the 30-70 foot range, very few boats have them.
This may be a good topic for its own thread.
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Old 01-13-2015, 12:54 PM   #60
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This may be a good topic for its own thread.
i think you're right...will do.
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