Need to vent about cost of boat rentals

[falconnj]

$80-100 for a crab boat rental?   Ridiculous!  These prices are getting out of hand.  If they were more reasonable I would rent one every week.  These marina owners should think about that. A lower profit is better than having the boat just sit there making zero dollars.   Thanks for letting me vent.

[lostrap]

 No Boat Rentals for me for years went to crabbing from Bulkheads and Wadding Think that's High how about $85 for HALF day Fluke ( Flounder ) fishing. 8am to 12pm and that's for a 3 fish limit,   

[evinrude 130]

$80-100 for a crab boat rental?   Ridiculous!  These prices are getting out of hand.  If they were more reasonable I would rent one every week.  These marina owners should think about that. A lower profit is better than having the boat just sit there making zero dollars.   Thanks for letting me vent.

 You have a great point.  But are people still renting them at all ?  Have to wonder how they arrive at what to charge. Insurance reason, repair costs, or worse, maybe that's how they price it. Things today seem to be out of line, pricewise. But some folks are still paying the fee.

[U / W HUNTER]

Buy a boat , see if yearly maintenance is cheaper than a daily rental fee a couple times a year

[Neither Crab]

I miss those days when there were boat rentals on every river of the Chesapeake Bay. There were at least 6 on Millers Island rd. in the 60s. If you weren't there by daylight on a weekend during summer crabbing season you didn't get a boat. Everyone owned a small outboard they kept all summer in the trunk of their car. If you didn't have an outboard you could still row 10-15 minutes and catch several dozen to a bushel of crabs with 6  hand lines from a row boat.There was no need to own a boat unless you went 5 times a week. They were cheap too.$3 back then. That was also about an hours pay back then too. They are more than an average hours pay now.  There's no more boat rentals like there were then . When waterfront property prices got high most boat liveries sold out and  and many retired.

[twharrell]

Down here in SE Va boat rentals are $250 for a day. Crazy.

[evinrude 130]

I miss those days when there were boat rentals on every river of the Chesapeake Bay. There were at least 6 on Millers Island rd. in the 60s. If you weren't there by daylight on a weekend during summer crabbing season you didn't get a boat. Everyone owned a small outboard they kept all summer in the trunk of their car. If you didn't have an outboard you could still row 10-15 minutes and catch several dozen to a bushel of crabs with 6  hand lines from a row boat.There was no need to own a boat unless you went 5 times a week. They were cheap too.$3 back then. That was also about an hours pay back then too. They are more than an average hours pay now.  There's no more boat rentals like there were then . When waterfront property prices got high most boat liveries sold out and  and many retired.

 Millers Island was a neat place back in the 70"s to go to.

[gcs]

Yes it's high, so is their property tax and especially the liability insurance. They're days are about over

[shedking]

I'm sure if I average the amount I've spent on my boat over the years and what I've used it I'm about $1500 a day  seriously though I've seen first ha d the way people will tear a boat up when there is no skin in the game. Not your boat and you suddenly no longer care. Sad. Saw a rental at the wye run up over a rock break at the wye last weekend. Heard the motor chewing away and the guys in the boat just laughing it up. Looking at several thousand dollars there to be busted up.

[evinrude 130]

I'm sure if I average the amount I've spent on my boat over the years and what I've used it I'm about $1500 a day   seriously though I've seen first ha d the way people will tear a boat up when there is no skin in the game. Not your boat and you suddenly no longer care. Sad. Saw a rental at the wye run up over a rock break at the wye last weekend. Heard the motor chewing away and the guys in the boat just laughing it up. Looking at several thousand dollars there to be busted up.

 Different times back then, folks were more respectful. Not saying all were, just that  Bill's and Madison ran a tight place.  Some folks today, well just look in the news. Not sure why people act the way they do.

 As for rental prices, most of us knew we were buying a boat to give us good times on the water more then once a year.  It's not a cheap hobby by any means.  Many use to say" If you have to ask how much it cost, you probably can't afford it".  It's definitely costly to own a boat, adding in all the other things needed for that boat to get around.

 But the time spent on the water with family and friends is  and was priceless. I'm glad to be a boat owner since I was 19 years old, lot of great memories.

[r_ventura_23]

Buy a boat , see if yearly maintenance is cheaper than a daily rental fee a couple times a year

^^^This.

Here are my costs with out a single repair...which is usually a yearly occurrence.
Insurance $250 / year
Sea Tow $180 / year
Bottom Paint $100 / year
Water Pump $ 50 / year
Oil Change $30 /  year
Registration $50 / year
Wax and Cleaning Supplies $30 / year
Winterizing Supplies $50 / year

So I am almost at $900.  And that is doing all the work myself, and with a free place to dock it.  And that does not include gas.

All of the sudden $85 does not seem too bad.

[Hawkeye]

You have a great point.  But are people still renting them at all ?  

Short answer - YES during weekend summer.  

A rental is somewhat of an inconsistent experience (at least here in Jersey).

Things that could be better:
Cleanliness...Some are not dry and still filled with water (e.g.. rain or prior renter)
Functionality...Some have motors that work easily on one pull, others don't.
Some boats (RBM) have front and back anchors and others (Oceanic) don't.  These details matter to handliners...not necessarily for traps.
Availability...I've gone during weekend summer at opening and found the lot to be full (Red bank and Oceanic)
Rental length...boats have to be returned by a certain time.  So if you are trying an afternoon trip - it has to quick.
Location...what i mean here is that you can only rent where the marinas are.  I cannot rent a boat from the shrews for example, but if you are an owner there is no such limitation.
Price...already discussed here.

Renter "features":
I am able to return the boat "somewhat" dirty from the water/mud brought aboard.  In other words, it doesn't have to be in immaculate condition.
I personally take my trash with me but I believe others don't bother.  
I don't need to figure out how to get the boat onto a trailer and home.
I don't need to navigate the NJ turnpike/parkway with a trailer/boat.
I don't have to pay whatever extra fees for the tolls for hauling said boat.

On the navesink rental prices are as follows:
$120 8hp non bimini motor.
$100 8hp non bimini motor.  

i'll let you guess which marina has which...   Owners probably do not have such a slow motor. 

Anyways thanks for reading my manifest on renting ha ha ha.  Thanks for starting the thread falconnj.

[coins1101]

Probably the best deal is Beaver Dam Boat Rentals.still 65 bucks for full day crabbing.They tow you out to a spot and boats have paddles if you want to move.No motors.This  keeps insurance rates lower.Hate to spend $100 bucks for a dozen crabs...

[jp57]

East Neck Island boat rentals in Rock Hall are $35 for all day which is 6AM to 6PM. It's a shame the crabs aren't as abundant as they were 20 years ago.

[evinrude 130]

East Neck Island boat rentals in Rock Hall are $35 for all day which is 6AM to 6PM. It's a shame the crabs aren't as abundant as they were 20 years ago.

 Or the costs to go crabbing like 20 years ago. Twenty years ago, I had plenty of energy to go crabbing or fishing.

 Oh well, it is what it is.  No hobby is cheap anymore. If it was, more folks would be crabbing.

[Neither Crab]

If I owned a marina I would much rather rent slips and charge $20 for launching. Let the boat owners pay for their own problems.