How the H#ll do you people afford this??

You are still ahead of the game with fishing costs. Try golf...membership/initiation fees (tens of thousands), clubs, minimum monthly bar and meal fees, trips south (when the border is open) to play in the winter and on and on that goes. I'll stick to fishing and be much better off financially. Better days ahead. Hang in there!
 
I work on weekdays to afford my weekends. The boat is the justification for hours at a desk, not in spite of it.

Think of the boat not as a cost but a way of life.
 
$1900 for my 70's 17 foot fiberglass (pre-covid crazy prices).
Bought a tinner for $500 that came with a 9.9. Used the 9.9 for my kicker, sold the tinner for $500.
This year the 100HP motor blew up. Found a 140HP online that was the same year (1979) for $650. Had to swap the tilt/trim and starter solenoid and replace the impeller, but now it runs great.

For my budget, it is still expensive. I can't imagine getting a repair bill that is twice what I have into my entire setup though. My rig is a lot of work to keep going, and knowing how to turn a wrench is helpful, but there are definitely ways to troll without swallowing the $50K pill!
 
It can be frustrating when the thing you love to do becomes hard and costly. I am having not so great luck too. My boat is just a year old barely 40 hours on the main engine and it has been in the shop more than I have used it. When I received it I found many deficiencies that couldn't wait so I put in roughly 30 hours of my own time to repair them. This was a brand new boat. Now my bow mount motor is acting up. batteries are not taking full charge. The main motor is acting up and has to go in for repair. So a little patients and a few lost bucks hear and there is a tough pill to swallow... but its great taking people out who have never fished, or people who appreciate a good day on the water, or that kid that gets his/her first fish. So when the weather lets me go fishing there is nothing I would rather do than be out on the water.

Good luck it gets better.
 
anonymoose said:
$1900 for my 70's 17 foot fiberglass (pre-covid crazy prices).
Bought a tinner for $500 that came with a 9.9. Used the 9.9 for my kicker, sold the tinner for $500.
This year the 100HP motor blew up. Found a 140HP online that was the same year (1979) for $650. Had to swap the tilt/trim and starter solenoid and replace the impeller, but now it runs great.

For my budget, it is still expensive. I can't imagine getting a repair bill that is twice what I have into my entire setup though. My rig is a lot of work to keep going, and knowing how to turn a wrench is helpful, but there are definitely ways to troll without swallowing the $50K pill!
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dar866horse said:
Been there too. It seems to me that a couple of snowmobiles and atv's are needed so your costs are even throughout the year. That way when you catch fish you think you are getting a good return on money spent
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I have two new sleds, a side by side plus 2 atv's to help distribute the "stupid" expenses threw out the fall/winter. The summer used to be my financial recoup time til some 'jackass" buddt of mine suggested I get a fishing boat!!
 
I worked in the oil patch for 14 years... I would work 12 hours a day, then go back to camp and get online and put a dent in the grand I made that day.. bought ALOT of equipment used from my kicker motor, Scotty electrics, Shimano telotas to the 18 offshore inline boards I have stockpiled. Sales at reef runner lures was bad... id come home from 3 weeks away and it was like Xmas every time I got home, with multiple boxes waiting for me.. besides new line and fuel for the boat, and any repairs I may need,, I’m good for the rest of my life. But watch out if I hit that 649!
 
jaymag said:
It can be frustrating when the thing you love to do becomes hard and costly. I am having not so great luck too. My boat is just a year old barely 40 hours on the main engine and it has been in the shop more than I have used it. When I received it I found many deficiencies that couldn't wait so I put in roughly 30 hours of my own time to repair them. This was a brand new boat. Now my bow mount motor is acting up. batteries are not taking full charge. The main motor is acting up and has to go in for repair. So a little patients and a few lost bucks hear and there is a tough pill to swallow... but its great taking people out who have never fished, or people who appreciate a good day on the water, or that kid that gets his/her first fish. So when the weather lets me go fishing there is nothing I would rather do than be out on the water.

Good luck it gets better.
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What type of boat?? Dealership?? :eek:
 
rcfire77 said:
I am into it my first year and between the boat, tackle, electronics, rods/reels and gear I am probably 50 plus. Everytime I go out something else goes astray. Finally got my boat fixed after it died (3900 marine mechanic bill later) and it was still not running right til my local auto mechanic figured out it was a distorted carb from the previous owners winter storage attempt (that didnt work)... Fast forward to the second coil and new carb and now my boat finally runs as it should. Took it up tp Port Elgin to put it back in its slip and after speaking with a few incoming fishers I decided to give it a run out and drop a few lines for an hour. 30 min later I was down one brand new 18lb shark and the probe from my fish hawk!! I put a scotty downrigger cheater clip on so I could run two rods of both downriggers. I was raising the rigger back up and got sidetracked by talking to my 16 year old and wasn't paying attention when it reached the clip on release and it broke the line!! Brand new cannon mag10s and the line snapped setting my 18lb shark and probe free. I decided this was an omen and packed up. At the doc my son disembarked and threw me back the line that in his haste managed to slip behind the boat and wrap around the prop tightly. I couldn't get it untangled so once it was tied up I slipped into my boxers and did my impression of a 51 year old slightly outta shape Navy SEAL and submerged under my boat in the harbour slip and cut the line free? I have had some awesome days with tons of fish and this is my SECOND day of an old time SCTV fishing skit! So I ordered a new probe that with delivery was 361 plus now I gotta buy another shark to match its single companion on the port side of the boat. PLEASE tell me this will get easier???
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Well your born. You earn money. You spend that money. You die! Hopefully you spent most of your earnings and had enjoyment doing it.
it’s a myth that the guy in the cemetery with the most cash is the winner. Quite the contrary he is a looser.
you don’t sound like a looser so keep smiling and spending.
 
Yep 40 years in the Patch. Traded weekends and xmas days for cash. Probably waved to some of the old timers here from the Mr Neil when it was jacked up off Clear creek. 20 years to go from 12' lund to 18' Hewescraft retirement boat. Paid too much and spend more every year. That said I got my purchase price back on all the boats I've had. Still lost money with the upgrades just not that much. Tinies seem to hold some value.
Piceye has it right never seen a hearse pulling a trailer full of $.
 
Jammer its a Lund Tyee 189 GL. The dealer was Bay Marine Trenton. Not impressed with them. Many deficiencies dealer related and manufacturer related.
 
Interesting because I’ve emailed Bay Marine 3 times for pricing and information and have never heard back from them. I can tell you this, they are off the list of Marinas I would buy from now. If places have no time for you pre sale, they won’t care for you post sale.
 
Out in Huron last night just between Port Elgin and Southampton trolling for salmon, Pulled the rods in at dark and realized I was dragging a "30.000" dollar walleye around the lake, Probably 10.000 a pound for that one but it was a start!
 
jaymag said:
Jammer its a Lund Tyee 189 GL. The dealer was Bay Marine Trenton. Not impressed with them. Many deficiencies dealer related and manufacturer related.
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That's rough! I feel a bit of that pain. I bought a new Lund this year (different dealer than yours). It's a 2019 but was still brand new. The boat and motor have been fine, but the set up by the dealer was terrible. I had to rewire many things and was not impressed by the amount of mistakenly drilled holes they made when installing the transducer and bow mount motor. I fixed all of that with a transducer plate, and I used heavy duty 6 awg wire and a 70amp plug for the trolling motor.

I've got cavitation burn on my prop (maybe 30 hours on it) so bad it needs to be replaced already. I'm working with a different marine shop now to diagnose why. No way the dealer I got the boat from will ever touch anything on it unless its a Lund warranty issue.
 
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