actually its a great topic and having been around this place since almost the beginning you be surprised, this exact thread gets started every other year or so and is usually pretty popular. Good to see peoples opinion and how they handle certain things.

Nahhh it wasn't you...your a c-blocker...:evilb: and we had Wills shine :D

now THAT'S funny...if only I coulda seen it then...lol

If you invite the right guests you don't even have to ask.

Eggzackly!!!

I don't invite anyone on my boat that I don't want to spend the day with and I would be burning the gas regardless. I would never, ever ask anyone for gas money. When I go out on someone else's boat, I take care of the lunch or drink tab most of the time before it even comes by just snagging the waitress before she brings it to the table.


Just sayin:drink::drink:

And sometimes even breakfast and we were just sitting in his hotel, not his boat ;) :drink:

All of us that are older had that exact bumper sticker on our vans back in the 70's/80's. I had to change the wording a little bit ;)

:D:drink::evilb::D:drink::evilb::D:drink::evilb:

I'm still trying to pay that one off! :D

Phucker:evilb::kiss::drink:

I'm sure your buddy appreciates you helping clean up when the fun is over. A lot of people say "thanks" and head out as soon as you get back to the dock.


Tony and I don't expect anything or ask for anything from out guests. We generally do not invite many non-boaters. We all will be riding with someone when we break down. We generally do not accept gas money. I normally advise people of were we're going in advance so they know what to bring. I normally pack enough water and/or food for everyone or will talk with the other people on food. They're on their own for any alcohol for the most part (unless I decide to bring along some sort of mixed drink for everyone). If we stop somewhere for lunch, I certainly don't expect food or bar tab to be paid for. It's nice but we'd be doing the exact same thing anyway so it certainly isn't necessary.

Unfortunately our engines can't seem to stay in the boat so we've been doing our fair share of mooching rides for the last couple of years. We'll normally pick up the tab and/or dock fees of whomever we're riding with (depending on the person it's sometimes in stealth mode ;) ). We normally offer money for gas, but as said we are all just trading around riding with each other.

Certain people are welcome anytime they want....
because they are great crew and alot of fun to be around.Like you and Tony.No $ needed or wanted....Others...Couldnt pay enough !:drink:

C/S Gave everyone who wears a life vest a bad name.
Just out of curiosity did he ever offer to pay for fuel?

BINGO!:drink:

Having to beat friends to the gas attendent got old, our new proceedure has the boat filled and stocked before anyone arrives and we just don't stop at a gas dock, I fill it later when alone. Now I gotta lock the cabin so $$ don't accidentally fall out of pockets.

Thanks Birdog... You know you're welcome with us anytime too. Well after we get engines back in again... Unless you want a ride on the Whaler? :D

I thought it was Ass, Gas or Grass......

I live on the beach and for lack of a better word, most of my friends are beach bums which means their typically broke. But for some reason it works out well for me not that i expect it. I supply a gassed boat, and they supply the rest. Sometimes i even get a hand cleaning it up afterward. These are not my rules, i think i just have some decent friends.

I would never think of asking for fuel, I would be burning it that day anyhow I just enjoy there company, we just tell them we are headed to a beach bring what you like to eat and drink, plus we will have extra. But like everone says your taking people you want to spend time with. At dinner a couple of dollars either way is not a big deal, most make more than me anyway:drink:

thats actually a pretty big one. I would love to have a hand cleaning the boat after a couple days of use. Its not hard to kill a whole day doing a complete inside and out cleanup after a long weekend. I would sooner take that over gas money any day :D

But then, as so many gracious people in this thread have pointed out, you can always kindly decline.

Not religious or particularly spiritual, but I firmly believe that whatever time you spend showing people a great experience on the water is time off your sentence in hell.

And a few of us could use that.

I better start invite'in more people . . . . lots more people :D

Instead of gas I'll take some donations of time for friends to babysit my kids so I can go f$cking boating....:angry-smiley-038:

It works out pretty well in my opnion...... You donate 10-12 hrs of your time on a Saturday afternoon, change crappy diapers, feed the kids, and deal with their b1tching and moaning while my wife and I go out boating for the day and get hammered!:eek:

I dunno, seems like a good deal to me!:drink:
I'm free this weekend so who's in?:party-smiley-004:

I would never ask for anyone to pay or even accept anything for gas, food, drinks, or whatever. They are my guest and I am going out anyway. I bring food and plenty of beverages for them to enjoy. But, if they want something different. They can bring their own. I am always the DD. Its my boat so I am the responsible one. When we get back to the dock. Normally the girls head back. But the guys stay to help wipe down and cover the boat. Thats worth alot to me right there.

On the "new" generation, you called it correctly. What is truly sad, THEY EXPECT IT.

Great thread. IMHO it comes down to simply terms. Some great it----------and some don't. The ones that don't, please don't try to change them. Can't be done. Just embrace those that do-------GET IT.

Moses must be a CT thing.LOL


It depends whos coming on board really If it was for business type things I obviously would pick up the whole tab, everything!

If its acquaitances that I have on board, Id probably let them pick up driinks or some food etc. No gas though because I invited them to enjoy and experience the passion of performance boating.

If its my deadbeat, free loading buddies(LOL) I say "your Lazy AZZ is on my boat all the time the least you can do is kick in some cash for expenses like fuel food etc".

They do the same thing with me on thier toys (planes etc) though so its probably a wash.LOL

I mean when its your BOYS you know and they know what all this stuff costs. They know its cheaper to kick in on my boat than buy thier own and usually they are appreciative they can come out on the boat whenever they want.

Its just different with your good (real) freinds who hang out all the time.

I do expect the guys to stick around and help clean the boat. My boat gets washed at the car wash from top to bottom EVERY time it goes out.

Some of my buddies whine about helping clean it up, and they dont get invited too often.LOL

Usually I only bring parts of my crew with me...if its someone whom I rarely see or hang out with, i would cover everything including food and drinks.

wow, alot of different opinions here!! i particularly like the one about "if you cant afford gas, you shouldnt have a boat anyways" or something like that!! seriously?? guess i need to sell my boats right away then!! none of my friends have boats, so none of them know anything about care/maintenance/fuel or anything. i gladly accept donations for gas money. i now have an established "a list" that has learned the ways of the water, if you will and have hung around, coincidentally, and seen how long it takes me to clean the boat after a day out. since then, they always stay and help. they also realize that if they put up some gas $$, we can go out more often, which benefits them directly. with this group i have recently started declining gas money, since the help is more appreciated. when taking new people on the boat i have zero problems accepting donations though. in fact, i like to see it. it shows that they respect the fact that i am spending alot of $$ (to me, a less fortunate person) to go out on the water.

keep in mind, not everyone is as fortunate as you, to some people $150 in gas IS alot of money. to say that i shouldnt have a boat because of that is absolutely rediculous!!

agreed...a lot of this discussion is based upon perspective.

along with guests "getting it" and "not getting it"...members have to realize/understand/accept the circumstances surrounding a boat owners decision to accept or decline money...circumstances that include: age, financial status, guest relationships, etc

i dont accept money because i am cheap. i do it for a variety of reasons including the ones mentioned above. as hawk stated, not everyone is fortunate to have a lot of money. i love boating, so to be out on the water enjoying friends and family at any cost is good enough for me.

I consider my boat my cottage on the lake and only invite close friends/relatives for a visit. Never expect gas money but if they ask what to bring we'll suggest something to eat and/or drink.
ed

I have had people offer money for gas in the past, it was really nice of them to offer, but not at all necessary. Guests are just that. Besides, I don't have that many friends that still like me. So if I charge them, I may just lose the few I have left.

And really... I am so far into paying for things on this boat, it would be like asking the local kids down the block to use their lemonade stand earnings to pay toward the federal deficit. It wouldn't really make even a dent.

But if someone gets on board and says, "hey I hope you guys like wine because I brought a couple bottles" then that is definitely okay.