was this rude of me

this tues and wed i rode with the guy i ride with every week. some times he may not always contribute enough with gas. so this time i said we'll just split the bill at the end of the 2 days. it was about 100 bucks total. he didnt seem to have any problem with it but i was just thinking that maybe it was kinda rude of me and i shouldve just let him contribute whatever he wanted(my guess is it wouldve been about 30 bucks).

whatever the boat owner says is fair in my eyes as long as it's reasonable.

its your boat do what you think is fair

You can ask him to pay the whole bill if you want,as long as you tell your guest what you expect before you go out then he/she is going out with you knowing full well their financial responsibility.

I don't think that you were rude at all. When I'm on someone else's boat I always try to offer more than I thought I used to cover for other things like gas in the truck, ramp etc, but I've come across people in my boat that will just kick down the minimum or short me a little. I usually just let it go but if your talking about more than one day out I would of said something too.

Cheap people SUCK !

Hell no it wasn't rude! You were upfront about it to start with and especially w/ it around 2 bucks a gallon, paying for it all the time gets really old.

walt i hear you but maybe im being the cheap one? maybe i should just be happy with whatever he offers.

what would you guys say would be fair for a two runs taken in a day.

what would you guys say would be fair for a two runs taken in a day.

$10 absolute minimum and that puts you pretty low on my people to call back list. $15 seems to be about average and a 20 spot will get you VIP access to my boat.

Two runs is $20.00 minimum. Like walt I consider other things like, was the boat slammed? Did he tow it far? The guys I ride with are more than generous. I usually get $20.00 whether they took one run or 2. It all works out. I'm usually over paid though so I try to do the same.

IMHO the minimum would be twenty for two pulls unless your boat is already on the water.

Like I said before it takes $$$ to get the boat to the lake plus ramp fee's ,insurance and maintenance.

J-rod thats about what I thought was fair. Me and a friend pass 10 bucks back and forth cause we switch up boats its kinda more a joke than anything. We have been doing this for about 5 years now.

Don't forget that the owner of the boat is making the monthly payment on the boat. A lot of riders don't even take this into consideration, and too me, the owner shouldn't have to pay for his/her pulls because they are the ones providing the vehicle(s) of entertainment.
With Gas prices these days, I would say that it's about $5-8 a set, depending on what part of the country you're in and if the boat has to be towed to the water then that's easily an extra $5-10 depending on how far the drive is.

My buddy got me hooked on Wakeboarding and I always tried kicked in for gas, ropes, handles, maintenance stuff,etc. Gas for his truck when hauling, anything I could to help out so it wasn't such a burden. This was after a year or so when I wanted to go all the time and finally realized what the investment was.

I got so hooked on it we ended up splitting in on a new boat together, now we got a sick ride and everything goes down the middle, it's a great situation if you can do it.

It's an expensive sport, it's ok to ask for some gas coin, really. I know you don't want to cause friction with your bro, especially if he is the one you count on to go riding. Just explain it to him and tell him you appreciate the contribution as it really helps out. If you start doing the math for all expenses and what a session costs, it get's scarey. Some coin for gas is kind of a given really. I may not ask a guest, but a regular should kick in.

A guest that I invite always rides for free, but if you're a regular in the crew, then I think $20 is a fair amount to pay for expenses associated with getting the boat on the water.

I would never say anything if someone stiffed me, but if it happened more than once, then they probably wouldn't get another invite unless I absolutely needed a third. You have to compromise sometimes in order to ride.

If I'm on another persons boat, I just ask "what's my share?" and let em make the call on the amount. My boat, I like about seven bucks for a fifteen or twenty minute set. This is pretty much just for gas. The boat and everything that goes with it is my responsibility and I don't expect anyone to chip in for that. I'de be using it regardless. Just getting thirds to commit and show is hard enough. The whole three peson deal is prolly what will drive me out of this sport. Man we need a cable park in NorCal!

$20 should be the minimum for a regular. If I have invited newbies out, I dont expect any money from them, just sort of teach them the way of clean up and other things. if they end up becoming a regular, they figure out soon enough, that kicking down for gas is customary. common sense should prevail....

I tell my riders 35 bucks for every quarter tank of gas used (it cost $120 to fill her up), I'm the owner so I will pay for boat,ramp fee, etc they are guest they will pay for the convience of of riding which is the FULL MONTY for gas!! They can split the final however they like as long as I'm paid in full. I will let them make the first runs and make sure they get ride as much as they like (with in time constraints, if any), I wont be the one always in the water.

If I am a guest I will ask what it cost to fill it then when the day is over I make sure the owner does not come out of pocket for gas!

(Message edited by ghostrider_2 on June 02, 2005)

I'm so happy you guys put this up, i don't have a boat and i ride on other peoples boats. So i have been wondering now that the gas prices have gone up, how much to give!

It is your boat, you make up the rules. I don't feel that you were being rude at all, you are simply taking the proper measures needed to keep things running.

On my boat, when we go out, I (often) go so far as to break out a calculator at the end of the day to split up the total expense among the # of people and everyone pays up however much the day happened to cost. I do this because I'm not rich (yet), and can't have my friends come out for free. But we all have a full day of fun, yay!

Wakeboarding is unquestionably an expensive sport, but sometimes I like to compare it to skiing/snowboarding, which (for me) comes out more expensive. (gas up to the mtns, lift ticket...) With that in light, it makes wakeboarding seem a lot cheaper- if you are just along for the pulls, not buying the boat haha.

I knew...But it took buying my first boat to really appreciate the cost of having/using a boat.....I never really expect to break even (especially when surfing. UGH!!), and I usually avoid asking, but those greenbacks offered by regulars as well as invitees do not go un-noticed, and can influence my future plans...

I also look at reliability, helping out, boobs, and awareness of riders waiting on you to finish your run, as a measuring stick.

If you only get 2 pulls on my boat, and it's not a super short day, I'll probably feel like you got cheated, unless you sit out voluntarily, and don't surf when conditions dictate. I want everyone to go home beat!

I usually cough up 3 bucks......But only if I get AT LEAST 4 runs!!! See you tomorrow Buzz!!!

Oh, yeah--Lucy and I get right of refusal on runs, but seldom take it.... First time riders on my boat get the first run, then guests next, as a rule....

LOL boobs! yesssss

Boobs go for free on occasion, especially if they are just for ballast. Ha, ha, ha. I usually expect $10 for each ride, although on days where we have more riders I may not charge more than $10. I don't want 8 riders to contribute $20 each. I also take into account whether or not the people brought anything else like drinks or food with them.

Generally I'm happy to accept whatever people give. Being a boat owner is my choice and I generally consider the people on my boat to be my guest.

For a hole of riding $40 is usualy what I put out plus beer. For a few hours of riding never less then $20. If there is going to over 3 in the boat I don't think the boat owner should have to pay for any gas. You are right on for what you did.

I'm with Evan on this one!


I don't expect but appreciate!

$10 a pull sounds right on.

Being the boat owner really makes you appreciate and notice (for others and yourself) who pays, how much, how often and when you should throw down on others boats and other things in general.
I have a cousin that loves to come out and ride I notice that I dont call her unless I NEED a third she never throws down... It just gets old and once you notice, you notice it sooo much more...

IMO ~ Dont be "That Guy"!

I typically don't pay for the gas in my boat.

John hit the nail on the head. (Don't be that guy)

With my first boat, I was pretty easy. I should have been a bit more pushy. I would take what was given, and most of the time, I felt it was pretty fair.

With my new boat, larger payment, and increased gas prices, I have been a bit more pushy. Gas, flash (ladies only, please!), food and beer, or hell.. all three will get you more pulls than the others. JK. What I usually do is let people know at the begining of the season that some donation is expected, and gas money is the most appreciated. I was going to have a sign made for the dash that says "This Boat Runs on GAS, - Not Thanks", but thought that was a bit over the top. I also thought about putting a piggy bank in one of the cup holders that said "gas money" on it. Everyone usually offers to help wipe the boat down at the ramp, but I live so close, I prefer to tow home and clean up there. Some have come by and helped there, which is nice since it usuallt takes quite a while to unload all the stuff, hang to dry, remove speakers, etc. In leiu of coming home to help, gas money is most appreciated, as well as bringing along drinks. There are some of my friends that show up with 2-3 others, and they are really good about bringing their own beer and munchies, and also pitch in for gas.

As far as how much is fair... I usually take what is offered. Sometimes I don't take it all. There are times where we are only on the lake a few hours, and someone gets 1 or 2 pulls, then throws me 20-25 dollars. I politely tell them that half of that should be fine. If they insist, tehn I probably won't take it from them on the next trip. Boat owners who ride are pretty good judges of what it costs to run that day.

I have a blast just taking riders out. I am not very pushy about pitching in, but I know I should be.

See ya later Joe!

My buddy's old boat.

$300-$500+ a month for a boat payment
$50+ a month for insurance
$80-$150+ a month for storage
$60+ for registration
$20-$30+ for oil changes
$20+ new impeller every year
$10-$1500+ for watersports gear (boards, vests, bumpers, wakeskates, blah, blah, blah)
$$$ for assorted miscellaneous expenses

I don't think it is rude to ask for a few dollars to chip in for gas. First of all you shouldn't have to ask!!!

There are no "scholarships" on my boat. If it becomes a habit of not chipping for gas, drinks, etc. then the invites stop. Trust me... there are PLENTY of cool people that like to go to the lake and have fun that aren't cheap!!!

Yep, there is more expenses to owning a boat than just the gas.

Buzz ~ Later Joe..

tooo funny!!

IF YOU WANNA PLAY - YOU GOTTA PAY!!! MY BOAT RUNS ON GAS, NOT THANKS!! Like TR says.. look at the cost for the owner. The guys i take out get on an ave. of 3-4 pulls per day. without asking they pitch in a 20 spot each. guess im lucky