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Boating in a Tough Economy
We are starting to see the effects of the slow down of the
economy. In some areas of the country the doom and gloom forecasts
were accurate, but in others the economy only dropped a little.
Where you live makes a large difference on how the economy
affects your personal finances. Here in Southeast Kansas we
are less susceptible to recessions, since our economy is poor
all the time. We do not see the high points the other areas
of the country have, so we do not have as far to drop. If you
have already lost your job, your house, and your truck this
article is not for you. Your boat surely went before your house
or your truck so you are no longer a boater. This is for the
person who still has a job, house and truck. This person is
not stupid and knows even if he still has a job some common
sense planning will get him through any tough times in the
future.
Boats are inherently expensive to operate and maintain so
this is one area you can save some money. Aside from selling
the boat, which will not happen if you truly are in some of
the worst economically hit areas of the country, here are some
tips that may let you keep and use your boat. First, properly
maintain your boat, even in tough economic times. Proper maintenance
costs less that repairs so you actually save money by maintaining
your boat. You can do this maintenance yourself rather than
take it to a dealer. Remember that if your situation changes
and you have to sell your boat, it will bring a much higher
price if it is well maintained and ready to go than a boat
the has set for 2 years and will not start. I know you will
tell the prospective buyer “it’s just something
small, the boat ran well last year”, but the buyer will
use this as a reason to offer you much less money for your
boat.
Second, start and run your boat at least once a month or more,
even if you just use flush muffs in your driveway. This allows
you to run the motor and let it warm up to operating temperature.
This also tells you if something went wrong in the last month
while it sat. Each time you run it in the driveway do a simple
winterization on the motor to prevent problems the next time
you try to start it. Remember that if money is tight and you
only get to use the boat 2-3 times next year, one ‘no-start’ at
the lake eliminates from 33% to 50% of that year’s boating.
Making sure the motor runs well is more important in these
times than when you go to the lake every weekend.
Travel less and use the boat closer to home. This is very
hypocritical for me to say, but it is good advise anyway. My
shop is 8 miles from Big Hill Lake in southeast Kansas but
every weekend I used to fish Missouri lakes. This meant a 300
mile round trip plus 50-75 gallons of boat gas being burnt
up on those big lakes. Now, I tend to stay closer to home and
fish Big Hill Lake. This means a 16 mile round trip rather
than 300 miles, and burning 3-4 gallons of boat gas compared
with 50-75 gallons on large lakes. Since Big Hill is only 4.75
miles long, and only 0.3 miles wide, using much gas just doesn’t
happen.
Travel more conservatively. I have friends on Table Rock Lake
in Missouri. If I want to fish Table Rock and I do not want
to pull my boat there, I call a friend and offer to pay his
boat gas if he takes me fishing for the weekend. I also offer
to trade a fishing trip on my home lake if he comes to Kansas.
I do not understand why, but none of my friends that live on
Stockton or Table Rock Lakes in Missouri have ever taken me
up on my offer to take them fishing in Kansas. One actually
asked “is there water in Kansas”?
Last, if you have any boat maintenance or repair questions
all me, Ben Minor toll free 888-294-8957. For a small charge
I can walk you through the testing and repair of you boat motor.
Knowing that your boat motor will start and run well when you
get to the lake makes the trip much more fun.
Good fishing,
The Outboard Doctor
Ben
Minor
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