Guests paying for fuel. No, they should not.

Chesagansett

Chesagansett

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There was a discussion on a Facebook group about boats not running on "Thank You". The discussion was mostly about whether guests should pay/chip in for fuel. My position is they should NOT be expected to do so, ... but it is okay if they would like to bring some food/drink. To me, this would be like guests bringing a bottle of wine (or other food/drink item) when visiting someone's house. But, expecting them to chip in for fuel would be like them chipping in for your utility bills when they visit your house. That's not expected of guests. What's your opinion(s)? Here is my reply to the group regarding fuel:

<<<< .... When Janet and I invite people aboard our boat, they are our guests. We never want them to pay for fuel. Also, we were going out and burning fuel anyway. The additional fuel used by having the added weight of guests aboard is very little. Expecting guests to chip in for fuel would be like asking them to help subsidize our boat trips. That would not be a guest. That would be a paying customer. We do not run a commercial ferry or charter service. They are our guests. Expecting people to chip in for fuel would be like expecting people to chip in for your utility bills (electric, heat , A/C) when they visit your home. ... (We are heating/cooling the house anyway. And, we are going out and burning boat fuel anyway, whether or not our guests came along on the boat or visit our house.). Don't "use your friends" to subsidize your boating. If you cant afford to take the boat out unless they chip in, then you bought too much boat. Don't blame your friends/guests. ...>>>
 
No guest should not be expected to pay for fuel! If they offer to pay for a meal so be it but I don't expect it.
This said if you plan a trip and are bringing guests that would be different. I took a one week vacation we brought a couple with us and we took turns filling the boat and split the docking fees it was a cheap vacation for both of us!
 
Depends on the circumstances. What Dave said above is legitimate. Also, if you had a ski boat and took friends out for a day of water skiing, I don't think it would be wrong to let them chip in for all the fuel you burned hauling them around the lake.
 
Not sure, but there may be a legal issue here. If the guests pay, even for gas, that may make it a commercial activity for which a captain's licence would be needed. Kinda like a fishing captain taking people out fishing. I know this is nit-picking but the boat operator should at least be aware it.

Roy
 
A bunch of guys offering to chip-in for gas on a fishing trip is not the same as the operator charging for fuel. One is a friendly transaction on a recreational vessel, the other a business transaction on a passenger vessel.
 
My guest are only expected to BYOB. I supply food and fuel.
 
We don’t ask guests to pay for or bring anything on the boat. Same policy as when we invite people to our house.
We don’t expect anything either.
Our guests who are mostly friends or family members generally bring something to eat or drink, usually a bottle of wine or a dessert item or sometimes both, when they come on the boat or to our house.
Some occasions they bring a non consumable gift if the occasion calls for it.
We always express our gratitude when they come aboard or walk in. If it’s a non consumable gift, my wife makes sure whoever the recipient is writes a Thank You note. She says that it’s one of the things that separate us from the apes.
If they bring a bottle of something she always opens it up and serves it. If it’s a dessert, she always serves it. Sometimes we have so many desserts that some don’t get touched, or barely touched. In those cases we usually ask the guests to take some stuff home with them rather than leave it on the boat or in the house where we’ll wind up eating too much of it.
We never show up anywhere empty handed and although we know a few people that are generally tighter than a crab’s a$$ in some other ways, I can’t remember anyone ever showing up empty handed when we invite them.
 
Roy, we've discussed the legal ramifications of friends chipping in for gas before. The consensus if I remember is that there were none. Not the same as a commercial charter. If your kid's friends chip in for your child's car gas , does that make your car a taxi---no.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Good Grief

A bunch of guys offering to chip-in for gas on a fishing trip is not the same as the operator charging for fuel. One is a friendly transaction on a recreational vessel, the other a business transaction on a passenger vessel.

Click to expand...


As I understand it, that is just the way the USCG has defined the difference between the need to be a licensed marine operator or not under such circumstances.

If in return for passage there is a requirement for a passenger to "chip in", the operator must be coast guard licensed. If there is no requirement but there is an un-"suggested" voluntary donation of provisions or even some gas money( presumably as long as a profit is not being made), that appears to be acceptable.

My crew/guests are never asked to chip in & I don't accept money or gas , but semi-regulars do often bring ice or bait or an extra sandwich to be helpful and save me prep time on friendly fishing runs and ... usually... cheerfully help me clean up at the end of the trip which is the best payback of all.

I also don't ever want my friends to feel like money or gas is a "price of admission" which might sometimes make them less interested in quickly deciding to accept an invitation to "Let's went, Ceesco!"

There are a lot of priceless moments out on the water , and I'd like to keep it that way for guests.
 
We have never asked anyone to pay for anything when cruising with us - family or friends.
With that said there are many times when guests have paid for meals , dockage, fuel etc even prepaying the bill ahead of time when we least expected it.
Especially on longer trips when they have been creative and insistent on sharing some of the costs.
 
Guests are just that, guests, not checkbooks.
 
What about friends who come aboard every week? I let them pay for docking fees like at Flynns or food, but never gas.... And these are frequent guests...
 
Maybe looking at it the other way around is a good idea....
This past weekend we were guests on a friends boat - we paid for their dinner before they got the bill, felt it was the least we could do.
We have done things like that many times before when we were guests on board.
 
quote:
Originally posted by pstew96

What about friends who come aboard every week? I let them pay for docking fees like at Flynns or food, but never gas.... And these are frequent guests...

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Were you heading out on the boat anyway, or are they specifically requesting for you to take them out? In other words, are they repeatedly requesting that you specifically take them out when you otherwise wouldn't be heading out?
Another way of looking at it is this: .... If you had a a weekly poker night at your house, it would probably be nice if your poker buddies brought some beers over, but I bet you wouldn't have them chip in for your electric bill, even they came over weekly.
 
We hold 432 gallons of diesel.

I always make our guests pay for 432 gallons of fuel, whether we leave the dock, or not.

We no longer have guests on board...
 
quote:
Originally posted by HOGAN

We hold 432 gallons of diesel.

I always make our guests pay for 432 gallons of fuel, whether we leave the dock, or not.

We no longer have guests on board...



Click to expand...
:D

there were time's some guest would offer to pay for the fuel, I would tell them it can hold 600G(now 800) & I have it covered just enjoy
 
quote:
Originally posted by abalmuth

quote:
Originally posted by HOGAN

We hold 432 gallons of diesel.

I always make our guests pay for 432 gallons of fuel, whether we leave the dock, or not.

We no longer have guests on board...



Click to expand...
:D

there were time's some guest would offer to pay for the fuel, I would tell them it can hold 600G(now 800) & I have it covered just enjoy

Click to expand...


In reality, if they offer to pay for fuel, I ask them if they know how much I hold, and how much I burn per mile. When I tell them, they are shocked - and I tell them I don't want any money for fuel from them.
 
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