Low Usage

[InfantryMP]

Well apparently, I do not use my boat enough. Google told me that 75-100 hours a year is average for people who have boats. I pulled my hours up on the ole Vessel View, and I have 24.8 after 14 months of ownership. I reckon a few more days off a year are needed! 

 

What are you full time working folks getting per year on the motor hour wise?

[J Francho]

Those stats have far more pleasure boaters' hours skewing the numbers. I'd say at my height of using my boats it was probably like 30 hours a year. 

[roadwarrior]

Hmm...

At least 10 hours a month on average.

[InfantryMP]

6 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Those stats have far more pleasure boaters' hours skewing the numbers. I'd say at my height of using my boats it was probably like 30 hours a year. 

I thought about that when I was typing too. I think I will hit close to 30-35 by end of year with the last few tournaments remaining. 

2 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Hmm...

At least 10 hours a month on average.

I wish...I always say I am going to go out more, but it always seems to have the opposite effect. 

[J Francho]

I mean I think I run the big motor maybe 20 minutes per outing. 

[TnRiver46]

No clue, a lot 

[Tennessee Boy]

Are the Google numbers motor running hours or boat in the water hours?

[813basstard]

28 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Those stats have far more pleasure boaters' hours skewing the numbers. I'd say at my height of using my boats it was probably like 30 hours a year. 

At first I’m like “that’s it!?” But I was thinking how many hours the Humminbird is on and not the big motor which is vastly different..so yeah this makes sense

[WRB]

My last bass boat was 2005 Trident that I sold in 2020, 15 years with 54 hours on the OB! Reason is the lake I fished was 2 miles long. I fish using the TM and run the OB to go point A to point B occasionally idling running the sonar.

Tom 

[J Francho]

Hours on a boat are measured in hours running the O/B.  It's stored in the diagnostics and sometimes displayed in the instrumentation.

[Jig Man]

I owned my Champion 14 years and averaged 54.12 hours yearly.  I fished 70-100 days per year.  Much of the time I fished within a mile or so of the truck as the lake has over a dozen public ramps and is only about 25000 acres.

[Big Rick]

If we could measure hours on the trolling motor then I would have them stacked up! Most of the time I start my big motor to run a few minutes to my first spot then crank it again to head in. 

[TOXIC]

I have a 2005 Ranger Z21 and I am the 3rd owner.  1st owner was an FLW Pro who owned it for the first year.  It was then owned by a retired gentleman who unexpectedly passed away after 3 years.  It then sat in his brothers lot for another 3 years.  It has 490 hours on the big motor.  It had low 300 when I bought it.  For bass boats for sale purposes, I have heard that 100 hours a year is a good average.  

[gim]

39 minutes ago, Big Rick said:

If we could measure hours on the trolling motor then I would have them stacked up! Most of the time I start my big motor to run a few minutes to my first spot then crank it again to head in. 

Me too. A few minutes here, a few minutes there. The majority of my time on the water is with the bow mount, not the outboard.

[MN Fisher]

2 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Me too. A few minutes here, a few minutes there. The majority of my time on the water is with the bow mount, not the outboard.

That seems to be the norm....last time I was out for 4 hours....probably put all of 15 minutes on the outboard, rest was on the TM.

[Way north bass guy]

Some years it’s not many outboard hours, like this year I’ve been pretty busy with my work schedule, doing things around the house, and mostly been on short trips to smaller inland lakes. Other years, especially when I’m doing a lot of fishing on Georgian Bay, it’s easily 100 hours a year. Pretty easy to put 40-50 miles total a day running around “the bay”. 

[Bankc]

The size of the bodies of water you fish will be a huge factor in the hours you put on the motor.  In a 100,000 acre lake, you're probably going fishing 8 times a year to put 25 hours on a motor.  In a 1,000 acre lake, you may be fishing just about every weekend to get to 25 hours.  

[J Francho]

I don't think that's always true. I fish Lake Ontario frequently. My spots are mostly 10 minutes away from the launch in a power boat. 
 

Think about this too: my last boat burned over 30 gph at WOT. It had a 25 g tank. Do the math - I did not make long runs. I made fast runs

[Johnbt]

I fished from 7 until 3 yesterday, but neither trolling motor has an hour meter on it. The boat has had a lot of use since 2014, but the 9.9 Merc only leaves the garage for reservoir fishing a few times a year.

[Koz]

As someone who doesn't own a boat, I find this fascinating. I mean, the numbers make sense because for bass fishing the trolling motor is the primary means of propulsion. But the expense for a boat motor versus the time it's used reminds me of people that collect expensive cars but rarely take them out for a drive.

 

Growing up my family had boats (a 26 footer and a 55 footer) but they were ocean boats we used for short and long pleasure trips. I don't even recall fishing off them.

[Captain Phil]

9 hours ago, Koz said:

As someone who doesn't own a boat, I find this fascinating. I mean, the numbers make sense because for bass fishing the trolling motor is the primary means of propulsion. But the expense for a boat motor versus the time it's used reminds me of people that collect expensive cars but rarely take them out for a drive.

 

I have owned boats most of my life. Bass boats are not generally run as much as a salt water boats.  Salt water runs are longer and trolling is often used as the primary fishing method.  My diesel sportfish had 2,500 hours on it when I sold it and I bought it new.  Even when I was fishing tournaments I rarely put over 100 hours a year on my bass boats.

 

Whoever buys my current Ranger when I'm gone will get an almost new boat.  The boat ramp is three blocks from my home and my favorite fishing spot is 200 yards from the ramp.  This summer it's been hot and I haven't been fishing more than a couple of times this month.  If you buy a used boat, you want to buy one from an old man like me. 

 

Boat maintenance is a lot more important than hours used.  The worst boats to buy are those that sat for years.  Electrical connections corrode, fuel turns to jelly and motors seize.  If you are going to own a boat, you need to exercise it regularly and maintain it properly. 

 

I can't imagine living without a boat.   Even if I don't use it, I know I can.  ☺️