Club Rules

[vaparrothead]

I resigned from a club (name withheld) because of the following rule (copied directly from website):

Tournament costs are to be borne by each participant and are divided as follows:

(a) Fifty percent of transportation costs for the tow vehicle, to and from the tournament site, even though the partners may not ride together. This shall include gasoline, oil, tolls, etc.

( Fifty percent of cost of operation of the boat. This shall include gasoline, oil, ramp fees, parking, etc.

As a non-boater I'm perfectly fine with rule ( I should be expected to pay 50% of the operation of the boat but rule (a) really irks me.

Why should I pay for 50% of the transportation costs of the tow vehicle if I don't ride with him? I agree I should pay 50% or an amount agreed to if I ride with the boater but if I'm paying $15 for gas to get to a tournment and now I pay the boater $10 (half of his cost because the tow vehicle costs more to operate) so now I've paid $25 to get the tournment and he's only paid $10.

Most of the club members didn't use this rule but there were a few that did and it really ticked me off.

What are your thoughts?

[Grey Wolf]

You wouldn't fish if the boat owner had stayed at home.

Wear and tear on his boat should count for something.

JMHO

[bluerock bass]

I fished with ABA for few years and they had a rule that the non boater "must" pay half of gas used on the water. I had no problem with that rule. Now of course you will always have the guys that will travel 2 miles and want $25. I fished with a guy who made a 5 to 7 mile run to fish he found two days before and not only did he put me on fish he would take a dime of my money. I even left it is his truck and he came and found me to give it back. To guys that say well if the boater did not show you would not have a ride. I say if I was not going to the tournament, wouldn't you be going anyway. I can honestly say in 3 yrs of fishing draw TX, only once did I feel taken advantage of, but 98% of the tournament were a great time

[NJBass12]

This is always a touchy subject.  I've been on both sides.  As a  non-boater I was always worried about not giving the boater enough money and as a boater I hate taking money.  As a non-boater I always paid the launch fees and would typically give another 10 - 20 dollars to cover fuel.  My club fishes in New Jersey, the lakes are small so you typically do not burn much fuel.  As a boater I do not expect the non-boater to pay for the fuel for my truck as I would be driving to the lake regardless.  For me, if the non-boater pays the launch fee (typically $15 - $20) that is more than enough.  Again, I fish in New Jersey and our lakes are small.   

[bassnleo]

That rule under A is ridiculous!

Sorry, but I'm all for paying half of what is used ON THE WATER but EVERYONE incurrs expense to get there, not just the boat owners. As a rider I have to pay half of the owners TOLLS? Are you kidding me? That rule is not fair!

Let me add, I am a boat owner. I would NEVER accept money from someone for expenses I incurred to get to the lake, just wouldn't happen. If you wanna kick me half of our days on the water expenses....fine....but that's all I'll take.

[J Francho]

I'm selling on the "wear and tear" on the boater's tow vehicle and boat.  If they are that worried, then don't fish, and leave their rig in the garage.  What they get out of this deal, is no one to help offset their costs, because no non/co will want to fish this club.

In my club, the co angler pays 1/2 the entrance fee + $30.  On long trips, we arrange transportation, and split costs.

Personally, it sounds like the boaters in that club want to fish alone.  One question, though.  Didn't this come to a vote?  Why did such a rule pass?

[BassLaw13]

My club splits boat expenses between boater and non-boater but tow vehicle expenses are only split if the non-boater rides in the tow vehicle.

We don't charge anything beyond the boat because the boater would have had to tow his boat to fish whether he had a non-boater or not. 

This is the most fair way we've come up with to deal with it.  Same as some boaters used to tack on insurance fees etc. to their non-boater.  That was also ruled excessive since the boater would have had insurance to pay regardless of having a non-boater.

I'd have quit that club over that rule too.

[vaparrothead]

J Francho:  This was a rule before I joined the club; tried to get it changed but couldn't get it past the Executive Committee.  The issue was the same as Bass Brat brought up; wear and tear on the boat.  Well I agree with you; if you bought a boat to make money on it then you bought it for all the wrong reasons.  I'm all for paying my "fair share" of expenses that I wouldn't have if I wasn't fishing with a boater.  I'm always willing to pay ramp fees and half the gas and little extra for oil and wear and tear but to pay half the boaters transportation fees seems excessive.  As I said in my original post most members didn't use this rule (I think alot of them didn't know it exists) but there were a few who I felt took advantage of this. 

[burleytog]

There had to have been a problem in the past for such a rule to be approved.  For a lot of people, if this issue isn't codified in the by-laws, they won't pay a red cent.  That is the reason my club enacted a similar rule.

In our club, a non-boater pays the boater's entry fee. After that, it is between them as to what money changes hands.

When I fished as a non-boater, I would pay the entry fee plus buy the boater a meal and throw in $25 for gas.  Even then I had boaters who wouldn't take the extra money.

As a boater, all I ask is that the NB takes care of the entry fee. 

[NHBA Charlie]

As a director of the club in question, I would like to explain the intent of the rule. This is a FUN club. Entry fees were $6.00 per tournament with only $2.00 per participant being returned as prize money and that didn't get paid until the end-of-year banquet. As a FUN club, it was felt by all concerned when the club was formed 19 years ago that participants should ride to the tournament TOGETHER, giving them more time to socialize, formulate plans for fishing the tournament and time to share other fishing information.

This was particularly important when the tournament was held 200-250 miles away. In these cases, it was a safety issue. After fishing from dawn until 1:00 p.m. and than having to drive 250 miles home, it is very easy to become drowsy when driving alone. A partner in the vehicle helps to keep each of them alert and safe. This is the same reason that we recommend that everyone stop at the same restaurant about half the distanceto our homes. It keeps people alert and is much safer.

Over the 19 years this club has been in existence, we have had an average of 60+ members, no accidents on tournament days, and this is the first time anyone has complained of the rule.

Incidentally, as the former member noted, the rule was in effect before he joined and he opted to join anyway.

Charlie Taylor, Director, NHBA

[Glenn]

The rules are ridiculous, period, but especially B.  My club has never had any such rules, and it's the oldest bass club in existence (founded 1938).

I've been on both sides of the issue, and it's always been a matter of working out whatever seems reasonable between the two parties.  If either side gets the short end of the stick, word gets around who to avoid.

The unreasonable boaters have problems finding partners, and the unreasonable non-boaters have problems finding rides.  Either they change their ways or move on. It all works out.

If you need a rule to dictate etiquette amongst gentlemen, then the club is attracting the wrong people in the first place. 

[stew6371]

I'm a non-boater and I pay entry fee and I bring lunch and snacks. And sometimes a little extra whatever it may be.

[etommy28]

Every tournament i have ever fished I offer my boater 20 to 40 bucks at the end of the day to cover some gas, oil, ect. cost.Infact in the florida bass federation it is required you offer at least 35 bucks.

[tnhiker44]

I have never asked for nor accepted one thin dime from any non-boater for any expense. I guess I have been lucky because when it was my non-boaters time to either fish from the front or fish his water he has never asked to go somewhere I did not want to fish. In fact, I will take it one step further. I travel a lot for work and build up points from a hotel chain that I use. During our out-of-town tourneys my non-boaters have not paid one cent for lodging either. I have already reserved four free nights for our upcoming travel tourneys with two double beds and we have not even drawn partners yet... I may be fishing alone for both tourneys. My take on it is this; Firstly, this is all about fun and fellowship for me. If it gets to the point that 20 to 40 dollars for a fishing trip is the make or break point it is defiantly time I pick up another past time. Secondly, I will be fishing whether I have a non-boater or not. Often my non-boaters are non-boaters because financially they are strapped. I have enjoyed fishing with all of them, learned some from most of them and want to continue to do so.

the florida bass federation it is required you offer at least 35 bucks.

The second this was forced onto one of my non-boaters is the second I would quit the Florida Bass Federation.

[JohnnyBigger]

I was a non-boter for most of my tournaments and I always offer 20 bucks only 2 times was it taken, but now that I have my own I realize how much it cost to go as a boter. If im fishing on kissimmee and go friday to prefish then fish saturday, unless I found a spot real close odds are your going to run a ways, and my boat likes to suck gas and it hurts. I appreciate it when a non-boter gives me 20 bucks but I dont ask. I dont make alot of money and niether does my wife but I love fishing tournaments but I cant hardly affored to do it anymore.

[fishfordollars]

Ridiculous rule. I too never take any money from my non boater partner. I personally would never join a club that required the non boater to pay a boater's entry fee either.

This is a club of boaters setting up rules to fund the boaters expenses.

[vaparrothead]

Well I'd like to thank everyone who replied.  Based on what I've read in the replies my thinking was on track and most of you feel the rule is unfair to non-boaters. 

[Sam]

Our club charges a flat amount based on the gasoline prices the day of the tournament draw.

Right now the nonboater pays the boater $40 to cover costs. 

[fisin green]

And we wait all winter for summer and then complain its to hot too. the question should not be about money but how we did that day.

my club pays a flat fee as well and our non boaters only have to show up with that money they do not pay for the boat, insure the boat, repair the boat, clean the boat charge the boat and so on and after fishing that day they walk away from the boat but sure complain if their is a problem with said boat.

If you owned your own boat what would you do?

and if I had no tackle could I use yours??

Even the site does not run for free but our opinions are

[stew6371]

i dont agree with any club forcing any nonboater to pay. it is common courtesy for a nonboater to offer to help cover expenses. the problem is common courtesy hardly exsists in our society today. i wouldnt take money from a nonboater, but if they arent willing to help cover the cost i dont want them in my boat.

[jbass]

Our club has been around since 1980 and everything has been and still is split 50/50 as far as fuel on the water, IF you ride you split that as well. All tourney fees are paid by the participants of the tourney on the day of the meeting or on site of the tourney. The boaters pay for the launch, but I like to take care of that as a bonus to the boater for the ride. This system has been working since day one....