$50 is the new $20 + fuel roulette

[djyas]

Interested in how you all handle $$ contributions.

Here’s my program if anyone cares… Since it’s friends I try to be delicate but I’ve been more assertive lately.

Like many of you we’ve been very blessed financially so this is more about respect and surrounding ourselves with true friends rather than groupies. In general I expect to host everything everyday and am thankful when people contribute meaningfully.

When guys show up to ride with me and want to be invited back I appreciate if they show up with a $50, $60 is better, $100 and your VIP and I’ll let you drive if I know you’re a good boat driver.

Ladies ride free if they are just guests, if they surf then I’m happy if they contribute as well, and oddly they do much more reliably than the guys.

Way way back in the day $20 was great, but a full tank of gas for our boat costs over $400 now, I just bought our slip, our boat payments come second only to our mortgage payment, and the place where we store the boat in the winter and trailer in the summer just raised their rates… and on and on. You all know the story.

We easily buy more than 1,000 gallons of clear premium in a season. So I’ve just stopped welcoming back guys who Venmo $20 and when they they try to hand me $20 I hand it back.

Notably, we let guests surf till they tap out from complete exhaustion and when time allows we go through the whole lineup twice. So we are generous with ride time.

Related… I’ve started playing credit card roulette at the pump. I tell all the guys to pull out a card and I let the attendant pick one. Then I celebrate whoever gets picked and name them the fuel sponsor for the day. Then I direct folks to give them their contributions. I’d do this every time but the pump has very limited hours.

I learned this game from an athlete who got sick of paying for every dinner. It’s actually a bit fun for everyone, even the “loser” …and everyone has been good sports about it.

Anyway, I’m sure I’ll get criticism for how I handle this, and that’s fine… but what I’m interested in is how you all think about contributions and encourage everyone to kick in.




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[clrussell]

I think I’ve only ever had someone hand me money maybe twice. Once I know for sure and it was a female. And she’s always welcome back.

I try to make sure I cover my end of things when the opportunity arises.

[MC25]

Here’s the thing. If I invite you, I never expect gas money. anything is nice but I usually don’t accept it. Especially when I ride on their boats too. That doesn’t mean I don’t offer them money when I go out on theirs, but they usually decline too.

Life is too short to fret over people giving you gas money, unless you need the money.

[lakedrum03]

My opinion is that if you invite someone, then you are assuming their costs. You should not expect your guests to pay for anything unless you specify those things at the time of invite. This applies to any type of invite from a simple backyard BBQ to a weekend at the lake.

I will say that under any circumstances, they better bring their own beer.

[Huckelfin]

I am always kind of surprised to see this discussion on a top brand forum. I don't have anywhere close to as nice of boat as many of you, but she still burns gas like one lol. For me, if you think to offer me money at the end of a boating day, I feel so flattered that I won't even take it. But if I take you a lot and you never offer a dime and barely say thank you, I start to think twice about offering you to come back.

For friends that I actually ski with in a more serious fashion, we hardly ever mention the cost of gas as it evens out between us. We always bring a grocery bag of beer to add to the cooler though.

That being said, if its a persons boat I don't usually regular on, I ALWAYS make a point to offer gas money. It means a lot to some people I think.

[ajvz381]

I see it as I am the one who bought a boat to have fun with family and friends. As the buyer of the boat I should be able to afford, expect and plan to pay for all of the gas. If I wasn't able to afford the gas I shouldn't have bought the boat in the first place. If the price of gas goes up making it less economical for me, I would just have to use it less until prices drop again. or It isn't my friends and families responsibility to fund my hobby.

We expect no money from anybody that we invite onto our boat. As we would have been on it anyway, and probably had more fun with them being on it with us. If I was counting on getting gas money to afford the fun, I probably shouldn't have gotten the boat in the first place.

We are and will always be out on our boat on the weekends with or without friends. So, either way, we will be using gas wakeboard, skiing and tubing. Having friends able to go with us is a bonus. If they offer to pay for gas that is a nice gesture, but I won't take it for the above reason. My response is always no, I don't want money for gas. My payment is enjoying time on the boat with my friends! Only had one guy who was SUPER adamant about it and ended up, begrudgingly, letting him pay for my family's dinner at the end of the night instead.

For those who specifically ASK to be taken out for a ride without me offering and on a day I wouldn't normally be out on the boat would be a different story. I would take whatever they offered or be honest with them on the cost if they asked how much.

For regular runs with buddies I would work it all out ahead of time and take turns on who paid each time we went. My brothers and a group of other guys from the lake skied every morning before work and did that. Each would take turns each week buying gas throughout the summer.

[clrussell]

Here’s the thing. If I invite you, I never expect gas money. anything is nice but I usually don’t accept it. Especially when I ride on their boats too. That doesn’t mean I don’t offer them money when I go out on theirs, but they usually decline too.

Life is too short to fret over people giving you gas money, unless you need the money.

Same.

I’ve never expected a dollar from anyone I’ve invited.

[tchur1]

I dont hate the way you are going about this.

For me its the thought/principal more than the money. If I invite someone and I know its a one off, I assume the cost. For close friends that I know are coming with us often, I just preface at the invite that gas money is appreciated, and more often then not, they offer gas money when they ask to come out.

When I got on a friends boat, I always wil venmo $50-$75.

[John Johnson]

I have a brother in law who will bring his kids to my cabin for at least two weeks each summer. He asked me one time, "Man, how much do you spend on gas when we are down here?" I told him that it was about $80 a day and he was shocked. Some people just don't know. For the first time in 11 years, he Venmo'd $150 this Summer. I didn't ask, but I didn't refuse it either.

[sppeders]

I have a brother in law who will bring his kids to my cabin for at least two weeks each summer. He asked me one time, "Man, how much do you spend on gas when we are down here?" I told him that it was about $80 a day and he was shocked. Some people just don't know. For the first time in 11 years, he Venmo'd $150 this Summer. I didn't ask, but I didn't refuse it either.

ha, yep.... family. LOL

My sister: i'll drag her kids around the lake all weekend long, i don't expect or will accept any $$$ but she's always super proud when she "hides" $20 in the boat somewhere and tells me where it is when she's driving home.

[btriantos]

$50 is the new $20 + fuel roulette

Guess I am a little more passive aggressive on this. I tend to announce every morning that I’m heading to “top off” the boat before we do our surf runs and ask others to get in the boat to help, which includes stocking the cooler and getting ice. If you are helping out and making efforts to bring food and supply drinks for the weekend, help with DAILY boat wipe downs, I do not expect to collect $ from you… if you want to put your card down on my daily weekend fill up, I certainly won’t snub it away.
There are those who will take advantage and they are the ones who generally don’t get invited back too often, but others do realize the expense and help out. My son now, recently graduated from college and got a nice job, pays for my Marina gas or tries to sneak his card in over mine…. I could almost cry on that one, I am so proud.
I love treating people to the boating experience and feel I am helping spread joy and hooking others into the lifestyle.
I know it’s a mixed bag response, but most would be happier lowering expectations of people. Some people just don’t have a clue and others are acutely tuned in


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[osmonet]

Along the comments from others, I don't expect gas money from my guests. I'm flattered when they offer, but I typically don't accept.

The way I look at it, it takes a minimum of 2 people to go out. So even if you have a boat, and all the gear, you still need a friend to ride. IMO, having a solid driver is worth way more than a few bucks for gas. Once you find that core group, they typically pay it forward in other ways.

Good Luck with your collection efforts

[drydog131]

When I was in my younger twenties I used to frequent a friends family place at Lake of the Ozarks. We used a lot of fuel between the cruisers and the wakeboard boat. I would offer money to his parents and his mom told me this once and it’s how I approach it now that I am a boat owner. She said I appreciate the offer and now you are a good kid for asking. All I ask of you is when you get older and if able to do the same thing for your friend and kids friends that you pass it on. Just yesterday I got offered gas money for taking a couple nephews and a friend out. I declined because getting them out on the water is more than enough payment for me.


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[waterlogged882]

When I was in my younger twenties I used to frequent a friends family place at Lake of the Ozarks. We used a lot of fuel between the cruisers and the wakeboard boat. I would offer money to his parents and his mom told me this once and it’s how I approach it now that I am a boat owner. She said I appreciate the offer and now you are a good kid for asking. All I ask of you is when you get older and if able to do the same thing for your friend and kids friends that you pass it on. Just yesterday I got offered gas money for taking a couple nephews and a friend out. I declined because getting them out on the water is more than enough payment for me.


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As it should be. Good for you. Paying it forward.


Otherwise, do not ask anyone onto the vessel and expect something in return.

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[hunter991]

personally i would never ask or expect gas money. but thats just me. If i am going on my boat the more the merry'er. i just ask for everyone to be in a good mood and have fun. Worth more than money.