Help me out here. Other than the initial outlay to fill up the tank, how does this save you money over topping off the tank after every trip? Also, isn’t it safer to have more fuel than you expect to need just in case the unexpected happens (“a three-hour tour!”)
Finally, on those dinner cruises do your friends and family jump into the livewell, or do the fish lounge about on deck? Either way, I can imagine at least one third of your guestlist being not entirely satisfied with the experience.
$50 is only 16 gallons of Gas… Check out my boat. Notice the Fuel Capacity in the boat specs… Yeah I spend a lot on fuel. $50 bucks on fuel for me is a trip to the end of the dock and back. 
Like another in the thread, I grew up very near the Chesapeake Bay and boated alot. My first wife’s father had a 46’ Bertram, a 40’ Hatteras, and ended up with a 42’ Sea Ray. The Bertram was essentailly a house on the water, but the Sea Ray was the most fun. All of these boats were insanely expensive to purchase, operate, and maintain, but once you get that lifestyle in your blood it is hard to turn back.
My wife and I have been talking about getting a boat as well, but I absolutely will not keep one on a trailer and haul it around. If I get one, it is staying at a marina. Marina fees here in Central VA are based on the length of boat ($X per foot of craft), plus electricity. Add to that fuel, insurance, maintenance (yearly and emergency), and other “stuff” and the $$$ adds up very quickly.
Instead of getting a boat oursevles, we’ve decided to get friends with a boat instead.
Oops, I meant to say " …with friends and family to fish…"
As for the fuel, I do not top off the tank, I keep it close to the razor because I’m not worried about the boat failing in Long Island Sound from a mechanical failure, I’m more concerned with it failing due to bad gas. I don’t take it out every weekend, and I do not like leaving a full tank of gas in it at the slip because it goes bad quickly. Quicker than in an automobile. I don’t fuilly know why, it could have something to do with the salt elements… not sure.
Also, if it does fail. I have a crank CB that works just fine. 
Plus I know the guys at Sea Tow, oe lives a couple houses down from me.
Does anyone else think that it might be a really bad idea for someone named Scylla to even go near a boat, let alone own one?
Dayum, buy! That’s not a boat - that there’s a luxury yacht! Mighty sweet! Hey, did I say I’m stopping by for a visit?
A cool grand to fill-up? No problem. They must be paying them college types pretty good out there.
BTW, please excuse an ignorant question, but where exactly on the boat do they place a 300 gal gas tank?
I think it’s more a case of “bad idea for a boat to go near Scylla”.
I’ve owned fishing boats, sailboats, canoes, kayaks. One general word of advice: Consider buying a used boat. I once spent $2000 on a used fishing boat, used it for 2.5 years, then turned around and sold it for $2,500.
Trust me it’s not aluxury yacht it’s a sport utility fishing boat. Dual gas tanks located under the port and starbord sides…
Now about that cool grand to fill it - Uh yeah that is why I fill it per voyage like I said, Block Island 150 gallons, general cruising and fishing 75 gallons etc…etc… This year has been great for fishing!
No, you don’t!!
You wanna rent a boat.
Then, later, if you decide you still like it, you think about buying.
Have you considered getting a sunburn, dropping your cell phone in the toilet, and setting fire to some money as a reasonable alternative?
I own a boat. I’m about to sell it, and rent a boat on the times that I want to go out on the wather.
We’ve been sailing the Chesapeake for years, and even when we were boating newbies, we didn’t find it to be any more dangerous than most other bodies of water. You have to be particularly stupid to have problems with commercial traffic - you’re more likely to get in trouble by not watching out for crab pots on the bay.
If you wanted to know about sailing, I could share all kinds of advice. But I don’t know much about power boats, other than some of the most dangerous boaters I’ve encountered were power boaters. I blame that on the lack of licensing requirements. Any idiot with the money can get a big, powerful vessel that can cause all manner of trouble. A little common sense and a little training in right-of-way and reading charts and proper radio etiquette and wake awareness can go a long way to making boating more pleasant for everyone.
Happy hunting! The recommendation to rent various vessels and talk to other boaters about their opinions/experiences is most excellent. Boaters *love * to share stories!
I know a guy that was solo sailing his Hobie 16. He over did things, and was very tired. As the sun was setting, he flipped. Combine exhaustion, chill, alcohol, etc and he was unable to right the boat. But he tried, long enough to totally lose the remaining light.
He managed to hold onto a hull overnight. He pretty much knew he would survive, but he was very uncomfortable.