Tow Your Boat or Rent One?

For anglers up north, ­cabin fever hits exhausting in March when you may’t even fish via a gap within the ice. The need to do some actual fishing is robust, and the most effective methods to get a fishin’ repair that can maintain you till actual spring arrives is to move south to the Florida Keys, the place the height fishing season is simply beginning to mild up. However do you wake your boat from its winter hibernation and trailer it down, or must you lease a ship there?

Rather a lot depends upon how a lot time you’ve got out there. Should you solely have per week off, getting your boat and trailer in good working order will eat up a day, and even should you pull a marathon street journey, that kills one other couple of days, assuming first rate climate en route. You then burn one other two days on the return journey, leaving you with solely three days of fishing. When you’ve got 10 days or extra, nevertheless, towing your boat south makes extra sense.

Tow-It Execs

Let’s go over the professionals and cons of towing your personal boat south to the Keys. First, listed below are the execs.

Taking a ship you’re accustomed to is a big benefit; you already know its quirks, capabilities and electronics.

You don’t must pay boat-rental charges.

The boat can maintain all of your fishing gear and baggage.

If it’s far sufficient into spring, you in all probability gained’t must rewinterize your boat, and it will likely be able to go fishing when the climate at dwelling warms.

You’ll be able to fish nearly anyplace you need with none restrictions within the rental settlement.

Tow-It Cons

So, what are the downsides to towing your personal boat south to fish the beautiful waters of the Florida Keys?

You’ll spend so much on gasoline. A truck pulling a 4,000-pound boat will in all probability get half its regular miles per gallon. So, should you have been getting 18 mpg earlier than, anticipate it to get round 9 mpg when towing your boat. If it’s 2,000 miles spherical journey, that’s about $777 in gas if gasoline is $3.50 a gallon. Then there’s the damage and tear in your automobile and your boat trailer.

 When a ship sits dormant on a trailer for months, unhealthy issues are inclined to occur. When you’ve got a trailer downside on the street, discovering components on a well timed foundation could be difficult and will steal away valuable trip time. Once you attain your vacation spot, the winter gremlins can create boat issues that take away trip time to repair.

 In spite of everything that driving, you gained’t be as refreshed as you’ll be should you flew down and spent your total trip fishing and diving.

 If the climate turns unhealthy, you should have towed the boat for nothing.  

There are occasions and conditions when renting a ship is the best transfer. For vacationers with ­solely per week off, renting a ship might be the very best name. But, there are different components to think about that can allow you to make the very best resolution.

Learn Subsequent: Lengthy-Distance Boat Trailering

Lease-It Execs

Listed here are the primary upsides of renting a ship to fish the Keys.

It’s actually handy. You’re taking your gear to the rental location, load the boat and go. The attendants even gas it and clear it up for you. (In fact, you pay for the gasoline.)

Rental areas are plentiful. Nearly each key has a boat-rental operation. Key Largo, Marathon, Massive Pine Key and Key West have many. 

There’s all kinds of rental boats, starting from skiffs to 30-something-footers.

You’ll be able to check out boats you’re contemplating buying.

In case you are not catching fish, you may constitution a ship with a information to learn to benefit from the native chew.

Should you lease a ship by the week, the typical each day fee decreases dramatically. A 22-foot Cobia or Sailfish with a Yamaha F150 could be rented at trip​boatrentals.com for $1,450 per week. In case your trip rental has a dock, your fishing days could be nearly any size you need.

Lease-It Cons

It’s not all peaches and cream when renting a ship. Listed here are the disadvantages.

Renting a ship could be costly. An Edgewater 320 center-­console rental is $850 at Trip Boat Leases. The common each day fee for a 25-footer is round $500 to $600, and the day solely lasts eight hours. 

In Marathon, Coco’s Boat Leases gained’t take a reservation for a single-day rental greater than per week prematurely, however its charges are decrease than most. A 20-foot Sea Professional with a Suzuki 115 is $290 a day.

 In case you are born after January 1, 1988, you will have a Florida Boater Security Training Card that requires passing an in-person or on-line class.

Taking your fishing gear aboard a aircraft is a royal ache, and once you get there, chances are you’ll want to purchase gadgets, like a internet. 

Fishing on a ship aside from your personal is tougher due to the unfamiliarity issue.

The rental operators can prohibit areas you may go, limiting your choices.

Peer-to-Peer Leases

I used to dwell on Little Torch Key, and on my canal, I estimated that solely about 50 % of the boats ever moved greater than a few occasions a yr. Homeowners lastly found out they may very well be making a living on their idle boats. Web sites like ­boatsetter.com and getmyboat.com record lots of of homeowners within the Keys who will lease their boats to you. The draw back is that the requirements might differ, as do the costs. Like VRBO home leases, the satan is within the particulars, so learn all the things earlier than renting, and be careful for hidden charges.

How one can Save Cash

Aside from peak occasions, like the beginning of the lobster mini season or round Fantasy Fest in Key West, boats will seemingly be out there to lease on the final minute. Personal homeowners and boat-rental areas have little incentive to barter on the value months prematurely as a result of they know you’re a planner and wish to lock your boat down. However ready till the week earlier than or after you get down there adjustments all the things. Like airline seats and lodge rooms, boat homeowners can by no means recoup these misplaced days as soon as they go unfilled. Most rental websites present the times when a ship is offered, and should you see massive blocks of availability, you’ve got super bargaining energy. Don’t be afraid to ask for a considerable low cost for a weekly rental. The proprietor has a selection of getting one thing or nothing. Most will not less than make a counteroffer.