State of the Industry "Sportfishing"

[Fritz]

Why - why is the charter buiness different then anything else in this great country. I can be a part time real estate agent, a part time car salesman, a part time paramedic, a part time manufacturer, a part time hunting guide, a part time web master, a part time taxi driver, a part time tour guide or bartender matter of fact I can be a part time just about anything. Hell I know a guy that is a vetinarian and a part time taxidermist. Either way you are getting your pet back

There are laws and policies to ensure that people do these things up to a certain standard but that doesn't mean that they are followed.

Ever dealt with a part time realtor, part time car salesman, or part time home inspector? You make my point better than I could myself. You are a self proclaimed marketing guy. Don't you recognize the value of being able to market yourself with professional designations and credentials? BTW- In real estate, there is continuing education with 10% of the people controlling 90% of the business. I assure you, there is no part timer doing that kind of volume and the CE requirements have forced alot of part timers out.

You ask qwhey can't there be part time charter caps. Here is a novel thought- How about going offshore with an inexperienced captain & crew in a tub of a boat can be life threatening? Ever been in a bad situation offshore that you had to get yourself out of? Those situations happen and it takes sea time, boat experience, mechanical ability, and a cool head to get you out of those situations.

[Ultralite]

Very true but Microsoft's product was supporting a discretionary income product when it was introduced and a very expensive one at that.
The point of the microsoft analogy was not the neccessity of the product but rather the balls that Gates had to build it and market it and continue to build it. And to do it when he did it.

But you are correct that fishing is the one of the first things to go when the money isn't flowing.

I realize that at the outset Microsoft's product was supporting a very discretionary income product, but the vision was that ultimately it would become so integral to our lives that it would become almost necessary. That's why there are so many out there that hate Microsoft, because they became so successful. You could never make that argument about anything in fishing morphing over to become a necessary expenditure. So I guess that was my point.

And yes I understand your point about Gates and his timing being quite bold. The upside potential was there if he could pull it off. What's the upside potential of being in the charter business? A few more trips a year? A second boat or three? Just no way to scale up the business in a meaningful way, yet the downside risk in bad times is complete bust. Not a good mix of risk and reward. JMO.

BTW I have a good friend who's a naval engineer. He approached me back in '03/'04 about funding a start-up boat manufacturing business. I passed due to the discretionary expenditure issue and my concerns over the business being able to survive a severe economic downturn which I was expecting. I was open to buying a known boat line in a distress sale during a downturn, but not a start-up. Not only was I expecting a severe downturn, I was also leery of fuel prices staying as low as they had been. Man I hate being right.

[Relentlessfishing]

Just curious what mechanical ability you speak of do you mean being able to change a plugged racor or replace an injector in rolling 6 footers . I agree a basice mechanical abitlity is a given but I know I have never choosen a charter because the Capt. was a certified marine mechanic.

[Fritz]

Just curious what mechanical ability you speak of do you mean being able to change a plugged racor or replace an injector in rolling 6 footers . I agree a basice mechanical abitlity is a given but I know I have never choosen a charter because the Capt. was a certified marine mechanic.

No need to be a certified mechanic. I am talking about having some basic skills and being able to get yourself out of a crisis. There are a miriad of examples available. I have personally stopped on my way out to help a sinking so called charter captain that was filling up his own boat with his live well pump. Part of being a capable captain I would think is knowing a little about boats and there are many that do not.

[Squidnation]

Ever dealt with a part time realtor, part time car salesman, or part time home inspector? You make my point better than I could myself. You are a self proclaimed marketing guy. Don't you recognize the value of being able to market yourself with professional designations and credentials? BTW- In real estate, there is continuing education with 10% of the people controlling 90% of the business. I assure you, there is no part timer doing that kind of volume and the CE requirements have forced alot of part timers out.

You ask qwhey can't there be part time charter caps. Here is a novel thought- How about going offshore with an inexperienced captain & crew in a tub of a boat can be life threatening? Ever been in a bad situation offshore that you had to get yourself out of? Those situations happen and it takes sea time, boat experience, mechanical ability, and a cool head to get you out of those situations.

Very true Fritz but you are speaking of the worst case senarios. In which you will find great examples of failures in any industry both full and part time. But i guess it is OK to be a miserable failure so long as you are failing at your profession. I quess I tend to look at the brighter side of life. When I was growning up there was a phenominal charter captain in OC that had a tiny little parker looking thing. He was a part-time captain who was an extremely successful fisherman and had a steady book of business. By trade he was a teacher and his little boat was called teachers pet. Come to think of I am fairly certain that many of Ocean City's finest charter captain are part-timers. Hell - We can only fish 3 or 4 months of out the year here so these guys have to have real jobs to support their livelyhood and love for the ocean. Is Capt Franky a part-time captain or Part-time surveyor. Either way he is pretty damn good at both. Is Joe O'boyle a part-time captain or part-time T-shirt shop owner. I know he aint a part time boxer (just kidding Joe). How about some of Carolina's best captains- I guess some of them are just part-time boat builders.

I guess my point is you can find a lemon in any industry but there is no need to urge yet more legislation to make life more difficult and give government more rule over everyone's livilyhood just to weed out the ones that are going to eventually fail anyway.

Oh and BTW - I am a self proclaimed marketing guy. Which means my full time profession is to market. Marketing is marketing and doesn't matter if it is telecom, real estate, charter trips or squids, the sound principals of marketing apply to all.

[Fritz]

I guess my point is you can find a lemon in any industry but there is no need to urge yet more legislation to make life more difficult and give government more rule over everyone's livilyhood just to weed out the ones that are going to eventually fail anyway.

Not calling for legislation. Just recommending the industry do a better job of policing itself. I am of the belief that energies are best spent doing something to improve things rather than bitching and moaning. You know, its better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

And while on the subject, 3-4 months a year? What happened to spring and late fall here in the mid-atlantic? April to December is about 8 months by my count.

[TheBigI]

I think when it comes to most industries there are going to be people who depend on their particular profession and those that do it for extra-income or to offset expenses of a hobby. In our industry contractors, mortage banks. investors, builders, developers all sprung out of no where to make a quick buck. Now they are long gone.

The customer however, usually always can tell the difference between an amateur and a professional. If your business is providing customers with a good service or product, better than competitors you will stay in business a long time.

However, on the contrary these "part timers" really screwed things up for construction and real estate people who depend on the business as a primary means.

[BlueH20Boss]

I agree with Jeremy....There was a time when REAL CONTRACTORS were the ones restoring homes and properties aside from larger construction projects, and then everyone and their uncle was slapping a coat of paint on a house and making 30 or 40 k holding the mortgage for a month or two. I want to throw up when i see those shows like "flip that house" that make it seem like any idiot can become a contractor and make a fortune, and when you see the quality of work that is put out it makes the Longtime guys look like their job is a joke and anyone can do it. The Balloon was bound to bust at some point, and no we are just in a rebuilding stage. Unfortunately it happened right when i got out of college, just in time to F my company pretty bad. Oh well, i hope the striper show up in OCNJ soon

Ok well its Friday, time to go throw some back and look at boobs in W Chester. The state of the industry can wait till tomorrow. Later guys

Kevin

[BlueH20Boss]

Sorry for the double post

[jawz12]

i can't agree more with fritz..."part time" part time anything scares me,if you're so good at it,why part time ???
charter boats for the most part scare me too-i treat them like kryptonite...
marketing...well...if the people you're marketing to do not have disposable inclome,then you're kinda pissing up a rope,yes ??? kinda like a 50% off sale,that tells me,if you can cut the price 50%,and still make money,you were REALLY making money at the normal price...
my degree from the "parris prep" tells me,keep things simple and keep things honest...i don't go for the smoke and mirrios,i call that "the art of deception"...truth is,no matter how you cut it,buisness sucks right now...i guess ocean yacht needs a better marketing plan,that's why they're not selling boats ?? same with carolina classic,viking,regulator,and just about every other mfg...

rant over...