Charter boat costs

Saw a post in the Boat Angling Reports forum which seems to indicate a bit of a difference from one place to the next in the cost of charter boats.

I've decided to run a poll to see if people feel that they're paying too much for charters. Would be interesting to see what replies we get on this, particularly if we could see what the cost per head and/or for the boat per day were (mentioning any discounts for kids etc) - keeping the names of the boats/skippers out of it - I suppose just indicating what county the boat operates from would be enough.

Majority of charters, licensed or otherwise I have been on mostly around Donegal seem to be 330 to 350 from 10am to 5pm or thereabouts. I have NEVER seen a skipper discount a trip due to lack of numbers on board either yet these are the same people who complain when you end up cancelling due to drop outs. 350 for a full day out I wouldnt consider excessive provided there were half a dozen or more of you, any less than that and it starts getting on the high side. It can also be very difficult from time to time getting on a boat that will take just one or two of you which would solve both sides problems.

What I do object to are the guys that will take you out, drift over the same ground time and again to no avail. I have no problems tackling them on this, after all your the guys paying the money and ya pay your money ya calls the tune. Funny though how some tend to get a bit uppity about it! Another thing I have a problem with are the skippers who insist on fish being kept, presuming they have an outlet for them, and get in a snot when you try and release them.

I Might just add also that none of the points raised in any way relate to any of the charters I have been on this year that I have reports posted on, IE Pat Robinson, The Cricket, Port na Blagh and Cecil and Niall Enterprise, Rathmullan. I would recommend either of these to anybody, only gripe being the fishing has been somewhat slow in the Swilly this year. Not much a skipper can do about that!

Petekd

with the spiraling cost of fuel the days opf £10 a head are long gone, i remember a row nearly as big as a fight in one club that i was a member of when the committee wanted to raise the price to £8. that said i usually fish in a group with 5 others and it is starting to hurt price wise - allowing for fuel to drive to harbour, bait, tackle losses, the exchange rate,etc. i'm lucky to get change from £80. OUCH!!! as for discounting a less than full boat if you book it it is your responsibility to pay for it.

Do you think there is an opportunity for small charter boats to take 2-4 anglers out. Usually you wouldnt be able to go just as far out but you should still get good fishing and possibly fish inshore for species that the normal large boats dont fish for. Interested in everyones opinions on this.

I agree with Raymondo that if you book a boat it is your responsibility to pay for it, problem being as Im sure most have experienced is when someone else organises a charter and people drop out leaving the rest with the option of stumping up the extra cash between themselves or cancelling. I personally have no objection to paying for a trip if Ive organised it, others however do. My point was that in those circumstances a bit of leeway perhaps with the skipper, maybe in shortening the day and dropping the price or whatever could address that problem. 4 or 5 lads on a boat dont need anyone other than the skipper on board after all. The way I see it be it working out at 30 quid a man on a full boat or 70 quid a man if numbers are short, at the end of the day you are getting a full day out for that and what else could you do for that money that would provide the same fun?? Problem is not everyone sees it like that, a hint of rain or a lumpy sea and they dont show.

Phenwick Mist, there absolutely would be a demand for small inshore trips catering for v small numbers. Trips of a couple of hours inshore wouldnt be out of the way, especially in the summer time with the long evenings, after all most charters would be back in port for 5 or 6. Something like a system whereby people can just turn up, if you get over a certain number, off you go if not, you dont. Being a short trip would certainly keep the cost down. I realise this makes it a hell of a long day for the skippers but to be honest, a lot of people are put off boat fishing by the fact that once they leave harbour, thats it for 7 or 8 hours and if they are ill or whatever, it can be a very long day!! Might be a way of encouraging more people to give this boatfishing lark a lash! Myself, much as I love boat fishing there are times when a couple of hours would be all I want, a full day, especially if its frantic, in particular on a lumpy sea absolutely knackers you. End up staggering off the boat half asleep most of the time!

I know of at least one skipper in Donegal who does evening trips at a reduced rate. Has done for some time. To make life simple for everybody, why not leave your details with each skipper you use and ask then to give you a buzz if they need to make up numbers?

Alternatively, I know for a fact that a number of them read these posts pretty much daily. We have a forum for arranging meets, buddies 'n seats - why not post that you are available to take a trip from such and a port on whatever date and see if the skippers want to try contacting you?
It makes sense for them to utilise all the spaces they have and keeps the costs down for the anglers.

Gerry Sheeran (Sligo boat charters) goes out in the evening (For about 2 hours I think) and last year he was charging €15 a head irrespective of numbers. I haven't been talking to him this year so not sure if this info is up to date.

As regards day charges (which I didn't think varied that much), good skippers are well worth it, poor ones are a rip off.

2 four hour trips means
twice as many trips between fishing grounds and harbour
twice as much fuel
twice the cost
twice as many crews to find
twice the chance of a cancelation
twice the bother.
for these reasons 4 hour trips would not be half the price of 8 hour trips so if you are paying £20 for 4 hours you may as well pay £30 for 8hours.
smaller (25ft) boats may be the answer but these would need to be bought who would pay? what would happpen to the "old" boats? remember that the boat man still has to get a living wage/return on his investment so you are back to paying a little less and not having the comfort, the safety, the room or the range of the larger boat.
GRIN PAY UP AND GET ON WITH IT!!!!

mark gannon does evening trips too

you can get short/evening trips on "the brothers" in donaghadee but read the reports!

Bit of a difference of opinion on what's good value for a day's angling, then. Last charter I was on in Donegal was ?375 for the boat for the day 10:00-18:00. It fished the 10 of us comfortably. So ?37.50 or about ?26 each at today's exchange rate. Look at it like this - how long will that amount of cash last you on a night out?

Most charters I would imagine have a limited season to make their living. Usually March through to end of October. Their operating costs escalate annually, and, with ongoing requirements from transport and insurance authorities this can't be insubstantial. As everyone knows fuel costs have increased some 15% - 20% recently and it doesn't look as though this will be reversed.

A fee of €350.00 to €400.00 is pretty standard out of Kilmore and good value: Through their recent marketing efforts they are becoming busier, their exposure into the UK market is yielding rewards not just for the charter operators but for the local economies as well.

Cork and Cobh and as far as I know Cahersiveen charge around €400.00 and also is good value considering the quality of fish.

I fished out of Spiddal recently, this charter charged €575.. Not even a net on the filthy boat... So, I wont be back there.

Skippers should know that their service, renders their reputation. If they are good, accommodating, and try to put anglers into fish the guys will go back. If they have a dirty boat, don't offer help and don't put guys into fish then they will soon wonder why they aren't making money.

chippie/blocklayer charge 400/500 euro a day

skippers have to make a living and cover all expenses, generally i think charter costs are too expensive and that many in england etc are more expensive

I don't know anyone who books a charter and doesn't know how much it is going to cost. Value for money depends on the venue and the attitude of the skipper. Repeat booking is what pays skippers wages. If you feel its too expensive then dont use it.

I don't know anyone who books a charter and doesn't know how much it is going to cost
when you book a boat for september in january quite a few skippers are a bit vague about the exact cost and with the way fuel prices are going who can blame them?

I have no objection to paying 50 euro for a good days fishing on a charter boat with a good skipper who works hard to put you over good fish and there are many of them around our coasts.

What I do object strongly to are skippers who are out to make a quick buck and will happily waste your time without any results and without any effort on their part, thankfully they are few and far between.

The best skippers I have found are those who have a love of fishing and are willing to make a reasonable living but know like us they will never be millionaires.

I agree that the bad ones will eventually go out of business but I hope in the meantime they don't give the good ones a bad reputation

Hello ppl,

it is pretty standard on the south and east coast to charged between 350 to 400 euro for a standard days fishing, a lot of charter skippers like myself provide the rods and tackle if required at no extra charge.
the price has gone up in recent years due to a lot of factors, to name a few fuel insurance and safety gear have gone sky high..
to operate a charter vessel for one week can cost in the region of 1000 euro... so its not all roses on the charter skippers side either...