devon skippers finding it hard

[barry luxton]

Not really true. Two big engines as their egos all want the fastest boat. This means more fuel, more maintenance and higher costs. More anglers carried means more weight (approx 150kg per angler) that in turn uses more fuel.

 

I know someone with a dive boat that now restricts dive parties to 8 people, down from 12 to save fuel. He reckons divers with their gear weigh 250kg each.

 

The fuel barge in Poole Harbour a month ago was charging 90ppl for red diesel. 200l goes nowhere in these big cats.

 

I reckon a skipper needs £300 per trip as a minimum to just cover the cost of running the boat. When you take into account things like moorings, servicing, insurances, maintaining the boat to standard and depreciation as the boat needs to be paid for somehow.

 

Mull over this. These cats cost £250,000 or more how many trips do you think they have to do to start making a profit?

 

I fear we will lose many charter skippers in the not so distant future.

 

This year i have seen many offer inshore trips, instead of offshore wrecking. A cat skipper informed us that a twenty mile trip used up 100 quids worth.

 

It now costs me 60-65 quid to go to weymouth and back compared with 35-40 last year.

[John S]

The price of fuel is coming down again, went to Sainsbury's this morning and topped the tank up, price £1.10/litre. Not exactly the price it was before the rise, but it's getting there.

[Norm B]

The price of fuel is coming down again, went to Sainsbury's this morning and topped the tank up, price £1.10/litre. Not exactly the price it was before the rise, but it's getting there.

Some skippers say that because of the slim hulls, cats are more fuel efficient than a single hull, I have no reason to disbelieve this theory. If they fill the boat, 10 or 12 anglers, they are cheaper than a 'normal' single hull boat. I have been wrecking on a cat with 12 anglers for £35 ph, x 12 = £420. Plenty of room for drifting or anchoring. How does £35 ph equate to say, an Offshore with 6 or 8 anglers max? I quote 6 or 8 anglers because I know some skippers limit the amount of anglers for wrecking on 'room' grounds, it may be that they've worked out that 'more anglers means more fuel used', I don't know. I don't run a charter boat but the different theories and stories do interest me, what is the truth?

[Norm B]

Managed to scrape two trips in, one with Dean farrell and a second with Ian noble, thanks to our friend Mike Concannon, meeting him next week. What with a couple of goes at Berry head that should be me sorted. Pheww.

Coincidence or what. I hope to be out with Ian next week on his new boat, staying at Mikes if the weather is OK, maybe it'll be the same trip. Ian's got a cat and I don't think he's finding it hard to get bookings.

[Stoaty]

what is the truth?

 

Part of the truth is that charter skippers have big egos. Book one to go fishing for mini species then listen to him squirm when another skipper asks him what's been caught. They all want to be top boat and have the biggest fish.

 

Boat types become fashionable, ever bigger ever faster, always justified like "get to the grounds faster". I remember the rush to get a mitchell and the rush for twin engines and it happens by port. If two or three skippers in a port get cats the others want to follow suit.

 

These cats are not as economical, or fast as often stated. Skippers wouldn't like to let on about any kind of disappointment in their new cat. I went with a friend on his new cat to Alderney we used 600liters crossing and the speed was kept down to 14 knots. That was 400l more than his previous 36 ft boat at 9 knots. If your fishing off a cat you have to pay for the extra fuel.

 

Don't get me wrong they are very nice boats to fish off. loads of room.

 

I think for the charter angling market in this country it's a step to far. It's like mini cabbing in a rolls royce. Fine if all your customers are lords and ladies, but not viable for bob the builder.

 

The price of fuel is coming down again, went to Sainsbury's this morning and topped the tank up, price £1.10/litre. Not exactly the price it was before the rise, but it's getting there.

 

It will go up again. It will never drop in the long term.

[Guest challenge]

Part of the truth is that charter skippers have big egos. Book one to go fishing for mini species then listen to him squirm when another skipper asks him what's been caught. They all want to be top boat and have the biggest fish.

 

Boat types become fashionable, ever bigger ever faster, always justified like "get to the grounds faster". I remember the rush to get a mitchell and the rush for twin engines and it happens by port. If two or three skippers in a port get cats the others want to follow suit.

 

These cats are not as economical, or fast as often stated. Skippers wouldn't like to let on about any kind of disappointment in their new cat. I went with a friend on his new cat to Alderney we used 600liters crossing and the speed was kept down to 14 knots. That was 400l more than his previous 36 ft boat at 9 knots. If your fishing off a cat you have to pay for the extra fuel.

 

Don't get me wrong they are very nice boats to fish off. loads of room.

 

I think for the charter angling market in this country it's a step to far. It's like mini cabbing in a rolls royce. Fine if all your customers are lords and ladies, but not viable for bob the builder.

 

 

 

It will go up again. It will never drop in the long term.

Stoaty.

When I worked on a party boat (one that would run off 140 + miles to catch fish) I had a mate who had an inshore angling boat. He said that as soon as we would appear over the horizon, certain inshore angling boats would start reporting better catches. The closer we got to the inshore fleet (on our passage home) the more fish they would report. He said it amazed him because his boat was in the middle of these boats (reporting the sudden miraculous increase in there fishing) and yet his fishing was as crap as it had been all day.

I don’t know who they where trying to kid? Was it us? (Listening to there reports) or more likely them trying to kid themselves because we had another bumper catch onboard? I do remember it being very funny at the time and certainly appreciate what you are saying about egos.

Regards.

[Toerag]

Cats give you more days at sea, no doubt about that, however most anglers won't want to fish in those conditions so charter skippers don't really benefit. For the same deck area a cat IS more efficient than a monohull - however a 36ft cat has a lot more deck than a 36ft monohull. Really, a 32ft cat is comparable to a 36ft monohull. I believe the most efficient cat is the wavepiercing powerglide model, hoiwever it doesn't have as good rough weather performance as a southcat.

[Ken Davison South Wales]

Well I have done my bit to keep them afloat, three trips out of Weymouth and one on Wednesday, figure with bait, tackle top ups, charter fees and fuel I spent £380 plus and that does not include food, drink or accommodation.

 

Luckily I have free accommodation in Bournemouth, just needs a few nice fillets to smooth the way.

 

Trying to fill a crew for next Thursday out of Barry on Anchorman three short currently and it does not look very promising.

 

As mentioned fuel prices will rise again, this current drop is due to lack of demand and over stocking, once things level off they will creep up again.

 

I went out on one displacement hull boat, we fished the same marks as every one else arriving maybe fifteen minutes behind the sprinters and I bet he used half the fuel.

 

However he did manage to upset me with eleven fishing paying forty pounds per head and I think one of those fishing was his deck-man and was getting a free days fishing.

 

Rest assured I will not be fishing with him again.

[sharpshooter]

It's a good job they (the skippers) don't have to pay full pump price....

 

Many of the charter boats down this way (especially the big fast ones) are not commercially registered, so soon, i have been led to believe, will be classed as pleasure craft and so loose the right to take red desiel - so maybe pump prices are not so far away for them?

 

If it is true, and they are already finding it hard, things are about to get a whole lot harder for them.

[Norm B]

Well I have done my bit to keep them afloat, three trips out of Weymouth and one on Wednesday, figure with bait, tackle top ups, charter fees and fuel I spent £380 plus and that does not include food, drink or accommodation.

 

Luckily I have free accommodation in Bournemouth, just needs a few nice fillets to smooth the way.

 

Trying to fill a crew for next Thursday out of Barry on Anchorman three short currently and it does not look very promising.

 

As mentioned fuel prices will rise again, this current drop is due to lack of demand and over stocking, once things level off they will creep up again.

 

I went out on one displacement hull boat, we fished the same marks as every one else arriving maybe fifteen minutes behind the sprinters and I bet he used half the fuel.

 

However he did manage to upset me with eleven fishing paying forty pounds per head and I think one of those fishing was his deck-man and was getting a free days fishing.

 

Rest assured I will not be fishing with him again.

Unfortunately some skippers need educating in fishing ettiquete. I used to book a boat for 9 trips a year. 8 max for normal fishing, 6 max for wrecking, I paid the full price whether we filled the boat or not. Sometimes the skipper would ring me and ask if we were full because he owed someone a favour and could he fit him in and he'd knock his seat off the bill. I usually said we were full, even if we weren't because the lads didn't want someone they didn't know fishing, in case he wasn't any good and kept tangling everyone but if it was a big favour I'd say OK if he was sensible, because it worked both ways, the skipper tried his best for us. One night I got a call before a wrecking trip, the skipper wanted a space and he knew we only took 6 wrecking, I said no we only took 6 wrecking and we were genuinely full. On the morning there was a "crewman" on the boat, apparently he was learnig his skippers license and would help onboard, catch bait etc. He didn't feather once and had his line in the water first when we got to the wreck, fishing while the skipper was instructing us on how we were going to fish the wreck. After we moved inshore for the bream and hounds, he fished for tope, using the mackeral we'd caught. Not content with the general run of the mill mackeral, he decided to fillet one of the mackeral I was keeping wet for weighing in as a specimen. When I remonstrated with him the skipper took us in early 'because he had to be somewhere or something'. No more bookings from me. While most of the skippers do genuinely try their best, some think we, the paying customers are there for their benefit.

Edited August 8, 2008 by Norm B