Living on the Cheep or Just a Cheep SOB

[Randyonr3]

Which catagory do you fall into?

Maybe its the economy that has turned the cruising community into a welfare resource..
Had a guy walk into the shop this morning with a couple bags of sails needing them fixed.. was in the middle of a project and asked him if he could stick around for a couple minutes.. he said sure and walked over to my new "long Arm" machine and sat down..
finished up in a couple minutes and asked him what he needed..
He said his sails needed repair and seeing the equeptment he said he knew he was in the right place......Until I told him that all repair on sails would rate at 45 dollars per hour.. (my normal rate is 80 but I give cruisers a break)
You wouldnt have believed how this guy lit up and started mad mouthing me. I was now part of the establishment and I was out to squeze funds from a cruiser.. (all the time, leaning on the new 8 thousand dollar longarm sewing machine we bought for sail work)
I even made him an offer and said I would trade him time for time, as he could refinish the teak on the top of my boat and I'd do his repairs, swapping time for time.. He Declined...
as he grabbed his bags of sails I heard him complaining about rowing all the way over here from where he's anchored..

Cruising is a lifestyle, good bad or different, and If you cant afford it, maybe you should get yourself back on land..
I hear people bitching constantly about how much marinas or moorings are, the fees for entering a country, the cost of parts for their boats and how people are ripping them off..
Its all part of the lifestyle and If you're going to dance, you gota pay the fiddler..

[dirkdig]

Here,here.
Pay up or shut up.
Why should you be a welfare stop off for derelict cruisers.
Time for time what an offer,so he thinks his time is way more of value than yours with your skills and very expensive equipment.
I am yet to see too many rich workers around marinas.

[sailorboy1]

Hell I can afford to pay for getting my sails repaired (but do everything else so far myself), but if you had offered me the same deal I would have taken it!

The marina I stay at in season charges $65/hour for the same "skilled" worker they pay to clean up the yard to work on people's boats. I will admit this pisses me off!

[Matt Johnson]

Man, I'll come down and do the teak for a new set of sails!

[River Cruiser]

I always wanted decent pay for my work & I expect to pay people a decent wage if I hire them for a project. I don't want to pay for drinking coffee or multiple trips getting the tools to do the job. $45.00 per hour is damn reasonable for any type of boat work.

[Nemo55]

I am in complete agreement with you.
Although many others will squeal like scorched cats at the thought of such reasonable rates.

Originally Posted by River Cruiser

I always wanted decent pay for my work & I expect to pay people a decent wage if I hire them for a project. I don't want to pay for drinking coffee or multiple trips getting the tools to do the job. $45.00 per hour is damn reasonable for any type of boat work.

[Sailmonkey]

I'll gladly pay someone to do something right I don't have the skills or tools to do. But to walk into an establishment that has overhead, proper machines, skilled labor etc....to have something done and expect it to be free makes that guy a cheap SOB.

[Nemo55]

Who's talking about Free??? Why cant we have fair play and still support our family's??
Are you telling me that the OIL prices you pay because of Speculation is fair?? or is it gouging by crooks???

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

I'll gladly pay someone to do something right I don't have the skills or tools to do. But to walk into an establishment that has overhead, proper machines, skilled labor etc....to have something done and expect it to be free makes that guy a cheap SOB.

[atoll]

what happened to the customer is allways right!

though the individuals behavior was in excusable,it might have been more diplomatic to sell him a tail end of sail thread,and a couple of needles and tell him this is how we used to do it in the old days.........for free

[Nemo55]

Thats too funny,,i just remembered being taught to Sew and Darn from a very young age in an all boys school,n when i asked my father why we where being taught girly stuff,,,he told me it was tradition because we where a sea going nation and that every English Tar should know how to mend sail and Darn nets and socks from a young age.....funny old memories...

Originally Posted by atoll

what happened to the customer is allways right!

though the individuals behavior was in excusable,it might have been more diplomatic to sell him a tail end of sail thread,and a couple of needles and tell him this is how we used to do it in the old days.........for free

[John A]

Why in the world use a negitive experience with one person as a reason to condem society?
Call him an a**hole, take a deep breath, have a cup of coffee and continue life.

[cburger]

[QUOTE=Randyonr3;916547] He Declined...
as he grabbed his bags of sails I heard him complaining about rowing all the way over here from where he's anchored..

Probably rowing back to his Hinkley.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by atoll

what happened to the customer is always right!

An often quoted saying; invented by some customer who was never right but always believed he was!

[Randyonr3]

Originally Posted by John A

Why in the world use a negitive experience with one person as a reason to condem society?
Call him an a**hole, take a deep breath, have a cup of coffee and continue life.

reason being I've heard more and more of the crap in just the last few years..
even on this forum we read of those that want to start a "Black list" of marinas that wont cater to the "Cheep cruiser"..
and heven forbid the person to walk throu the doors of west marine as the company is a rip off..
A day dosent go by that someone isnt bitching about the cost of cruising..
And the reality of it is, its a boat and a luxury item, and it cost bucks to own and maintain one.. sure there are ways around it, anchor out, do without many items, take a bath in a creek, and live on the "down Low" but the reason for posting in the first place was a reality check..
If you're buying a boat to live on and cruise, you plan on spending money, thats the way it is..

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Randyonr3

Which catagory do you fall into?

Maybe its the economy that has turned the cruising community into a welfare resource..
Had a guy walk into the shop this morning with a couple bags of sails needing them fixed.. was in the middle of a project and asked him if he could stick around for a couple minutes.. he said sure and walked over to my new "long Arm" machine and sat down..
finished up in a couple minutes and asked him what he needed..
He said his sails needed repair and seeing the equeptment he said he knew he was in the right place......Until I told him that all repair on sails would rate at 45 dollars per hour.. (my normal rate is 80 but I give cruisers a break)
You wouldnt have believed how this guy lit up and started mad mouthing me. I was now part of the establishment and I was out to squeze funds from a cruiser.. (all the time, leaning on the new 8 thousand dollar longarm sewing machine we bought for sail work)
I even made him an offer and said I would trade him time for time, as he could refinish the teak on the top of my boat and I'd do his repairs, swapping time for time.. He Declined...
as he grabbed his bags of sails I heard him complaining about rowing all the way over here from where he's anchored..

Cruising is a lifestyle, good bad or different, and If you cant afford it, maybe you should get yourself back on land..
I hear people bitching constantly about how much marinas or moorings are, the fees for entering a country, the cost of parts for their boats and how people are ripping them off..
Its all part of the lifestyle and If you're going to dance, you gota pay the fiddler..

If you were willing to trade time for time, well you just can't be any more fair than that. The guy should just fix his own sails.