Benchrest vs boat.

[357Mag]

Never owned a boat but after burning money (avgas) for twenty years, guns, shooting and Africa safaris are a lot cheaper. Pilot members may know this strip, Deck's 9D4, Myerstown, PA, good for hundred dollar hamburgers.


View attachment 1681702

Hogpatrol -

Howdy !

While scanning quickly down through the responses, I initially shot right past your post.
In the brief 1/2 sec blink of a peak I had at your planes pic, I thought it might have been a Comanche 400.

Upon return for a closer look, I saw it is a Mooney.

With regards,
357Mag

 

[gkgeiger]

Last post on this subject. Shooting BR is not even close to boating as an expense. Well, a 14’ aluminum fishing boat averaged out over several years, maybe.

 

[jackieschmidt]

We did one step up. A place called the Hitching Post in Post Falls Idaho 40 years ago. Plastic flowers, 3 or 4 friends and a few family members. Long before all of California moved to North Idaho, it was back woods in those days. I worked at a shake mill a mile down the road in a quonset hut as a flat saw sawyer while going to college. We were poor in those days. I think we only spent 100 bucks on rings. Still have those rings and still married. The big boat is history though.

I have a cute story about rings.

When Marilyn and I decided to get married, we went to Houston Jewelers to get her a ring. I did have a job and and wanted to get her something nice.
I had to finance about half of it, and when I signed the papers, she said……”who is that”?
She had no idea that my real name is not Jackie. It’s something I picked up real early in life. When I signed my real name, she was genuinely shocked.

We had a whirlwind romance, decided to get married, and she didn’t even know my real name.

 

[CJ6]

I have a cute story about rings.

When Marilyn and I decided to get married, we went to Houston Jewelers to get her a ring. I did have a job and and wanted to get her something nice.
I had to finance about half of it, and when I signed the papers, she said……”who is that”?
She had no idea that my real name is not Jackie. It’s something I picked up real early in life. When I signed my real name, she was genuinely shocked.

We had a whirlwind romance, decided to get married, and she didn’t even know my real name.

That's trust.

 

[Syncrowave]

Last post on this subject. Shooting BR is not even close to boating as an expense. Well, a 14’ aluminum fishing boat averaged out over several years, maybe.

No joke. One tuna trip ... $4-500 fuel alone. Then add bait, ice, HMS permit(s), insurance, slip fees, lost tackle, whatever breaks on the engine or falls overboard that day, etc (And that's only after you bought the boat LOL)

 

[ogre1911]

No joke. One tuna trip ... $4-500 fuel alone. Then add bait, ice, HMS permit(s), insurance, slip fees, lost tackle, whatever breaks on the engine or falls overboard that day, etc (And that's only after you bought the boat LOL)

It's subjective. My first was a 16 ft beisemeier with an old 65 Merc, then another one with OMC. Then a 16 ft Glastron, then an 18 ft Eldocraft Aeroglass with a 150 Johnson then a 24 ft pontoon, lastly an 85 Cajun. All bought used.

No offshore boats or sailboats etc.
I have to charter when I ocean fish although the Eldocraft did make ONE trip to the Coronados........only one.

I've spent more on BR.

 

[coldboreshot]

Never heard a benchrest rifle called a "money pit" however, on the flip side...

 

[True Grit]

I'd rather go shooting than fishing anymore.

 

[ELR LVR]

Benchrest is more costly to maintain than my boats. The cost of admission is higher with any nice boat. And, some of the nicer rod and reel setups are 1500+. Shimano Stella 1000s are 800 bucks now. Add a high quality Loomis rod amd that’s another 700 bucks.

Hope to never have to sacrifice either. Hard to say which I would choose! They both bring me plenty of satisfaction at times:View attachment 1681230View attachment 1681231

It was not having a child but
---Years of Catfishing, is what taught me endless enduring patience (for the big un's)
I lived near Clearlake, CA for a time, home to some of the biggest Cats
They have yanked my pole right out of my hand before
Trying to hook one of them big smart ones, Definitely translates with shooting discipline
Nice mess of Cats you got there man

 

[muleystalker]

It was not having a child but
---Years of Catfishing, is what taught me endless enduring patience (for the big un's)
I lived near Clearlake, CA for a time, home to some of the biggest Cats
They have yanked my pole right out of my hand before
Trying to hook one of them big smart ones, Definitely translates with shooting discipline
Nice mess of Cats you got there man

Big fish big baits! Get a 10/0 or 12/0 hook and pin a 2-3lbs black bass on and fish it in free spool with the clicker on, if they get really finicky like they do in the winter when the water cools up, don't use the clicker just tighten the spool tension a little bit and hold on. In the winter they won't always run, sometimes they just pick it up and sit there you barely see your line move. I have used baits up to 5lbs. Live carp work well also.

I love it when the guys up there in Clearlake are talking and they ask how I did, what's in the live well?
I say " So far i'm doing good" then show them the a bass or two and say' but you got it all wrong.. thats not a live well... thats the bait well"

You should see their faces

 

[Ccrider]

Thanks. Me and my brother went for the first time in over a year. We started at 6:30 a.m. and left the water at 2:30. I only showed the large cooler. We actually filled three.

His boat had been setting up for over two years. The motor is a 4 stroke 60hp. The repair/service bill for the motor was a little over 2k. This could have been avoided by using stabil and running the motor every once in a while.

He also totally rewired his dash, put in new gauges and switches, a new trolling motor and new depth finders. Doing the work himself he saved about 1500, but the new electronics and trolling motor still cost him another 2k.

We were fishing for food, caught enough fish to fill our freezers and had an absolute blast. Unfortunately, our youngest brother had honeydo assignments and backed out at the last minute.

Here is a picture of his boat. He bought it about 10 years ago for 8k- a little bit more than a nice benchrest setup. Also, pictures of our take that day.

 

[ELR LVR]

Big fish big baits! Get a 10/0 or 12/0 hook and pin a 2-3lbs black bass on and fish it in free spool with the clicker on, if they get really finicky like they do in the winter when the water cools up, don't use the clicker just tighten the spool tension a little bit and hold on. In the winter they won't always run, sometimes they just pick it up and sit there you barely see your line move. I have used baits up to 5lbs. Live carp work well also.

I love it when the guys up there in Clearlake are talking and they ask how I did, what's in the live well?
I say " So far i'm doing good" then show them the a bass or two and say' but you got it all wrong.. thats not a live well... thats the bait well"

You should see their faces

Oh man, thats serious,
I used to catch a mess of crawdads and use those for bait. Did good / 20 pounders
or some special stinky cut shad I got from Iowa, thats what they use locally in the Des Moines River for the 50 pounders
---------------------
I did use to use live Bluegill,
lol using a full 3 pound bass!!!!, I'm must be thinking small time still haha
I have hooked a couple I could not get in,
I'd get them close, felt like I was hooked on a dead log
then as soon as they surfaced it looked like an Alligator thrashing and my line went out.
Never saw how big they were, But I've caught 40 lb Salmon and it felt like that
I always did want to catch a 50 pounder
I Fished the Sacramento Deep Water Channel for awhile, but only kept pulling in Smaller ones.
Catfishing all night is a nice peaceful time.
Maybe I need a boat though huh?

 

[cheek9075]

Got alot into benchrest shooting. 4 rifles and all the needed item. Also got a bass boat. Same investment in each I think. Every time I go to a shoot or the lake I send about as much time and $$$. All seems a waste but I enough both. Pick your posion i guess.

 

[amiabledave]

Make friends with somebody that has a boat. Pay for gas, bait, drink. In the end You'll be a richer man.

 

[Skeetman59]

I’ve been fishing the South Texas coast since I could walk. We wade fish mostly. I’ve always bought a good used boat just to get me to Matagorda Island. Hop out a wade most of the time so buying a $60K bay boat is stupid in my opinion.

Now that I’m 66 with bad bones and scared of the flesh eating virus that lives in back bays, I just drift fish. Having said all this, I’ll usually keep a hull for 10-12 years and re-power every 3-4 years depending on hard I run it.

I play at shoot long range so the cost is minimal compared to BR and PRS.

I’m not telling a soul what my two shotguns cost, LOL.

 

[Fire Dog]

Years ago a friend of mine bought a used boat for about $30k. That first year he went out twice. He said he brought back about 300 pounds of fish.

Reality or fantasy based math can’t make that look attractive… I didn’t even ask him how much fuel he burned.

I remember when Dove season opened as a kid and my dad used to say that considering the shots that could be heard, he figured that each dove must cost the equivalent of 4-6 shotgun shells….

 

[jackieschmidt]

Thanks. Me and my brother went for the first time in over a year. We started at 6:30 a.m. and left the water at 2:30. I only showed the large cooler. We actually filled three.

His boat had been setting up for over two years. The motor is a 4 stroke 60hp. The repair/service bill for the motor was a little over 2k. This could have been avoided by using stabil and running the motor every once in a while.

He also totally rewired his dash, put in new gauges and switches, a new trolling motor and new depth finders. Doing the work himself he saved about 1500, but the new electronics and trolling motor still cost him another 2k.

We were fishing for food, caught enough fish to fill our freezers and had an absolute blast. Unfortunately, our youngest brother had honeydo assignments and backed out at the last minute.

Here is a picture of his boat. He bought it about 10 years ago for 8k- a little bit more than a nice benchrest setup. Also, pictures of our take that day. View attachment 1684121View attachment 1684122View attachment 1684123View attachment 1684124View attachment 1684125

You can’t catch any fish with that little rig.

 

[jimmb]

Muscle cars are the biggest rat hole to go down unless you can repair yourself. Now lack of parts for most. My dad always said "if it has tits or wheels it will eventually cause you grief