Stoic_J wrote:FishingSETX wrote:As someone who owns both a boat and a yak, I've never understood how folks can say they won't buy a boat because of the fee's.
Fee's as a boat owner? You pay a one time title fee of about $20 and a registration fee of $30 every 2 years for the boat and about $30 a year for the trailer (and a lot of people use a trailer to haul their yaks anyway). That's $45 a year! Id be willing to bet most people spend more than that a month on junk they never use anyway!
I can understand not wanting to pay a fee for a yak but I can't understand the complaints about the "outrageous" boat owner fees!
I thought the taxes were as follows:
- $143 to $190 purchase tax (6.25%-8.25% on a $1500 boat and $800 motor)
- $32 boat registration fee (or $53 if 16'-26')
- $27 boat title
- $57 trailer registration
= $259
I don't know what motor registration costs, if anything. Seems like $27, but maybe that's incorrect.
$45 trailer tax is annual. Boat tax is then $32 every 2-3 years? Motor tax, like I said, I'm not sure about.
For some people that's nothing. To me, it's not a LOT of money, but it's enough that it played a part in my choosing a kayak.
I have two boats and a kayak and enjoy fishing out of all of them. The boats cost me less than most people spend on one kayak ($500 after fees for my 14' john boat and $1000 after fees for my bass boat). I can take the boats when the wind is bad, the area I want to fish is too far from a launch, or I have a non kayaker who wants to go (my dad can't kayak due to medical reasons). Only extra costs are fuel and maintenance. I do the maintenance myself and its under $100 a year for both boats.
$45 a year on the trailer and $16 (26.50 for 16-26')a year on the boat ($32, or $53 for 2 years). That's $61 a year for a boat up to 16' and $71.50 for a 16-26'. I would bet you pay that much or more for each car you have registered. All the other fee's you listed are one time fee's upon purchase.
The fee for the motor is a one time title fee. tax rate is 6.25%. If you are buying a boat, car, trailer, camper, etc the one time fee's should be figured in to your purchase budget anyway. My John boat was $85 in taxes and title fee's and that included the two year registration.
Owning a boat is more expensive than owning a kayak, but not to the extent some make it out to be. That was the reason for my original post. I just don't understand the argument of "I would never own a boat because of the ridiculously high registration fees and because the fees are such a hassle!"