Every boat owner has the same conversation with themselves about whether or not they should have a trailer for their boat. Most think that since they keep the boat on a lift in a marina that offers fuel and service (or at least somewhere on the lake) they don't think they need a trailer. To give the short answer, yes. Now, you can't have a trailer for every boat, a Sea Ray 510 Fly can't exactly have a trailer like other smaller boats. Clearly, the owners of smaller boats have this question. My thought is that if there is a trailer to be offered, take it, its probably going to be just a little bit more money that you may be able to negotiate out of the price. Let me reason this in a few different ways....
Let's say that gas prices on the lake have skyrocketed for the upcoming holiday weekend. I know that on my local lake, gas prices are roughly $1.50 more than they are at the gas station. Though its not the right thing to do, many boaters wait until the last minute to get gas, like on the holiday when the marina is the busiest. For example, my boat has a 38 gallon tank that usually gets refilled somewhere between half and a quarter of a tank, lets call it 28 gallons. With gas prices hovering around $3.00 a gallon right now, that makes gas roughly $4.50 on the water. There is a potential savings of $42 by taking about an hour out of your time the weekend before the holiday and towing the boat down the street to the gas station.
As we all know, services are all more expensive on the water no matter the type. The mechanic that has a shop at our marina knows that he will be able to charge a premium because he is convenient. Lets take a normal service for the engine and lower unit. A oil change, lower unit oil flush, and an inspection may be upwards of $300 if done by the "convenient" mechanic. At the mechanic that we like to use, a quick 15 minute drive with the trailer, we can have the same service done for just about $200. Another batch of savings that can quickly add up. Oh, and on the way back from the mechanic, you can top off the gas tank.
A few years ago we had to have some fiberglass repairs done on our boat. Being in an area that numerous lakes, there were plenty of fiberglass "guys" to choose from. After some research and talking to our mechanic, he suggested a shop on the other side of town, about an hour's drive. After calling to make an appointment, they asked if we would be bringing the boat in or if we wanted them to come and pick it up, for a charge of course. We opted to drive the boat over ourselves. Having the trailer, we saved the money that the "convenient" guy would have charged us for what seemed like a more thorough job.
Many see boating as a hobby for those that like to adventure. Staying on the same body of water for years it not exactly being adventurous, not saying you have to constantly be driving around to new lakes, but a change in scenery is sometimes good. That is one of the best parts of having a trailer. If you have a bow rider, you can venture to other lakes to see new things then stay in a hotel at night. If you have a cruiser with a generator and air conditioning, you can go to other lakes and stay the night in a quite cove or at a transient dock. The options of where you can go are endless.
I could go on with reason after reason as to why I think that trailerable boats should have trailers. It's all about the adventure and seeing what you can see in your life. Don't let it slip away, set forth and conquer new waters.
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