Here it Comes, Hold on Tight

[Scott McGuire]

You are showing your age, Pax...

[rj]

the sad thing is that I have several boats that the cost to register them will exceed the price that I paid for them

[Barefoot]

It may be time to Document my vessel. (5 gross tons or more) It looks like they are not proposing to raise the $10 Documented decal. Someone please correct me if I 'm wrong, but the $10 dollars is all I have to pay? for now.....

from DNR website - "$10 DOCUMENTED DECAL (required of USCG documented vessels in lieu of the registration fee)"

From the article in the Crab Wrapper: The fees would apply to boats that aren’t registered in Maryland, but are state-documented vessels because they are primarily used here.

[blue lou]

When I was 11, I bought my first boat - an old 15' Grumman canoe. No registration needed.

The next year I bought a 12' Smokercraft jon boat for $40 - (that happened to be the going price for an ounce of pot, and the guy I bought the boat from had priorities...)

As a kid though, it was within reach pay the modest registration fee at the time.

I don't think a kid today would be as inclined or able to do that under this new fee structure.

I miss the days of nickel and dime bags, now its dub this and dub that.....

[Boatron]

I have sat here and read this entire thread. And as always, there are differences of opinion. I agree with some and disagree with others
Instead of debating, I would like to come at this from a different angle than everyone except Greg (B-Faithful). From the angle of someone in the boat business. I've been at Tri-State for almost 25 years. In the last 5 years I've watched my income fall by about 50% (and I wasn't earning a fortune when things were at their best). I am not looking for sympathy. I just want to speak for the thousands that work in my industry (just in the People's Republic of Maryland.)
The Boating/fishing has received our share of obstacles in the last 5-6 years. But when you add in the increases in fuel cost & tax, trailer fees, tolls and now a 10 fold increase in registration, the Camel's back is swaying hard if it ain't broke already. This combination might not stop any of us from continuing our pursuit, But I guaranntee it will cost us a trip or two a year. That lack of a trip or two might not hurt any of us individually, but what happens to the bait stores who lose a trip or two times 1,000's of fishermen? It also will keep a few new people a year from getting into the boating/fishing. That will certainly hurt boat dealers, boat repair folks, marinas, marine stores and even the kid who looks for a summer job painting bottoms or pumping gas at a marina. Like Greg we'll see that greater "discourage participation".
Ad Ziggy, "The fees would apply to boats that aren't registered in Md., but are state documented vessels because they are primarily used here" (per the ccapital Gazette Newspaper/Pamela Wood, Staff Writer).

Back in the day I always heard the state tourism board tout Maryland as "America in Miniature". It looks to me as if Comrad O'Malley (who has his sights set on national office) is taking "America in Miniature" to hell so he knows how to do it to the whole country next.

Boatron

[blue lou]

I'm trying to decide wether I should go into the boat sales or whale oil business.......

[27 sailfish]

Watch this play out like the recent toll increase.

The state wanted to raise them much higher - people came out in protest.

State gave in and " lowered " the proposed toll rate.

I'll bet same happens here. There will be some protests - both public and behind the scenes. After careful study - there likely will be a news release that the fee is only going to be half of what was proposed.

Still have to wonder who was at the helm for 40 years not to increase the fee. Common sense - costs have gone up over the years. Even a modest $2.00 or $3.00 increase every 10 years would have been fine with boaters.

[Hunter]

I would be willing to listen to this as a possibility, but only after MD passed a constitutional amendment to ensure that funds from special user fees stayed put and could ONLY be used for the intended purpose.

Every time there is a shortage in the general fund they go robbing Peter to pay Paul. How have the funds been spent from the fees we have been paying?

Here's a quick reminder...How about the 'Flush Tax'?

[john pearce]

all parts of our Gov't are going to continue to drive us deeper in debt. IMO they need to make cuts in county and state employees, etc... sorry if any TF'ers work for the county or state but almost every day you can drive by a work site and its almost always 4,5 or 6 trucks with only a few men working,just like BGE, I'm sorry but that is just ripping the tax payers off. Untill they make cuts on themselves the debt will rise and they will keep on passing bills raising our costs to try and solve it but that doesn't work, they'll keep raising taxes, boating costs, ramp fees, tolls etc... I don't think it will ever end and if that happens it will more than likely drive people from crossing bridges, buying ramp stickers and eventually keeping their boats.I know I don't go over the Bay bride any more, don't buy a ramp sticker for the Kent Is. area and in doing so I don't spend any money at Kent Is's gas stations, convience stores, hotels and sporting goods stores and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Sorry felt like venting.

[john pearce]

like others have said, it will make it hard for some and that will mean fewer trips, I'm one of them, I used to fish every weekend I could, now it seems like once or twice a month on average, hopefully we can all come out in protest and get these rates reduced.