I second that. One of the best modifications you can do is to install a two-battery setup for your boat. You'll spend money getting a jumpstarter so you might as well look into the two-battery setup instead.
You bought an overnighter. Nothing beats the freedom of knowing that you can camp on the water running your cabin lights or whatever and then the next morning switching over to the other battery to start the engine with no worry of having run your only battery down.
My wife and I have spent wonderful nights relaxing anchored by a waterfall and falling asleep in the gently rocking boat with the waterfall providing soothing sleep-music in the background. I'd never be able to sleep soundly if I had one battery and the back of my mind was always thinking "what if the anchor light runs our battery down?" It's never a concern - we've always got another battery, and we don't have to worry about jumpstarting or other related stressful fixit drama the next morning when we awake on the boat.
To address your other observation; yes, all those years you rode on all of your friend's boats for a good time and didn't think much of it, once I bought this thing I realized just how much I had cost them. You'll invite many of your friends and they will all have a great time on your boat and I guarantee you that none of them will be realizing that you're spending over a dollar a minute in fuel/ insurance/ maintenance/ etc entertaining them. They are not being disrespectful or inconsiderate; they simply don't realize how much it's costing you. It's a wierd thing you need to get used to as a boat owner. The same close friend that would absolutely refuse to even think of allowing you to buy their eight dollar buffet at Ryans restaurant won't give a second thought to expecting you to burn a hundred dollar bill in fuel cruising them around your local lake - not to mention the other costs associated with just owning the boat before you even get it to the ramp for them to board onto it which double that fuel cost.
Owning a boat is NOT cheap and unless you've walked in those moccasins you have no idea what a great favor your boatowner friend is providing by inviting you along. I cannot make up for past slights to those that I did not adequately compensate for their generosity at the time when they invited me on their boat, but I can try to pass along the favor given to me - to the next generation of boat owners who don't know yet that they will be boat owners in their own future. :smt001
You bought an overnighter. Nothing beats the freedom of knowing that you can camp on the water running your cabin lights or whatever and then the next morning switching over to the other battery to start the engine with no worry of having run your only battery down.
My wife and I have spent wonderful nights relaxing anchored by a waterfall and falling asleep in the gently rocking boat with the waterfall providing soothing sleep-music in the background. I'd never be able to sleep soundly if I had one battery and the back of my mind was always thinking "what if the anchor light runs our battery down?" It's never a concern - we've always got another battery, and we don't have to worry about jumpstarting or other related stressful fixit drama the next morning when we awake on the boat.
To address your other observation; yes, all those years you rode on all of your friend's boats for a good time and didn't think much of it, once I bought this thing I realized just how much I had cost them. You'll invite many of your friends and they will all have a great time on your boat and I guarantee you that none of them will be realizing that you're spending over a dollar a minute in fuel/ insurance/ maintenance/ etc entertaining them. They are not being disrespectful or inconsiderate; they simply don't realize how much it's costing you. It's a wierd thing you need to get used to as a boat owner. The same close friend that would absolutely refuse to even think of allowing you to buy their eight dollar buffet at Ryans restaurant won't give a second thought to expecting you to burn a hundred dollar bill in fuel cruising them around your local lake - not to mention the other costs associated with just owning the boat before you even get it to the ramp for them to board onto it which double that fuel cost.
Owning a boat is NOT cheap and unless you've walked in those moccasins you have no idea what a great favor your boatowner friend is providing by inviting you along. I cannot make up for past slights to those that I did not adequately compensate for their generosity at the time when they invited me on their boat, but I can try to pass along the favor given to me - to the next generation of boat owners who don't know yet that they will be boat owners in their own future. :smt001
