Maintenance Season Starts

On a recent fishing trip, I was not pleased to discover that the batteries that power my trolling motor were not holding a charge. I was greeted by the red batteries need to be charged light as soon as I started the afternoon. Many clients comment on how well the remote trolling motor works for how I fish and the convenience of being able to operate the boat from wherever I am standing. Over the last fifteen years it has become an integral part of my system making client success much more likely and easier for me. It shows up in many pictures of happy clients or of me using the motor. Each summer I threaten to put a pair of eyes on it for effect but have not done that so far.

I understand that I use outdoor equipment more than the usual person, but the boat arrived here in March, I added the batteries not long after that. Nine months by my count. Yesterday I installed a pair of replacement batteries nearly double the cost of the first pair. Trolling motors typically last about a season and a half before failing for some reason due to frequent use.

The annual cost of the trolling motor alone is scary but necessary if I am going to offer the level of service that my clients expect. Doing the maintenance work is part of a guide business that few give a thought to when they think of how great it would be to be on the water well over a hundred days a season. Still all of it factors in and is part of my calculation when I think about pricing for the coming season over the next few weeks.