I've been thinking about this for a while and don't think there is any right or wrong answer here, just different ways of looking at things. Some businesses make their money by volume and others make money by higher margins.
Walmart can sell a handbag for $30 meanwhile my fiance' makes me spend $300 at a Coach store! They both probably cost around $10 to make and can hold the same amount of stuff (which is the whole purpose of a bag, isn't it?), but the difference is that most of the population can afford the Walmart bag and once you get into the Coach pricerange, you have narrowed down the market of potential buyers. At the end of the year, if Walmart sells 10x the amount of bags than Coach does because their market of potential buyers is 10x greater, don't they both make the same amount of $? The same applies in this business as well.
Some operations are geared towards the higher-end clientele who expect a large, fast, vessel with a mate ready to retie rigs and dehook your fish, a nice galley with breakfast served on the way out, top of the line reels on custom rods, an endless supply of sinkers and tackle, etc. For that, I can certainly agree that there should be a premium associated with that type of service.
On the other hand, there are some boats that have a clientele base of people that just want to fish as much as possible. For those people, they are willing to sacrifice some of those additional ammenities for a lower price point which allows them to fish 4-5xs per month instead of 2-3.
That is what originally attracted me to Capt. Tommy's boat, "Right Away II", and why I have been a weekly regular of his for the past 10 years and now have entered into business with him. I have my own equipment and tackle and bring my lunch (mostly Coors Light with an occasional sandwich if I remember to pack it). I enjoy tying my own rigs and releasing my own fish. I don't have a problem hauling an anchor if necessary or picking up a brush and wiping down the gunnels. To me, that is all part of the sport of fishing and the fact that I was able to fish more often because of that made it all worth it.
Just because Capt. Tommy's business model is a little different compared to some of the other boats (a large customer base of weekly regulars instead of less frequent fares) doesn't mean we catch less fish, aren't willing to travel farther to find the bite and aren't making money. In fact, a lot of the posts/responses we have received on this site reference him as arguably one of the best bottomfishermen in the area.
I understand not everyone has the same opinion as me and that is the beauty of this site. It allows each of us to speak openly about certain topics and get different perspectives from a wide range of people.
Tight Lines!
~Capt. Kevin
P.S. If anyone would prefer to pay $200 for an open boat spot, we will gladly oblige
