I loan a lot of tools to my next door neighbor and have to have his wife remind him to return them. Between me and his wife he has got the message that if he returns it as soon as he is finished with it then I will loan him a tool the next time. But if he fails to return it in a timely manner he may get cut off from my tools. As long as he takes care of my tools and doesn't break them I will continue to loan some of my tools to him. But I would never let anyone borrow my boat or my fishing rods or reels. Period. Here's why:

When I was a young man I use to let my friends use my stuff. Once I let a friend drive my brand new sport car. We were on a scuba diving trip to the Panhandle of Florida and to visit his girlfriend. We spend the weekend there diving and partying. I drove all the way there but when it was time to leave I was dead tire. The night before we left the baseball team had visited our room and kept us awake into the wee hours of the morning. I only had my Datsun 240Z for about a month and had to wait 4 months on a waiting list to get it brand new from the Dealer back in 1973. This was my first car that I ever owned and it was my prize possession. So on the way back home I drove it from Florida to Selma Alabama. The entire trip was marred by steady rain. After I reached Alabama I was so tired and in need of sleep that I reluctantly turned the wheels over to my good friend. I jumped into the passenger seat and tried to shut my eyes. Within 5 minute he had run into the back of another car and we were hit from behind by a third vehicle. My new 240Z was sandwiched in between two other cars and the car in front of us has gone up over my hood and I could see the gas tank right in front of my face.

My friend never offered to even pay my deductible. We remained friends even after that for about 20 years. But to this day I will never let another person drive, borrow or use any of my treasured boats or vehicles. I did let my step daughter drive my truck when she was learning how to drive a stick shift. And once I let her take the family car out while we were on vacation in Florida. But that would never have happened if here mom had not insisted that she get to dive the minivan to the bars down in Panama City Florida. We lucked out and she got the Van back in one piece. But on the way home the van's belt busted and we got stuck in Alabama again for the night. Spent the nigh in an unheated garage waiting for the parts dept to open the next day, Monday. Never travel on Sundays when everything is closed down.

Bottom line is this. If you let a friend take your boat out you may have to pay for the repairs and be without your boat or lose it entirely. Friends or relatives won't take as good of care of your stuff as you do. And they are not familiar with the operation of your stuff either which can cause great harm to it.



Regards,

Moose1am