club rules!

[koldive]

i have recently joined a bsac club who have a rib,last week i was informed that from this week the fee for going on the boat has risen from ?5 to ?10 per trip.I was wondering can they do this without a vote from all members or can a few in club just decide this

[MarkA]

i have recently joined a bsac club who have a rib,last week i was informed that from this week the fee for going on the boat has risen from ?5 to ?10 per trip.I was wondering can they do this without a vote from all members or can a few in club just decide this

This would of course depend on the constitution of the club involved. Normally this decision would be made by the commitee who were elected by the membership to make decisions on behalf of the membership and they probably havr their reasons for doing so. If you are not happy put yourself up for election at the next AGM

[koldive]

:tried your link but says its a bad gate way!so can you run a bsac club to make a profit i was under impresion that the club was a none profit club



=:=i have recently joined a bsac club who have a rib,last week i was informed that from this week the fee for going on the boat has risen from ?5 to ?10 per trip.I was wondering can they do this without a vote from all members or can a few in club just decide this

This would of course depend on the constitution of the club involved. Normally this decision would be made by the commitee who were elected by the membership to make decisions on behalf of the membership and they probably havr their reasons for doing so. If you are not happy put yourself up for election at the next AGM

[Mike Halligan]

Beside the obvious question already asked, how long is it since per person fees were set at ?5, and what was the price of beer or petrol at that time?

I'd suggest you shouldn't link ?10 per person per day out on the Branch boat with running a Branch at a profit. Boat fees must be seen in the context of annual subs. We pay heavily in subs to subsidise our Branch boats, yet still had to pay ?9 (1/4 of ?35 ono) each for a day's (dry) hire last weekend - because it seems no-one wants to go diving if it means dragging the boat along, running it yourself, etc (wimps!).

Is the ?10 you quote for wet hire or dry hire of the boat? Who bears the costs of depreciation, servicing and renewals, all members or only the hirers?

Last time we took both Branch boats out (to the small Isles) it cost us ?400 each way to tow 2 boats & compressor to the launch point. Then there's fuel for the boats and compressor, oils for them and servcing to be covered. A share can be significant, but for several days diving in clear waters it is a price worth paying.

Best advice I can offer is to get involved in running the Branch and then see where the cost could be reduced - generally by maximising use of assets.

Regards,

Mike

[Keith Lawrence(BSAC)]

:tried your link but says its a bad gate way!so can you run a bsac club to make a profit i was under impresion that the club was a none profit club

Link works for me. You are quite correct in stating that club boats MUST be not-for-profit, to be otherwise would put them in the commercial category. As for "can they do that?", read your club constitution for the answer.

I suggest that you ask your committee rather than us, ask to see the figures - I think you will be horrified at the actual cost of running, maintaining and replacing a boat on even a not-for-profit basis. Those costs run into thousands of pounds, make that up from those tenners. Feel free to try and find commercial spaces at a tenner a trip!

I feel that you should trust your committee on this, they are elected by you, they are accountable to you. If you think they are not doing it properly then I am sure that help would be appreciated.

Regards

Keith L

[Andy Wade]

:=:tried your link but says its a bad gate way!so can you run a bsac club to make a profit i was under impresion that the club was a none profit club

Link works for me. You are quite correct in stating that club boats MUST be not-for-profit, to be otherwise would put them in the commercial category. As for "can they do that?", read your club constitution for the answer.

I suggest that you ask your committee rather than us, ask to see the figures - I think you will be horrified at the actual cost of running, maintaining and replacing a boat on even a not-for-profit basis. Those costs run into thousands of pounds, make that up from those tenners. Feel free to try and find commercial spaces at a tenner a trip!

I feel that you should trust your committee on this, they are elected by you, they are accountable to you. If you think they are not doing it properly then I am sure that help would be appreciated.


Indeed, to quote the old adage:
"A boat is just a hole in the water that you throw money at"
?10.00 doesn't sound excessive to me, and ?5.00 sounds even better, I'm not surprised they have raised it, because it probably didn't cover wear and tear on the boat.
I'd echo everyone's comments on discovering exactly what it costs to run a boat, which is quite a lot even for a branch. Owning and running your own boat is hideously expensive, so having a share in a branch boat is a great option, even at a tenner a time.

[Nigel Hewitt]

"A boat is just a hole in the water that you throw money at"
?10.00 doesn't sound excessive to me, and ?5.00 sounds even better, I'm not surprised they have raised it, because it probably didn't cover wear and tear on the boat.

We just bought a new outboard (a 140) and the costs went up from ?5 to ?6 to try and stem the losses on running our two RIBs. I don't think anybody complained as we all knew what had been spent and, quite frankly, we would not have been suprised at more.

[Bill Bird]

:tried your link but says its a bad gate way!so can you run a bsac club to make a profit i was under impresion that the club was a none profit club



=:=i have recently joined a bsac club who have a rib,last week i was informed that from this week the fee for going on the boat has risen from ?5 to ?10 per trip.I was wondering can they do this without a vote from all members or can a few in club just decide this
:=
:=This would of course depend on the constitution of the club involved. Normally this decision would be made by the commitee who were elected by the membership to make decisions on behalf of the membership and they probably havr their reasons for doing so. If you are not happy put yourself up for election at the next AGM

You have to let your Committee manage the branch if they are acting within the constitution of the branch. That's what you've elected them to do. No branch runs as a profit making organisation. Any surplus made by the branch invariably goes out - eventually - for other things (repairing kit, pool hire fees, buying new kit, running your RIB, etc.). ?10 per trip, while accepting it is a 100% increase, does sound pretty reasonable. Costs of running a RHIB are pretty high, and we threw money at ours for years, before we bit the bullet and sold the thing! I'm sure your Committee would have discussed this fully at the Committee meeting, and I'm sure will give you a fuller explanation if you ask them.

Safe diving.


Bill

[Matt]

It depends on your club constitution.

Many clubs rightly delegate financial control to the treasurer and committee. An effective committee needs to be able to make financial decisions without constant reference to the membership.

Think about it. If you ask people should we put costs up, they will virtually always say 'no'. Very soon you end up with a club in decline as services are cut to maintain the lower cost.

Boats particularly are a black hole capable of swallowing up large chunks of club income. The cost of running boats has risen disproportionately in recent years largely due to hikes in insurance costs.

I suspect that if you look at the boat finances you will find that the costs are in fact subsidised from other areas of club operation which generate a cash surfiet.

[koldive]

It depends on your club constitution.

Many clubs rightly delegate financial control to the treasurer and committee. An effective committee needs to be able to make financial decisions without constant reference to the membership.

Think about it. If you ask people should we put costs up, they will virtually always say 'no'. Very soon you end up with a club in decline as services are cut to maintain the lower cost.

Boats particularly are a black hole capable of swallowing up large chunks of club income. The cost of running boats has risen disproportionately in recent years largely due to hikes in insurance costs.

I suspect that if you look at the boat finances you will find that the costs are in fact subsidised from other areas of club operation which generate a cash surfiet.
thanks for your comments i will have to look at club constitution,thanks