Boat rides at Perrine

[guest]

Boat ride prices have been upped from $5 to $7 this year! :o(No matter how many rides are made)

Sorry, I would like to continue to support Don's enterprise but not for that much. I'll bring my own boat, or make the 20 min hike out to the park, or the 20 min climb to the top beside the bridge.

Geez, for $3 more, I can get a King Air ride to 13,500' in Arizona on the weekend.

Don, don't get greedy. You're seeing exponentially more BASE jumps and subsequently more boat rides out each year.

I like to support local business, as I really appreciate making legal jumps there, but not at any cost!

[guest]

The price still seems well worth it to me.

[imported_mknutson]

What are Burt and Don's phone numbers?

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Mick Knutson :D
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[guest]

You can reach Bert at Canyon Tours & Fishing (208) 734-4228 I think. $7 seam a little steep. I know some on the other locals we met have expressed interest in providing boat services at $5.

[guest]

Nice guy or not, it's a killing he is making and ya, who wouldn't stick up for the jumpers at those rates. $28 to $70 for one boat load and $2.00 maybe for gas per load. He said last time..."well gas prices went up". So it took and extra $14 in gas for one ride?

[guest]

The $5 seemed reasonable, but at $7 it is getting close to airplane altitude. I know over labor day weekend somthing like 500 jumps were made earning the shuttle $2500.00 for the weekend. I am a capitalist too, but a competitive one. If there are more than enough shuttle boats the price should decline or stay the same, and if one person has a monopoly the price will go up.

The service provided was good and I suspect others will be interested in providing it as the demand grows. In most businesses competition usually results in lowers costs and better service for the consumer.

[Donk]

I was just there last weekend and had to hike out the first day because we did not give Don enough notice... I would have gladly paid $7.00 after the second climb out. Also, I believe it was Don we spoke to on the second day and I am pretty sure he will make a deal with you. We negotiated for a flat fee per ride since there were only three of us. I think it was like $25.00 per trip. Maybe he’ll do the same rate for 4-5 people, especially if it is an off weekend and he can be guaranteed several trips. Can’t hurt to ask anyway.

If you do not want to pay the money then use the "Boy Scout" trail, which comes out in Centennial Park and is an easy 15-minute hike. You can usually bum a ride back to the top or plan on having ground crew to pick you up.

This was my first trip there and everyone we dealt with was great and treated us like celebrities. I do not have a problem forking over a few bucks (with in reason) to a local economy that is so friendly to BASE people but even if you decide to use the boat, hike out at least once to soak in the surroundings...

Donk out

[flummi]

last year i made a trip to twin falls and was the only jumper there on that weekend.

(1) burt started saturday morning as soon as i called him and brought the boat out just for me, knowing there would be only one jumper
(2) he gave me a ride up in his car after every jump and dropped me at the hotel for packing
(3) he was at the LZ in 15 mins every following time when i called him over my two-way-radio (which he took with him) after i was done packing.

he ended up charging me USD 7 per ride, which i think is a fair price to pay for the level of service.

another fact that we should consider is that bert will represent us (the base jumpers) in local meetings and be our voice in the community. this is a service which is very valuable for us.

and i assume that on weekends where he has so many people as on labor day 2000 we will be able to agree a discounted price.

we should NOT start some rivalry between boat operators over a couple of bucks (they might just ALL end up charging us USD 8). to all who complain, please consider how often you will make it to the perrine and how many jumps you will be able to do and if those couple of bucks are really a matter to invest your energy.

play hard.
flummi

[guest]

I agree with you Flummi, Burt did a pretty darn good job for us. It's probably a one or two trip a year locale, and a few extra bucks for someone to stick up for us is a small price to pay. I just don't like when somone raises prices 30% for no particular reason other than they believe the market will bear the increase.

[imported_mknutson]

I called Burt yesterday and here is my interpretation:
Burt does not have his boat at the bridge all year long. So, during non-season, he has to drive 35 miles each way to help jumpers. That does cost time and money. Then, because it is off-season, the jumpers may only make 3 of 4 boat loads per weekend, with only 2 or 3 persons on each load. So the rate of $7.00 for 3 persons for 3 loads to drive 70 miles, is not bad I think.

But when season arrives, he will already be down there. And as he has done in the past, he is a very good guy and is not out (in my opinion), to screw anyone, or to make a fortune off just base-jumpers.

So if you have 5 people for 3 days at 5 loads a day for him, that is 75 paying loads. I think you will find that "Negotiating" a very flexible tool.

Please support the people that support YOU! Lynching someone because they are tying to cover their costs when you inconvenience them, is not the correct way to approach things.

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Mick Knutson :D
[link:www.blincmagazine.com|BLiNC Magazine]

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[Donk]

Hi Tree,

Donk here... I couldn't resist a comment regarding the 30% raise you mention. :D If we are going to blame some for the 30% increase I think it should be OPEC who decided to raise gas prices almost 70%. This just another residual effect of big business screwing the little man. Let’s write our congressmen. I do not think they realized how it was going impact the BASE community. ;-)

Later,

Donk

[guest]

Amen.

[guest]

All this carping about boat ride fees is a sad commentary on the maturity and business acumen of the BASE community. Each time I have been to Twin Falls, all the jumpers are lugging in at least $3,000 worth of gear and cameras, and usually have spent hundreds on transportation. Motels are $60-80 per night and spending $10-15/day on food. Many BASE jumpers spend an additional $15/day on beer alone. On one windy day, I was in a group that went to Starbuck's to wait things out. We each spent more than $5 just on coffee and a pastry. Nobody griped about forking over the money to a multi-million dollar corporation for some "morning necessities." I have yet to see any BASE jumper curtail their beer appetite for financial reasons.

Burt and Don are loyal supporters of our sport. They also manage to learn about us as individuals and have connected with many of us on a personal basis. The notion that these guys are "gouging BASE jumpers" is preposterous. It seems much more credible that those who complain are both stingy and naive about business. If the $2 which started this discussion were REALLY the issue, then I would expect to see frugality in many more areas of a BASE jumper's behavior. We always seem to have enough for new gear, fuel, DV tapes, coffee, beer, and food. On top of all the other expenses, should anyone conclude that an additional $6/day (3 loads/ person) is important enough to complain about?

Several postings mention things like "covering costs" and "competition". Bert and Don are running a very small seasonal business because they like what they do. Most of the year they can't run the boats. It is OK for them to make a profit from BASE jumpers. We are provided with a very valuable service which dramatically increases both the safety and convenience of every jump at Perrine. The cost of any service is a reflection of how people value their time. However, Bert and Don have no way to control income per unit of time. They are dependent upon the weather, number of jumpers, packing rate and other factors completely outside their control. Two guys in their 50s willing to show up all day and play the odds on income versus time are enthusiastically servicing the BASE community. They pay for equipment, maintenance, fuel, insurance and food by running boats for our convenience. The income stream we provide is sporadic, subject to interruption at any time, and present for only a portion of each year. In the business world, all these uncertainties argue for higher prices. We should be grateful for the high level of support they provide to our activities.

Bert and Don are loyal promoters of our presence at Perrine Bridge, and they provide a service worth every penny of the $7 charge. They have more than earned the respect and continued patronage of the BASE community. However, the hiking trail is still available for those readers who fail to value the time and contributions of others. I would encourage readers to reject the notion that we are in any way harmed or inconvenienced by a $7/trip ferry fee. I would also encourage each of you to express some appreciation next time Bert or Don help you and your friends shave an hour off your turn around time.

[guest]

Enough with the common sense, you are right. Burt and Don were great to work with the boat ride is well worth $7 bucks. I'd much rather pay that $7 to them then to pay $18 to fly in an airplane. I did the climb out the 1st day I was at Perrine because it was late on Thurs evening and we didn't even think that someone would come out to haul our buts out of the gorge that late. I couldn't have made the 25 jumps I made that weekend without the boat service. And yes we were very appreciative to Don and Burt.

But please, no more common sense, it hurts my head.

[psychokiwi]

DOINK
Hey mate check your math.$25 for 3 people is more than $7 per person and definitely more than $5 per person.I agree with Tree.Capitalism works best with competition.
By the way what happened to you guys last Sunday at Tombstone.We jumped all morning and early afternoon.Ya really missed it,shoulda been there.
Psychokiwi.