Military Hotrod Club - Q for coasties

I made a post in the coastie thread but I'll make a new thread to try and get some responses:)

I've been thinking about joining the coast guard and just requested some info from my local recruiter how ever I would like to get some info from non-recruiters as well. My dream job would be on a tanker in the merchant marines but after reading you often have to wait months between trips I sort of got turned off. I have to deal with allot of down time right now as a commercial fisherman which is why I'm looking into a career change. I just want to be on the water making money and I'd be happy.

This is a big decision for me because I'm not too far from the captain's chair if I stick with fishing which I LOVE! Its just getting too hard to make a living with the gov't shutting us down every other month and the frustration is almost un-bearable because regardless of what the scientists say there is ALLOT of product out there and serious money to be made if they let us. If I joined the CG I would loose my chance to run the boat I'm on which I could work-to-own which is a huge opportunity with so many fisherman looking for work and also the small amount of permits left out there and the huge $$$ there going for now. basically this is my only chance at ever owning my own boat(and lic.) ..but fishing is looking at a very uncertain future right now depending on what the gov't does.

So I'm just looking for some feedback from enlisted guys. how do you like your expierence in the CG? do you plan on re-enlisting? how's life aboard those cutters? how much say do you have on where your deployed? what is sea pay? I read you start off making $15k a year? thats pretty weak imo I would be taking a ~60% cut on income but I realize there aren't as many expenses in the military so how much of that did you actually save? and how long does it take to advance to a higher pay rate? and what do you plan on doing after the CG? and would my 5years of expierence on the water count for anything?
thanks in advance for any replies!

bumpp.. no 1 wants to share your thoughts/expierence?

being a commercial fisherman wont get you anywhere rank or pay wise. That will just be personal knowlege that will help you.

Starting out as an E-2 or E-3 you will make around 1700 a month before taxes plus a few allowances for food and then for housing (once you are allowed to live off base, or in a location that does not have housing) if you are on a ship you will not get BAH until you move off the ship.

I havent been to a cutter yet, so i cant answer any underway questions. But depending on what rate you choose, you will have a better chance to get on a cutter. Sea pay is just another 50 or 100 bucks a month you get for being stationed on a boat.

I would say that you probably could make alot more money doing the fishing thing. The one thing the military has over civilian jobs is job security. unless you get kicked out or get hurt, your job should still be there for the rest of the carrer.

thanks for the response man! altho your response is kind of making me lean towards sticking with fishing. my weekly paycheck is usually around $1500 depending on the weather, altho I have made $1200 in a day, or as low as $250 a day or $400 in a week.. but we can't fish all the time and the job security is questionable because of the gov't. but the closures are the worst part, I haven't fished in over a month now and the scallop quota was only 60% full when they shut us down, its the most frustraiting and stressful part of my job. well fish dragging is frustraiting and depressing as hell too when you catch +10k lbs of cod in a 40min tow and have to throw over 9,200 lbs of dead fish.
times like these tho I just get stir crazy -and broke! I can't go fishing until september 1st when the scalloping opens back up, which will only last a few weeks till the quota is full then we're going fish draggin til the end of december. the CG does offer health and dental tho, and you get a pension at some point right? one thing about fishing is your screwed when you get old unless you own a boat. ehhh idk what to do.. I was thinking about doing a stint in the CG and then joining the merchant marines and fishing in between trips, but I'm 24 now and I'm afraid I'll be too old to be on deck on an F/V once I get out of the CG. hmm.. well thanks again man!

I'm posting a bit late but I'm in the CG. Unfortunately I am in aviation though but did spend a year on a boat. Well a construction tender out of Baltimore. The main think that will land you anything is education or age. I came in at 23 and started as an E-3 out of Basic. As for re-enlistment though, I just turned 30 and am not planning on getting out until I hit e-7. Pay wise truthfully isn't that bad pending where you are. If you take into account that your medical is paid for and housing, technically that 15k is what you have to spend on yourself. Not including Basic Allowance for Housing, Seapay/Flightpay, etc.. You won't see too big of an increase until you hit E-5, that is the biggest one overall. Pension starts at 20 years and is 50% base pay of whatever rank you are at retirement just about. There is a bit more to it but that is the easiest way to put it since they keep changing it (not in a bad way lol). Hell, the GI Bill is going to be transferrable to your kids, which is a HUGE Breather for me lol. Just look at the vehicles in my sig, never bought an f-body until I got in. Gotta have my toys:D