RE: recovery craft
Our club, the Propbusters, has been getting more and more into float flys to the point that we have 5-6 scheduled and several impromptu events every summer.
After 3-4 years of borrowing and making due, our club finally plunked down the money for a retrieval boat. After looking for a while, one of our members sold his trade-in to the club at a bargain price when he upgraded. After bringing the safety equipment up to date and going through the motor, we have about $400 in it and a trailer.
It is probably the best investment we've made. It certainly has made our float flys a lot easier and consequently a lot more fun.