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Old 08-15-2013, 03:30 PM   #10
Norwester
Veteran Member
 
City: Yakima
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 85
Steve,
Our boat is in charter, this is our fourth season. I put it in charter for some of the same reasons that you have mentioned. I knew we weren't going to be able to use it as much as we would like for a few years. We're over 200 miles from the boat and still actively working in our business. Our customers are all in agriculture, so we're busiest between June 1 and August 31st. The boat is in the San Juan Islands and that is the height of the charter season in the Northwest.

I knew that there could be times when I couldn't get to the boat for a month or two, but I wanted the boat watched over, maintained and used. The charter company has some good employees to do the basics, but I also have an independent mechanic that works on the boat.

I think your experience will depend on a number of factors. First, be sure the boat is in good shape before you buy it. Then the location of the charter company is critical. My boat gets used about 8 weeks per year. It is relatively easy to keep up on maintenance because it isn't used very much. If it was in a tropical vacation spot where it was running 40-50 weeks a year, I think it would get tired very quickly. Next you need to be sure that your charter company has the same goals as you. We went with a small charter company because I could deal directly with the owner and be sure they were doing what I wanted with my boat.

About 60% of gross revenue goes to me, out of that I have to pay all boat expenses. Be aware that the maintenance costs and insurance will be higher while your boat is in charter. You also have the worry that accompanies having someone else use your boat. Some of that is unfounded. I have talked to many of the people who charter our boat. Most are older, experienced people that own boats elsewhere and just want to spend a week or two in the San Juan's. Out of four years we've only had one charterer that I could tell was not careful with our boat.

Charter boats get knocked a lot by some boaters. It's not for everyone. If you have a strong emotional attachment to your boat or you hate having other people use your things it will drive you crazy. However, in my limited experience in my marina, the boats in charter get more maintenance, more cleaning and more use than most of the other boats. They have to be ready to get off the dock at any time during the season.

I'm contemplating taking the boat out of charter after this season, but I am concerned that I will have to build up a new support team to watch over the boat while I'm not there. Right now, I have someone that can handle anything from polishing to a mechanical issue. It is really great to arrive at the boat on a Friday afternoon and have a boat ready to leave the dock within an hour. It's a real luxury that I know I'm going to miss when we quit chartering.
Lyle
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