renting your boat out???

[Slo-Mocean]

to be clear I’m looking for a large-ish trawler (able to be handled alone) or a power cat possibly…. I could see myself spending up to 250k on something I would consider nice, but would waaaay rather keep it 5 figures on a project that I could DIY in an affordable dry dock situation over the next couple of years.

You should flesh-out the dry-dock thing you're considering. DIY friendly yards have gotten rarer over the years. After reading a few of your posts, my sense is you are at risk of going way over budget. I don't mean to be a wet blanket to your dreams, but there seem to be a lot of dependencies that are not realistic.

That said, dreams are great. They are malleable as new information comes along and are a great starting point. So I'd encourage you - not far off where I started 35 years ago.

Peter

Weebles beat me to it.

I'm 60 and grew up building high performance power boats from the age of 14 at my brothers company in Michigan as well as cruising the Great Lakes with my parents on our 48 S&S yawl and always helping with the constant maintenance on a brand new freshwater boat .

I built wood \epoxy 65 custom Carolina sportfish boats in the winter in the 90s and have rebuilt sunk boats as well as maintained and owned numerous boats down here in Florida.

I can repair anything short of the Space shuttle , my dad was a tv repairman , he left me a Awesome set of tools.

That being said I have looked at so many boat ads that I have said if they gave me the boat and 30 thousand I wouldn't take it.

Materials and equipment is expensive these days, my best advice is do your homework and find a older clean freshwater Great Lakes boat

I've always been a optimistic person about projects and enjoyed them in the past but there is far too many quality well maintained boats out there for reasonable prices .

 

[Slo-Mocean]

Pictures?

The boat I hope .

 

[SteveK]

The boat I hope .

I hope too

 

[Simi 60]

I can get behind that, but…. my budget doesn’t allow for an unplanned long term high dollar boat slip. Trying to mitigate stuff like that before it happens. I’m happy others have enough money not to worry about that, but I’ll be living on a very strict budget.

Hate to be blunt but if you can't afford it you can't afford it, simple as that.

If you can't afford it you need to get out on your terms now before it's taken away.

 

[OldDan1943]

Don’t rent out your boat, end of story.
When I leave the boat, I take ignition keys with me. The marina has a set with a short list of those who can move the boat.

 

[Portage_Bay]

Don't rent your boat out. I can't see it working out well. Especially if your plans are full time live aboard cruising. I see two reasons against the idea, I'm sure I could find more.

1 - It will be your home, packed full of your and your son's personal gear.

2 - A boat 'rented out' is best put in charter service with a reputable charter company. This generally requires a standing agreement, scheduled charters and a fixed operations base. You won't have that on short notice

I suggest one path to mitigate costs that may work, but there are still stumbling blocks. I have close friends who cruise May - October each year. When they need to get off for a week or three they call me to see if I want to take the boat. They know my background and experience and trust me. They don't have to pay transient moorage rates or hire someone to look after the boat. I return it to them fuel tanks topped off and help with their re-provisioning costs. A win-win for all.

Another option would be to store the boat on the hard. I can often be less expensive that paying transient rates.

 

[rwidman]

I have not, but…. my biggest issue isn’t renting a space near me, but more of when I’m “out” and having some issue come up that is unexpected and have to leave the boat and go home…. .....

If you are thinking you can't afford a slip if you have to leave the boat and go home, I would question whether you can afford to own a boat.

You will have to keep the boat somewhere unless you are cruising 24/7. You will have to operate it and maintain it.

We have had to do exactly what you describe a couple of times while cruising; leave the boat at a marina and rent a car to go somewhere (for us, it was the deaths of friends, not going "home").

Most marinas have weekly and monthly rates that are better than daily transient rates.

In your scenario of unexpectedly having to go home, I don't think you would be able to find someone to rent your boat on short notice and for whatever period you might be gone. And of course, you have no way of knowing if the potential renter is competent to operate your boat or how he or she will treat it.

 

[psneeld]

Again my advice is to discuss it with AirB&B.

Postets on TF thinking outside the box is rare in my experience.

 

[mvweebles]

Again my advice is to discuss it with AirB&B.

Postets on TF thinking outside the box is rare in my experience.

How sweet of you to notice. We all aspire to your level of enlightenment.

One item to highlight to OP is cost of transient slips. When I was in San Diego a couple weeks ago, the bare bones Police Dock was $1.50/ft/nt. Safe Harbor in Chula Vista was $2/ft/nt (nice marina, but far from the desireable areas of San Diego Bay). Would also note that marinas require insurance.

The link you posted rented for over $100/nt and connected to resort hotel amenities. It's a nice stretch of the ICW. I doubt transient fees are less than $2/ft/nt so a 42 foot boat would carry a cost of $84/nt. Not a lot of meat on the bone leftover.

As described, the OP cannot afford the boat and lifestyle he desires. Not even close. He needs to change the lifestyle, boat, or throw more money at it (developing a marketable skill, for example).

There's risk, but he could probably rent the boat out via TF or Facebook. No idea what he'd do with all his liveaboard stuff, but depending on where the boat was located and the season, might get $1k/week. Few here would shoulder the risk (myself included), but there are likely quite a few people who would be interested in renting a boat - there is more demand for a private boat rental than supply. I guess you could screen applicants as only those who you can verify have chartered a boat before.

Peter

 

[rwidman]

Renting the boat out to someone who will take it out and cruise is one thing (personally, I would not do this), but the idea of renting it out as some sort of vacation rental, staying in a marina, may not fly with the marina, especially if the renters expect to use the parking lot, pool captain's lounge, etc.

If this is the plan, make sure the marina allows this before going any further with this plan.

 

[mvweebles]

Renting the boat out to someone who will take it out and cruise is one thing (personally, I would not do this), but the idea of renting it out as some sort of vacation rental, staying in a marina, may not fly with the marina, especially if the renters expect to use the parking lot, pool captain's lounge, etc.

If this is the plan, make sure the marina allows this before going any further with this plan.

Re: the AirBNB ad posted by Psneeld up-thread. I read the reviews. Mostly strong reviews, but several comments about head smell. The owners description specifically tells folks that when they go #2, they should walk up the dock to the marina facilities.

I know the marina where that AirBNB is located. Its a resort style marina with a lot of transients so it might fly there just fine. But I wondered the same thing as you did - many marinas would give a 'hell no' to the idea.

Peter

 

[psneeld]

AirB&Bs are often NOT at marinas.

Thinking outside the box isnt a specialty here as often pointed out that people harp on the same issies that might not even be an issue

Like running the boat...not an AirB&B option.

Bad customers? As i said I think they can be screened.

Instead of lirening to a bunch of uninformed naysayers, callling AirB&B might offer better info.

 

[mvweebles]

AirB&Bs are often NOT at marinas....

I gotta ask. If not a marina, where? Maybe the OP, who is struggling with the basic expenses of boat ownership, can buy/rent waterfront property? Or maybe ask around to see if he can use someone else's waterfront property for free and keep the rental income, maybe even store all his personal gear in their garage? Or maybe keep the boat anchored out and let guests paddle board to shore (come to think of it, I seem to recall someone in Key West doing this very thing).

As an aside, I have two short term rental properties. None are boats, but I know a wee bit about the business model.

Peter

 

[psneeld]

Private property, both rezidential and commercial.

Again, why not go to the best source of info?

 

[rwidman]

I gotta ask. If not a marina, where? Maybe the OP, who is struggling with the basic expenses of boat ownership, can buy/rent waterfront property? Or maybe ask around to see if he can use someone else's waterfront property for free and keep the rental income, maybe even store all his personal gear in their garage? Or maybe keep the boat anchored out and let guests paddle board to shore (come to think of it, I seem to recall someone in Key West doing this very thing).

As an aside, I have two short term rental properties. None are boats, but I know a wee bit about the business model.

Peter

As I understand the original post, the OP was concerned that he would be travelling somewhere and be called home for some reason and wanted to rent out his boat to defray storage expenses.

This means, of course, that he will not know where he would be when this happens. He might be in Florida, he might be in North Carolina, he might be in Illinois, etc.

He will have a very difficult time finding a place to keep the boat on short notice that allows any sort of rental operation.

I think he will also have a very difficult time finding a renter on short notice.

This is not really a viable idea.

 

[mvweebles]

As I understand the original post, the OP was concerned that he would be travelling somewhere and be called home for some reason and wanted to rent out his boat to defray storage expenses.



This means, of course, that he will not know where he would be when this happens. He might be in Florida, he might be in North Carolina, he might be in Illinois, etc.



He will have a very difficult time finding a place to keep the boat on short notice that allows any sort of rental operation.



I think he will also have a very difficult time finding a renter on short notice.



This is not really a viable idea.

......yet another failure to think outside the box!!!! I'm sure AirBNB has solutions.



Peter

 

[psneeld]

Maybe, maybe not, but I certainly would not listen to most advice given here. Mine or most orhers, go to the people who probably know better than us whether it is viable or not.

Maybe the OP can be flexible enough to make it work with some suggestions from current working solutions.

 

[alfamike]

Renting out your boat - No Way In Hell !

Renting out your boat - No Way In Hell !

The general public does not care about your boat, they generally do not know what they are doing, and many are pigs !

They can do more damage in a very short time that will costs thousands to correct than you can imagine.

You could end up liable as well.

Don't do it !

 

[berryfarmer]

Just wanna say… (content removed as it was in violation of TF Rules)... The rest of you being helpful, thank you <3

 

[Delta Riverat]

Best of luck in your maritime adventures.

I could offer no advice as I have none to offer.

I can add that my dock rental agreement advises no guests w/o owner present. I verified this by asking for a dock tag (RFID fob) for my wife and was advised only 1 tag per slip.

I wish you well -

 

[Comodave]

As far as renting the boat out, before you should consider it, talk to some people that rent out houses and get their feedback on how much trouble they have with renters. Houses getting trashed, etc. i have several good friends that own rental properties. They go to extraordinary lengths to find good renters that don’t trash their property. Or skip out with rent due. Deposits rarely cover the damages done to the property. And you are thinking about leaving your boat in a new location at a moments notice and finding someone to rent it…. No way would I consider that.

 

[READY]

Just wanna say…. (content removed as it was in violation of TF Rules)…. The rest of you being helpful, thank you <3

BerryFarmer...That last post was quite disrespectful. If you want the benefit of the immense experience and knowledge here you should respect that you might not receive the answers you want to hear. I have read every post and the information and guidance has been based in reality. There are many challenges that cannot just be ignored. My response was written with the desire to encourage you to really drill down into your plans and rethink/reconcile your budget and objectives with real world considerations. So please don't respond by telling those who are trying to educate you on those potential challenges by telling us to go to hell. Suggest you either keep an open mind and be respectful or just not ask for input on this forum.
++++++++++++
Just wanna say…. the folks on here saying “you can’t afford it, leave” can go straight to hell…. The rest of you being helpful, thank you <3

 

[mvweebles]

BerryFarmer...That last post was quite disrespectful. If you want the benefit of the immense experience and knowledge here you should respect that you might not receive the answers you want to hear. I have read every post and the information and guidance has been based in reality. There are many challenges that cannot just be ignored. My response was written with the desire to encourage you to really drill down into your plans and rethink/reconcile your budget and objectives with real world considerations. So please don't respond by telling those who are trying to educate you on those potential challenges by telling us to go to hell. Suggest you either keep an open mind and be respectful or just not ask for input on this forum.
++++++++++++
Just wanna say…. the folks on here saying “you can’t afford it, leave” can go straight to hell…. The rest of you being helpful, thank you <3

Good post. Thanks READY.

Peter

 

[Comodave]

It is always good to be nice on the forum, actually it is one of the rules that the moderators take seriously.

 

[kthoennes]

That was a good post by Ready. The "don't do it!'" posts aren't offered out of hostility or pessimism or some kind of boater snobiness. It's cold hard reality. In real life I happen to work at a courthouse. I see eviction and renter property damage cases every day. Now of course I only see the bad ones, I never see the ones that went well, but it reinforces that I'd never want to be a landlord, land or boat.

 

[mvweebles]

Just wanna say…. (content removed as it was in violation of TF Rules). The rest of you being helpful, thank you <3

From Post #39, here's my statement summarizing not just this thread, but similar threads from the OP:

As described, the OP cannot afford the boat and lifestyle he desires. Not even close. He needs to change the lifestyle, boat, or throw more money at it

You are not being realistic, probably because you don't know what you don't know about boat ownership beyond base purchase and initial preparation. The expense, the difficulty of logistics such as dockage, insurance, and regulatory restrictions.

I have no idea whether or not you can afford it. I have a very good idea whether your proposed budget and approach will get you the lifestyle you've articulated. It won't. Slam dunk.

That said, as I said above, dreams are a starting point that evolve to accept constraints and overcome obstacles. I wish you luck in your journey.

Peter

 

[rwidman]

As far as renting the boat out, before you should consider it, talk to some people that rent out houses and get their feedback on how much trouble they have with renters. Houses getting trashed, etc. i have several good friends that own rental properties. They go to extraordinary lengths to find good renters that don’t trash their property. Or skip out with rent due. Deposits rarely cover the damages done to the property. And you are thinking about leaving your boat in a new location at a moments notice and finding someone to rent it…. No way would I consider that.

I have friends who do (or have done) this and your advice is accurate. Renters, for the most part, do not care about the property they are renting. Add to that the fact that many people who might choose to rent a boat have little or no knowledge of boats and boat systems.

 

[rwidman]

......yet another failure to think outside the box!!!! I'm sure AirBNB has solutions.



Peter

No "failure to think outside the box", just being realistic.

Once people leave the world of Internet forums, the actual real world can be cruel.

He is not going to be able to rent out his boat on a few days' notice at an unknown time in an unknown place. The chances are "slim to none".

 

[mvweebles]

I'd heard of a few anchored boats in the Keys that could be rented. Here's an old anchored houseboat for $200/nt. Amazingly, has 4.93 rating on 300+ reviews. Appears to be around 50% rented for the upcoming winter season.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/277163...share_id=4594bd44-a00f-46a4-be49-3f177f130372

From the AirBNB description:
Enjoy your own private retreat aboard a solar and wind powered houseboat moored 1/2 mile from land in the beautiful Islamorada

• Please do not arrive after dark and NO night riding.
• Need experience with hand pull outboard motors
• a 12 foot skiff with a 6hp outboard motor is provided reliable to go back and forth from shore
• NOT reliable for exploring
• No hot water on shower, heat water in Tpots or Solar bags.
• Please shave before arriving
• No suitcases, least amount of cloths.

 

[slowgoesit]

Thread warning

Some content in violation of the "Be Nice" rule has been deleted from posts and follow-ons. Members are reminded to follow TF rules in all posts. 'nuff said?
Trawler Forum Site Team