Rental

I own a nice clean 2003 MS Pilot 34 in Portsmouth NH.

I was wondering do members ever do boat swaps or rentals. I would be willing to swap use of my boat for 3-7 days in season with someone willing to swap in FL in winter.

I have looked on VRBO and there are not many options generally. Then I thought there might be someone in FL that might want to do a little New England cruising without taking the trek to NE.

Thanks in advance.

Tim
617-413-4884

It would be very hard for me to turn over my trawler to anybody I didn't really know. People can bluff their way through an interview so well that you never know who you are giving your keys to. I would guess there is more at risk with a boat than a similar value home, or even a home worth three times the value of my boat (or a hundred).

pete

Yes, welcome to TF. However, as Pete says, the concept of boat swaps would be fraught with potential issues. I can only see it working between friends who knew each other and their boats extremely well.

However, there's nothing to stop you chartering a boat, set up for the purpose, in the area you might want to sail in that's different from your usual cruising grounds.

I once was part owner of a vessel used for charter here in Queensland. At the time it suited both of us to not part out for the whole price, and there were decided tax advantages for it being in charter. Not the least of which was the charter co kept it nice and tidy, and carried out all usual maintenance. And it actually did seem to be well looked after by the folk who hired it, as we were able to use it whenever we wanted to by just giving due notice to the charter co. The only thing I can think of in terms of damage done in the time we had it was one fouled anchor had to be abandoned, so needed replacing. But that's all.

I had often thought if I ever wanted to cruise up in the Whitsunday Islands, for example, as it would take my whole holiday just getting up there in our boat, I would just charter a similar vessel up there, even though our boat, with a previous owner, had made the trip quite comfortably.

Pete Meisinger said:

It would be very hard for me to turn over my trawler to anybody I didn't really know. People can bluff their way through an interview so well that you never know who you are giving your keys to. I would guess there is more at risk with a boat than a similar value home, or even a home worth three times the value of my boat (or a hundred).pete

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I'm with you Pete. When I turn on the Heat Pump in my house, I don't have to make sure a water valve is open . . . Running the boat engine without opening a sea cock will toast the engine, easy mistake, but expensive consequences! In passing it sounds like a great idea, but in practice, just too many chances of failure/loss for my taste.

Charting a boat will be you best choice.

Got it.

Thanks