Partnership, Cost Sharing

[JP Lee]

I am looking for flexible and limited use of a trawler in the PNW in return for sharing costs. I am very experienced and responsible. If you are curious about this possibility, please let me know and we can start a conversation!

 

[mvweebles]

Maybe check out some of the PNW charter companies and put a boat into charter to defray ownership expenses?

Best success and welcome to TF

Peter

 

[JP Lee]

Maybe check out some of the PNW charter companies and put a boat into charter to defray ownership expenses?

Best success and welcome to TF

Peter

Thanks for the thoughts.. I think th charter companies require fairly new (expensive..) boats to participate in such a program..

 

[SteveK]

Thanks for the thoughts.. I think th charter companies require fairly new (expensive..) boats to participate in such a program..

Peter beat me to the suggestion.
But if you are going less than what a charter company will accept then good luck getting a satisfactory partnership. JMO it cannot succeed in a long distance venture unless you are prepared to write a 50% check when the local partner says this or that had to be done.

 

[mvweebles]

I've thought about partnerships for recreational assets. Where they fall apart is one of the people feel like they do more than the other (and they almost always fall apart). Or one uses the boat/condo/whatever more than the other. I think the only way it works is if you agree to 100% professional maintenance, and the boat is professionally cleaned before the next person uses it. Build it into the costs upfront - if there is any leftover at the end of the year, split the overage or roll it over.

It looks and feels a lot like a charter company.

Peter

 

[READY]

I did something similar around 15 years ago. I owned my boat free and clear. Found 2 guys on this forum who were good friends with some boating experience. We essentially set up a month to month structure where either could terminate. Took my boat from NC to Bahamas. In the end it did work out but a lot of trust involved. We all got what we needed. They got more use of the boat than I due to my work schedule but also kicked in for fixed costs plus more.

I have my Hatteras 48LRC in San Francisco and if I dont sell her soon PNW could be the next stop.

 

[JP Lee]

Peter beat me to the suggestion.
But if you are going less than what a charter company will accept then good luck getting a satisfactory partnership. JMO it cannot succeed in a long distance venture unless you are prepared to write a 50% check when the local partner says this or that had to be done.

 

[JP Lee]

Thanks for the thoughts, Steve. Yes, as the owner of several boats I know just how much it takes to keep things working well, and handling the unexpected bills. If you own a boat the check is all yours! My son has shared his Beneteau in San Francisco very successfully, and prompt financial contribution is essential to that success. My hope is that there is a sailor out there that would be happy to write much smaller checks in return for minimal (or maybe even no) interruption to their use of the boat. If the boat shoe were on the other foot, I would not do it without being very comfortable about everything. Exploring that means starting a conversation about how it might work.

 

[Iggy]

I would not co-own. As stated in post5. I have heard to many war stories on this. But, thats me...

 

[BruceK]

In Australia, there are boats in commercially run share syndicates. The Integrity 380 near us came out of one after the syndicate reached end date. There can be up to 10 "owners", who get allocated use, with right to apply for unused time periods, first in gets the slot. Cost of entry is a bit more than 1/10th of value. I assume the Manager gets a cut for services to the Syndicate, out of the regular contributions members make..
In PNW, I don`t know, but syndicates like this could be set up anywhere. I`ve spoken with an ex syndicate owner who sold his share and bought his own boat, I think it works better than "timeshare" in holiday real estate.

 

[READY]

@BruceK yes there are commercial operators here in the US that operate like that. Usually it is for more than 1 year. There is no equity but if you just want to use a boat for limited periods it is much less expensive abd no long term commit.

We also have boat clubs such as Freedom boat club. You pay a fixed monthly fee and have a variety of boats you can use. Generally there are variable costs for fuel. Again not a bad option for the casual boater. A major advantage vs. owning is no surprise bills for maintenance or repairs. They have insurance so costs above deductible are picked up by the insurance.

However the first category is often higher end newer boats. The boat club generally is day use only. Both fill a market niche but probably not what the OP is seeking.
Ken

 

[JP Lee]

I looked into one of the professional boat share companies in the PNW. They are pretty rigid in their organization and I am looking for more flexibility. My interest in the PNW and ideally a boat in NW Washington or in Canadian waters (Im a dual citizen)

Definitely not looking for joint ownership, but I would happily contribute a large share of the owners expenses in owning the boat. Most of us get all too little time on our boats, and much of the time she sits idle. I very much agree that trust would be key. I am more interested in saling in the shoulder and winter seasons, so that may be attractive too,

 

[READY]

Having been on the owner side in a similar situation let me offer some suggestions if you are a serious about pursuing this idea.

Put together an outline and post on this thread. Add as much detail as possible but at a minimum include a description of your ideal vessel. Size, speed, cabins, equipment...
What ports or regions would really be your target home port.
How will you want to use the boat? Distances and total days for each trip? How many trips?
Boating experience, especially in this size boat (will be critical for insurance).
How would you deal with cleaning, routine maintenance, accidental damage.
And last but certainly not least what is your target spend if you find a match?

Please don't be offended but this forum has plenty of dreamers who don't really have a plan but post their requests. Many here may be interested in what you seek but without more details both parties will potentially waste time if they are shooting in the dark. If you can zero in on the target you just may find a willing owner. Good luck!
Ken

 

[JP Lee]

Having been on the owner side in a similar situation let me offer some suggestions if you are a serious about pursuing this idea.

Put together an outline and post on this thread. Add as much detail as possible but at a minimum include a description of your ideal vessel. Size, speed, cabins, equipment...
What ports or regions would really be your target home port.
How will you want to use the boat? Distances and total days for each trip? How many trips?
Boating experience, especially in this size boat (will be critical for insurance).
How would you deal with cleaning, routine maintenance, accidental damage.
And last but certainly not least what is your target spend if you find a match?

Please don't be offended but this forum has plenty of dreamers who don't really have a plan but post their requests. Many here may be interested in what you seek but without more details both parties will potentially waste time if they are shooting in the dark. If you can zero in on the target you just may find a willing owner. Good luck!
Ken

No offense taken... and thanks for the suggestions. My goal is to get back on the water in the PNW, from the San Juans up to and including the Canadian waters to as far a Desolation Sound and environs, and of course Vancouver Islands. Ideally a home port would have reasonable access to these areas . I really need only a smaller boat designed for a couple, with a provision to temporarily sleeping setup for another one or two.

I have owned a half dozen boats over the years, and cruised extensively both inshore and bluewater. The largest was a Lecomte 46 that toll my family through the Panama canal to the Caribbean. l also raced a lot, both as crew and skipper . My last boat was a Corsair F28 trimaran out of Ventura.

My goal is pretty modest -if also ambitious! I would love to be able to cruise perhaps a couple once or twice a year for 2 to 4 weeks at a time. The preference would be for the October through May months, which may be attractive to someone who prefers the warmer season. My wife and for years when we lived in Vancouver would take a 3 week trip to the Gulf Islands and the San Juans over Christmas and New Years. (Things were VERY quiet then!)

A big incentive for an owner to consider this, and to agree to some use of his/her boat is that I would help defray the cost of owning a boat that sits in a slip a lot of the time. I would happily share in these costs, including moorage, manitenance, insurance and repairs. We'd have to talk about the details, but lack of boat is more of a problem for me than lack of money!
The concern, of course, is that I am a total unknown. So, I hope someone may get in touch to begin the process of getting to know each other.

Lee