Boat share

[Guest]

I am the owner of a lovely Harrison Butler - which is in really good nick considering - but the vast expense of yacht ownership has got me thinking about trying to get a partner to share the costs - and the joys - of Caracole.

Does anyone have experience of doing this? And how do you go about finding a partner?

Is here a good place?

 

[Guest]

My memory tells me that there have been some quite lengthy threads about boat sharing on PBO/Scuttlebutt recently - maybe that people aren't looking much in this forum at the moment. I think there were discussions of the merits and otherwise of different ways of organising boat share. Also hasn't there been a PBO article fairly recently?

Try a search, or posting in one of the others if things stay quiet here.

 

[Guest]

There is an RYA booklet on sharing a boat. Basically it's important that you get the money sorted out. Work out the annual costs, divide them by the number of partners and then set this as a minimum. Decide whether you can afford a yard to do the work (good) or do it all yourself (not so good). I think, from experience, that it's a good idea not to expect partners to be as dedicated as you. Then you won't feel as bad if you are let down. The best way obviously is to set a week aside in the spring and crack on together, and maybe set a few dates which are used for maintenance, or just days for being together aboard. Sharing the costs is a really good thing, but sharing the work is harder.
If you're still keen on doing it then by all means send in a photo for our getting afloat pages.

 

[milltech]

I almost got to the point of sharing an MFV some years ago, but I couldn't get the other side to agree my terms. I felt then, and think now, that the problem comes at sale time so I said I'd buy the boat and ask the other guy to chip in with an amount equal to the loss of interest on the capital to fund the running. It depends how much you're spending but it looked about right to me.

With rates as low as they are now this might not work, but I was prepared to stand either side of the deal, the benefit seemed to me that if the "owner" needed the cash he'd not have to argue the toss with a partner in order to get a sale.



John