Chartering a brand new yacht

[WillH]

Hi everyone,

I'm planning a bareboat charter with some friends in Croatia next summer and we're trying to find a yacht with the ideal configuration and price for our needs. A couple of the most appealing options on paper are brand new yachts with their construction year listed as 2020, only manufacturer brochure images, etc.

These are from charterers who already have fleets of other yachts that are clearly in use (just that don't happen match our preferred spec so well), so I'm not really in any doubt that they are offering these yachts on the back of genuine orders, as opposed to some vaporware scam.

What makes me nervous is what pitfalls there may be behind such a yacht that a bona fide charterer intends to have on the water by my charter date. Should I be concerned by any possibility that the boatbuilder doesn't deliver on time, or that some teething problems that might mar a yacht's first year in service? I have plenty of experience bareboat-chartering yachts with at least a season under their belt but none dealing with fresh-off-the-line yachts, chartered or otherwise.

Is there anything to worry about? Any assurances I can look for to ensure I get what I'm expecting?

 

[jwilson]

I once chartered a Moody 40 for 2 weeks and on arrival found I was the very first user. Liked the boat a lot till on day 3 the steering jammed solid just off Jack-in-the-Basket in the entrance to Lymington with the ferry approaching. Found that the autopilot would steer although by hand the wheel was immovable. Berthed in Lymington on +10/-10 on the AP buttons - interesting experience. I thought initaially that the AP had stuck in ON, but turned out the steering cables had jumped off the quadrant and jammed the rudder, but the AP ram had more power than my hands on an apparently jammed wheel. Lost a day and a half while it was sorted.

 

[RichardS]

The big charter companies Sunsail/The Moorings etc have decades of experience chartering out boats from the day of their delivery as anything else would be wasted capital.

Don't worry.

Richard

 

[mjcoon]

Is there anything to worry about? Any assurances I can look for to ensure I get what I'm expecting?

I think we were told years ago that our booked yacht was not available and we would get a substitute because it had been dropped off the delivery truck!

Mike.

 

[mainsail1]

I have bought four 'production' yachts over the years and each one has been delivered in the week that it was scheduled. I would not worry if it were me.

 

[actionoptics]

We had a flotilla with Sailing Holidays in a week old Bene 45. Very few minor teething troubles like speakers not wired to be stereo and Ipod connection still in its wrapper behind a panel but the boat was otherwise fully working and a dream to sail.