Does your bareboat charter company employ a diver....
- Thread starter E39mad
- Start date
Seven Spades
Well-Known Member
We chartered the last two years and there was a huge difference between both companies. Both companies dived the boats at the end of the charters. But last years boat we used the holding tank but the handle was almost solid so I doubt that it had been used by anyone else in months or years, worse than that is was missing lots of safety equipment. But the boat we chartered this years from Dream Yacht charters was covered in instructions and stickers giving clear instruction to use the holding tanks. I was very impressed with the correctness of their operation. The seemed to be aware of their responsibilities. Interestingly the longest line we had on boat was 20m and when I complained they were horrified as it is a legal requirement to have a line of 50m on board and they replaced it for the next charter.
Bellacruiser
Well-Known Member
Being nosy; where did you charter with Dream? We're booked with them in Grenada for March 2019. Heard good things but then had someone on a forum tell me they had a terrible experience which worried me.
I found about 10 terrible reviews online but by I reckoned with a fleet of 1100+ boats at min. 15 weeks of charter per year, that's in excess of 80,000 charters over the past 5 years and people are more likely to hit the keyboard to report bad than good. Fingers crossed anyway!!
Seven Spades
Well-Known Member
Croatia from Dubrovnik. I think it is a bit like trust advisor, more people are motivated to complain than to praise. Charter boats are not the same as owner boats. But the Dream boat was correctly labeled. The hand over procedure was comprehensive, they were very hot on holding tanks and everything worked. By comparison the Euromarine boat we had the previous year did not have a working GPS, did not have a working VHF, did not have a working radio for music and the battery would not charge on engine it would only charge on shore power and was missing safety equipment including flares. Euromarine fixed the battery charging problem but had no interested in any other defects whereas Dream Yacht charters were genuinely interesting to know of any defects we found, we only found one and that was a bug in the Auto-pilot which would occasionally tack the boat without warning.
Bellacruiser
Well-Known Member
Thanks! We've chartered a bunch of places where Dream also have nearby bases and never seen a terrible looking boat of theirs nor met a charterer complaining so hopefully all will be fine! By contrast we've moored next to charter boats that were so poorly cosmetically maintained (decks and cockpit tables splintered and cracked) that I had to worry about the technical maintenance too, and committed the charter co to memory as one not to use! (One in particular in Sardinia who shared the same base marina and we encountered many of their boats in the week, all were in a terrible state outwardly to a passing observer)
Seven Spades
Well-Known Member
One difference was that Dream asked for a huge deposit, but it did not seem to impact the way the boats were returned. He showed me the work sheets of some of the boats on change over day and the damages were terrible. They had a team of boats repairers employed to fix everything before the new charters arrived. One boat had over €2000 of damages amazing. The difference was that they were prepared for it and had not only the people to fix stuff but also a workshop with airlines, lathes drills etc.
Cheeky Girl
Well-Known Member
Chartered with Dream out of Sibenik in June this year.
We were upgraded to a larger boat as the one we had booked was being repaired.
They sent a diver down just after we arrived back. Agree with Seven Spades asked for a 3k euro deposit but it was on credit card. Didn't accept AMEX though.
Overall very efficient
We were upgraded to a larger boat as the one we had booked was being repaired.
They sent a diver down just after we arrived back. Agree with Seven Spades asked for a 3k euro deposit but it was on credit card. Didn't accept AMEX though.
Overall very efficient
Bellacruiser
Well-Known Member
That's good to hear; we actually also have a little bonus charter booked with them for June from Sibenik [Zaton?], our first time chartering as a twosome and we went for an older Harmony 38 (2008). Combined the repeat booker, boat show and early bird discounts to get it for ~£850 for the week.
I don't mind the higher deposit (it's £4,500 for the Grenada trip) and keep a credit card with a high limit and for 2018/19 we knew we'd be squeezing 3 charters into a 12-month window so bought yachtsman cover with upto £6k deposit waiver in it from Topsail, much cheaper than insuring each time via the charter co.
NkdSailor
New Member
Does anyone do this with submerged drones? I don't know how far the current technology has evolved, but I think it would be quite beneficial to the chartering (and boating) industry to make damage checking cheap and increasingly automated.
Seajet
...
There are waterproof flexible endoscope cameras - long used in aviation for inspecting inside jet engines - available amazingly cheaply now which should do the job; the only snag I can see is there needs to be an industry standard agreed by insurers and maybe surveyors, both parties may tend to boost rather than reduce costs !
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_s...meras&rh=i:aps,k:underwater+endoscope+cameras
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_s...meras&rh=i:aps,k:underwater+endoscope+cameras
Cheeky Girl
Well-Known Member
It was the Harmony 38 we wanted to charter as have sailed a 34 before and wanted to try it. It was Zaton marina fuel berth in Sibenik on the Friday was deserted. If around we found Opat- Kornat very expensive and would not go back
Bellacruiser
Well-Known Member
We're planning to go back to some places we visited before that we didn't find too bad. Will probably also do Skradin which is v costly but where we got engaged so holds good memories!
We like Rogoznica, Primosten, Kaprije and might visit Prvic or consider a longer day's sailing and get Vis in
newtothis
Well-Known Member
Look, the entire region is suffering from an acute vowel shortage, so prices are bound to be high. Think of it as a contribution to rebuilding the alphabet in a part of the world that could do with your help.
Jms
glynd
Well-Known Member
Just finished a sunsail flot in lefkas - they didn’t dive on us, but checked inside around the keel.
The neighbour bare boat was dived on, and the chap said he dives all the bare boats but no flot boats...
[163233]
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There are a lot of problems with this, and before long someone will start taking the piss.
How does it work in practice?
Imagine, you fly off, have a big long taxi ride, pick up the boat, have an uneventful trip, and you return it. Where upon the chap goes for a swim and comes up saying you owe them a new keel.
Not sure I'd be too happy about that. Even less so if their supporting evidence was some digital photos taken at a time other than the pick-up point.
What's the system of proof? How can you agree on the condition of the boat at collection when you aren't in a position to verify it yourself?
You wouldn't have time for a lift because you'd likely have a flight booked. So even after the diver comes up, how do you know that the boat is actually damaged at all?
How does it work in practice?
Imagine, you fly off, have a big long taxi ride, pick up the boat, have an uneventful trip, and you return it. Where upon the chap goes for a swim and comes up saying you owe them a new keel.
Not sure I'd be too happy about that. Even less so if their supporting evidence was some digital photos taken at a time other than the pick-up point.
What's the system of proof? How can you agree on the condition of the boat at collection when you aren't in a position to verify it yourself?
You wouldn't have time for a lift because you'd likely have a flight booked. So even after the diver comes up, how do you know that the boat is actually damaged at all?