Long term yacht charter

[dicksonj10]

Having recently sold my boat (due to lack of use) I have decided to take a year out and sail, such bad timing I know!! Rather than buy another yacht I would like to take out a long term charter, I have heard of this in the States but not over here. Does anyone know if it is possible to do this, I would be looking to do the arc and then head back a few months later, any ideas?

Regards

Jonathan Dickson

 

[RupertW]

It's hard to imagine it being cheaper to charter a boat for a few months than the loss you'd get on buying and selling it. Assuming you are going to go sailing for all that time then you have no permanent mooring/marina to pay for and in either scenario you will decide what visiting fees you pay.

That leaves the depreciation cost which shouldn't be too much on a second hand boat, if sufficiently old enough, plus fitting out for the trip. I suspect those two costs will be a lot less than even a heavily discounted charter price, but I'd be very interested if there is an alternative out there.

 

[snowleopard]

I wanted to do that for an Atlantic circuit. I approached a charter agent I had worked with and he said I'd be far better to buy a 2nd hand boat and re-sell it afterwards.

BTW I ended up building one and I've still got it 6 yrs on!

 

[Sailfree]

Not really a goer.

1. Charter boats are equiped for week trips not the arc.

2.Whos going to pay for all the additional nav lights and comms equipment that the ARC organisers insist on. Do you want a genny set and watermaker as well

3. Who is going to repair the holes when its taken off.

4. For the arc I assume you intend a 40' or so boat, how long for? For 12 months the charter fees (including 40% to agent) equate to £30k. Pro Rata that for part year.

5. A good boat gets a regular following who will want to lose regular bookings for a one off like you?

6. Hi my name is Fred would you please buy me a boat for about £200k and let me take it to the caribean please? Of course I will as my names Billy or is it silly.

Dont mean to be rude but if you think about it the only way it would work was if you knew a friend that was willing to lend you his boat for a while and get some extra unexpected money (but can't be official or insurance doubles and MCA coding costs are also incurred).

I know of one charter owner that did the arc but paid to have the boat bought back as deck cargo as he thought it cheaper than repairing for the wear and tear and risk worse!

 

[TigaWave]

It took me less than a month to find a boat, 10 days to get her ready and coded for charter (just in case we wanted to once on the other side) and then 10,00 miles and 12 months later sold her for more than I'd paid.

Additional costs were a new set of rigging/storm sail/inner forestay/towed gen/new rudder bearings/new sea cocks/extra bilge pump. Many of the extras I've kept like ssb/wind towed gen/spare gps/life jackets.

Find a boat that has been sat in a marina and lightly used, top end of price range for the boat. Over the year you'll fix things and make improvements and maybe get new covers/dodgers/polish/keel epoxied etc in Trini and you come back with a very tidy boat thats easy to sell, (it took less than a month)