UK Chartering

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andf

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Have any of you cash rich, time poor forumites tried selling some of your spare capacity to a charter management company ? This is with the boat operating within the UK. I'm not thinking Sunsail or The Moorings here, but rather smaller local outfits.

Crianza
 
cash rich? They do not need to sell spare capacity. They can just enjoy their pride'n'joy unadulterated and unused

cash starved... well those are the guys you need to target. They will need the added income to keep the boat afloat. If you are interested pm me, I can share experiences.
 
I would love to charter Merit out,

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif


how much do you think people will pay to charter a Foxcub from a trot-mooring?
 
I fear I would spend the whole two days worrying myself silly and waiting for the phone to ring.

That said, I would probably charter a small craft like that elsewhere if one we available, I have mentioned previously on this forum that I would like to do so in the Lakes and the same would go for Mounts Bay.
 
exactly. But insurance covers point one (and you pay for it).
Anyway it would have to be a MECAL-certified boat, which should put your mind at rest, if done properly
You'd probably have to get it on and off the mooring yourself.
 
I suppose that if the charter income covered increased cost of a marina berth then it would be well worth doing, but as I say, although there probably is a market out there, I doubt the agents think it's got enough money in it to be worth persuing.
 
A Hunter 31 could be a fairly popular charter boat. You will need to have it coded, and that could cost £2,000 to £5,000, depending on what kit is already there on board and whether the design meets various standards. Your insurance will also go up substantially. Probably best to market the charter through an existing charter company: you will get a largish cut of the charter fees, they keep a fair bit though to cover admin/advertising/expenses etc.
 
I realise that there will be a fair amount of expense in 'coding' the boat. My aim was to find out wether it would be possible/practical before I went to that expense. I'm not trying to start a business here, just defray some cost and I would definitely want to go through a charter management company.


Crianza
 
Find one first and they will let you know if it is worth it. They will have to make money. You... might just about be saving some!
 
For a few years I helped out a Charter Co in the West Country.

Their most popular boat was/is a Moody 31.
She is charged at about £850.00 per week.
She is out more that 50% of the time in the summer.
The company charged 35% of the fee for management.
The Owner reckoned that the money he received just about covered the running costs.
She was kept on moorings costing about £1200.00 per year.
I do not know what the insurance costs are

The down side is the owner has to book up if he wants to use her on a particular date.
Of course he can use her any time she is not booked out .

Hope that helps
 
Of course - the other downside to chartering your boat is the massive increase in maintenance ... it's a bit like a hire car - you're quite happy to "thrash it" ...

And then of course.... not all the charterers will be that experienced - especially with your boat ... so it is likely to get pranged too /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

And all the extra maintenance needs to be done before the next chartered steps aboard (ok - not all of it, but anything substancial) - so you either need to be on-call or have a friendly handyman to do the job for you (more expense)

If it is the only way you can afford your boat then it may be worth it ... otherwise it isn't the money making/saving scheme it would appear to be. .... Now, if you can turn it into a business and offer a fleet of 50-60 of these then you may be getting somewhere!
 
Andy
I'm at Bradwell too - Sabre a Moody 31 on A33.

I bought my boat in Plymouth but a few years ago it was at Levington and was out on charter. They might be able to help you.

When I first went into Shotley they said "we've got loads of boats called Sabre on the system" - it was probably one boat with dozens of skippers!

Roger Smith
 
yes, it is true. Maintenance must be continuous. But this has advantages: when you use it teh boat is well maintained. Many things that go wrong go wrong not so much through over use but through ageing in the corrosive harsh marine environment. Yes, you do have to put in the money, but that is what the charterers pay for. It is certainly NOT a money making scheme. Just a way of spreading the expenses, giving one the chance of an affordable pursuit (which it is not otherwise). Bear in mind that for serious "prangs" there is a security deposit that covers the insurance excess, and after that the insurance takes over.

As you say: it is like hire cars in a way. Not many hire cars I have used have been old dented bangers.In fact they are usually in better condition than my car....

In the end a lot depends on who manages your boat. You must trust them to do the job porperly. Look after it and not fleece you in the process.
 
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