Ex-Charter Success Stories

[Chuteman]

I've heard all the negative comments & warnings. Plus acknowledge the risks.
I would like to hear from those who have actually accepted the risk & bought a boat that was formally in a charter fleet.........or was am owner / crewed charter boat.

I did a search but only saw one recent related comment.

[Jeff_H]

This is a question that comes up quite frequently on the sailing forums. From being involved in a number of former charter boats projects, and from reading posts and talking to people who have done a purchase-lease back or else bought ex- charter boats I have come to the following conclusions. While not every boat that comes out of livery is trashed most come out with defects, some minor, some major, some visible and some a product of wear or neglect resulting in a boat that has a lot of its expensive parts at the end of their useful lifespand and perhaps simply just waiting to fail.

You have to understand how these boats are used. First off, they are out of their slips, almost day in and day out. Many are being used in the Caribbean, which is not an easy environment on boats. Lots of sun, high salinity, lots of breeze which all take a toll. They are simply underway and have many times the normal useage of typical coastal of the same age.

They are being used by people who in the best case are well meaning and careful but are not completely familiar with the operation of the particular boat they have chartered. And in the worse case, are not competent and frankly don’t care. Charterers run the gamut from people who are a bit timid and spend a lot of time at the dock, perhaps not all that well tied up and protected. To the other extreme, the people who feel they have rented this thing and by golly they will sail it or slog it at full throttle no matter how much wind is out there, to every type of personality in between.

Adding to the problem is that charter boats are often ordered with fairly minimal equipment, such as slightly undersized winches, travelers with almost no purchase, the smallest self furler that can be expected to make it through the lifespan in livery, cheap sails made of cheap, heavy cloth, and so on.

From talking to people who have bought ex-charter boats, you might expect to have to upgrade, replace or repair items such as: engines, sails, deck hardware, upholstery, running and standing rigging, instruments, ground tackle, galley equipment, as well as, the need to address cosmetic issues. In the worse cases that I heard, there were keel and frame structure problems from a probable hard grounding, and a major electrolysis problems leading to a sinking when a bronze thru-hull have up the ghost.

Now then, not every boat is going to have every one of these problems but even if there is a minor mix of some of these, it can result in a lot of long term high maintenance costs. In the end you have to ask yourself whether you couldn’t buy a solid boat, that was not in charter which has better gear and less use, for less money and a lot less effort than it would cost to buy an ex-charter boat and put it in shape.

There was one fellow that I knew who had gone the ex-charter boat route and had replaced an engine, sails, awlgripped the hull and refinished the interior and replaced instruments and a lot of deck hardware which is only the parts that I knew of. He once said, ”You know the guy who buys this boat from me is going to get a great deal.” He was probably right. The fact that the boat had been in charter will always limit its price and the fact that this guy had done a great job fixing it up meant that he had far more in the boat than he could sell her for. Perhaps, the right answer is to look for the ex-charter boat that some guy just restored.

[Chuteman]

Jeff:
Thanks very much for the well constructed summary of the challenge at hand.
I heard most if not all before but it details the areas needing close attention vs just ranting.

I am one of those charter customers who have tried my best to treat the boat as if I owned it yet know at the end I just toss the keys & fly away.
I've had newer pristine boats & ones that have seen better days. I also understand the "rental car" attitude some may have toward their charter or those that find themselves on a strange boat & stranger waters. So there's no blind romance in my question or curiousity.

Yet I do want to hear some first hand stories..................your suggestion of ex-chartered boats brought back to life has lots of merit.

[camaraderie]

Chuteman... The real problem with most charter boats is that they are pretty poor boats to begin with and even if someone does invest the $$'s needed to restore one...you certainly don't have a bluewater cruiser. If it is just for tooling around the bay or the coast...then it is certainly an option. But my guess is that you can get a similar boat that has NOT been in charter at all for the same $$ due to the sheer number of sellers out there.
Based on what I have seen, I would never consider a charter boat from any of the big companies. It may be different if you are looking for something out of one of the premium boat charter companies (like Swan) or a boat that has been a liveaboard captained boat.

[sailingdog]

Most of the charter boats are coastal cruisng boats, not true bluewater cruisers. As one of my friends says about the charter companies, the boats are really just to get you from one mooring to another in many cases.

Charter boats are also generally used a bit harder than a non-charter boat for two major reasons. First, many people who charter a boat are less experienced and are often using the boat chartering to gain necessary experience—this can't be good for the boat involved. Second, a privately owned boat is going to be better cared for, since the boat owner is usually the one sailing it...and he is trying to avoid unnecessary expenses and repairs.

Jeff's point about the equipment on a charter boat is also quite valid. The charter boat companies are in it to make a profit and will generally equip the boats with the minimum of what they can be used with. Smaller winches, undersized mainsheet travelers, unadjustable or poorly design jib fairleads, are all things you will probably see.

It is probably going to be less expensive for you to get a well-maintained, privately owned boat, that will be better equipped, rather than a well-maintained, charter boat, that has been rode hard and put away wet by many of the people using it. Even if the charter boat company put the money into maintaining the boat, with undersized hardware, inexperienced users, and varying sailing styles, the boat will suffer from hard use.

[Chuteman]

Guys, Guys, Guys..........

As I stated in the thread opening................I know & acknowledge all the good points you are making. I'm not looking for those who say don't do it. I'm looking for those who have done it................people are buying those boats or taking the boat they already own back when the charter agreement is over.
I'm curious about their experiences.