Sailboat partner needed - Penobscot bay - incredible!

[sailordoc]

Dear fellow sailors:

I love sailing and currently I own a 2004 Catalina 28 which is kept in Stockton Springs, Maine (Penobscot Bay). My problem is quite simple and I believe I have a fantastic offer for the appropriate sailor:

I am a busy physician, getting progressively busier and for that reason I am having less and less time for taking care of a boat. On the other hand I would like to continue owning a boat.

So here it goes, please spread the word in case you know people who fits the profile I need:

My offer is to have a very atypical and special kind of sailboat partnership:

I am looking for a retired, knowledgeable, available, meticulous, very careful, sailboat expert who leaves close to my sailing location, for joining me for a partnership in my current and future boats (I plan to purchase something in the 35 ft range soon).

Such partner will be able to use the boat WHENEVER I AM NOT SAILING and will basically contribute with availability, time, labor, expertise, as I will contribute with most financial expenses. That's true: he/she will have MINIMAL financial expenses.

Interested sailors should send me cv and sailing resume.

Thank you folks for your attention and have a fantastic sailing weekend!

[sailordoc]

Hello folks,

Can you please give me your opinion, do you think I will be successful in finding such person for sharing my sailboat with? Does it sound too good of a deal for one to believe?

Of course, everything will be done in a perfectly legal fashion, with a written contract, etc...

Does any of you have previous experience with sharing boats with other partners? Did it work?

Thanks for your input!

[jameswilson29]

Does it require depositing a "cashier's check" from you or one of your associates, then immediately sending a wire to a Nigerian holding company in Canada?

[sailordoc]

Sorry, I did not understand your question.

[YARDPRO]

lol. he is joking, referring to the now well know Nigerian scam about them wanting to buy whatever you are selling on craigslist, etc, are having a problem cashing a check, so they will send you a cashiers check for more than you are asking. You deposit the check, keep a small service fee and send them the extra money back... a few days later the cashiers check turns out to be fake, and you are screwed.

[jameswilson29]

Originally Posted by sailordoc

Does it sound too good of a deal for one to believe?

Of course, everything will be done in a perfectly legal fashion, with a written contract, etc...

Well, since you asked for it...

It does not sound too good to be true, it just sounds suspicious, unbalanced, as in unfair to you, out of the realm of a normal business relationship.

Why are you presenting this offer as if you are giving something away?

What is the relevance of your occupation to the deal? (I have friends, and occasionally clients, who are physicians and their writing style more closely resembles that of a trained scientist rather than an Ikea marketer who makes grammatical errors - "Incredible!" - [although I occasionally make careless grammatical errors, too.])

What is wrong with a fair, equal partnership with a concrete schedule instead of your proposal for someone to take advantage of your obvious generosity?

Why don't you just pay someone to maintain your boat instead of sharing ownership - that is what you had in mind, right - giving someone half the ownership interests?

BTW, if I were considering the deal, I would want to see a link to your professional practice group or hospital affiliation to substantiate your claim to be a physician.

[arf145]

I don't think he/she's talking about sharing ownership, but just usership , though correct me if I'm wrong, Doc. So they get to use the boat whenever you are not as long as they take care of your boat. I suspect the value of the deal to the other person is dependent on how much use they get and how they are allowed to schedule it. How do they know when you are going to want to use it? Do they have to check with you every time they want to go out?

[Minnewaska]

The proposed partnership sounds like Managing Partner and Limited Partner. The later has no rights, unless bestowed by the former.

It seems the OP wants a meticulous caretaker that can use the boat only when the OP doesn't want to use it.

Given that I try very hard to sail/maintain in as close to a 50/50 ratio and don't have to share it with anyone, I think this offer is a hard sell. I'm imagining doing all the work I currently do, plus whatever I actually pay others to do and have less availability to the boat. No way.........

[sailordoc]

Thanks folks, for your input. Please forgive the grammatical errors. English is my second language (and for that reason I think I actually do a pretty good job ).

Interested people who contact me will have the chance to meet me and check the details, including my professional information, so forgive me for not posting my personal information online for the entire Internet community to see .

For you to understand better: either I find such partner or I'll have to sell my boat and give up owning boats as I am getting way too busy for taking care of one. I could go that way and start chartering but I like to sail my own boat. I tried to hire people for such job but hired people, at least in Maine, are sometimes available and sometimes they are not. Also, professionals rarely take care of a boat like an owner, you know what I mean.

It may sound like an unfair deal to me, but considering that my boat is currently not used for at least 20 days a month during season, I would not lose much. It's true that wear and tear would increase but those are the expenses I plan to share with my partner.

It's true I'll have preference for chosing dates but considering my busy schedule I am pretty sure my partner will have plenty of options, and I plan to have some fair rules, like minimal period for giving notice of use, etc... For example, I have weekend call once a month and sometimes I travel, so those would be opportunities for the partner to use the boat on weekends. Please note I said "retired" person, exactly for our schedules not to conflict.

Minnewaska, thanks for your opinion, it would not work for you but I believe it's a fantastic offer for the right person. Especially if you consider I am not asking such person to pay for the boat initial cost.

It may sound hard to believe but I insist that interested people should check with me, one less skeptical person may be the lucky one .

Best regards.

[Minnewaska]

I do admire the entrepreneurial creativity and wish you luck.

I would also consider putting a licensed Captain on retainer. There are people who make their living by caretaking several boats. They also range from many who are retired, to even younger kids with a Captain's license trying to scrape together a living. Agreements vary widely, but a few bucks a month usually gets a standard level of service and you pay by the hour for things beyond it.

I do not use a retainer, but do have a delivery Captain that I use to move her around as necessary or to oversea maintenance or a haulout when I can't be there. I pay different rates for deliveries vs. shore work. He is also a great resource for knowing reputable vendors, when my marina does not have a particular skill.

In the scheme of things, this cost does not come close to others in boat ownership over the year. Simply have a professional that I trust to discuss options is worth it.

Good luck.