# Charter business



## castorp (Sep 27, 2011)

Ahoy all,
I'm interested in taking my sailing passion to a different level and either working afloat for a charter company or starting my own charter business.
Are there any of you out there who are currently similarly employed and what words of wisdom might you have?
Many thanks!


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## Lake Superior Sailor (Aug 23, 2011)

The charter buisness has less to do with sailing/your passion! You might want to re-think this.....Dale


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## castorp (Sep 27, 2011)

Lake Superior Sailor said:


> The charter buisness has less to do with sailing/your passion! You might want to re-think this.....Dale


Hi Dale,
I'm already a sole-proprietor and so understand that any business involves a certain amount of drudgery, a large amount of plain ol' hard work, and that ultimately you're at the whim of your clients... 
but can you please offer me any specific considerations that you might be thinking of? do you have personal experience in this regard?? 'would love to gain the benefit of any wisdom you might care to share!
many thanks


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## Lake Superior Sailor (Aug 23, 2011)

If you think you can rent anything out and thats the end of it ,you don't understand Murphy's Law! Boats are the worst! Good luck! as you will need it.Fixing, cleaning, & maintanence thats the easy part , And iF you plan to be there, Hope you like baby sitting.....Dale


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## Tim R. (Mar 23, 2003)

Almost bought a 10 boat operation back in 2010. So glad I dodged that bullet. After more research I found it would be lots of maintenance, baby-sitting, aggravation and never any time to sail my own boat.


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## Yamsailor (Jun 7, 2006)

Are you talking providing bareboat charters or captained charters?


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## castorp (Sep 27, 2011)

Captained.


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## castorp (Sep 27, 2011)

so, the baby-sitting seems to be the common offensive factor here...
hmmmm
I'm currently a teacher and so am pretty enured to that...
can it be turned to a gainful income though given the right climate and marketing? i mean people _do_ do it afterall...


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## Yamsailor (Jun 7, 2006)

I am a relief captain for a charter business providing three hour tours.

How much you make depends on location.

One guy I know runs his charter bussiness all year round. He is COIed for 20 people for day charters. He make some money. HE comes north during summer and down to the south during the winter. Another person I know runs his business, 6-pack, during the summer. This particular operation pays for all the boats expenses, essentially off setting his ownership costs.

If you are looking to make a profit, you need to be either in the southern coastal US or in the carribean. If you live in the Northeast or midatlantic, chances are you won't make a profit.


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## castorp (Sep 27, 2011)

Thanks Yamsailor, that's excellent information! 
Do you have any thoughts on the San Diego area? Is it a likely spot to either start such a venture or to find employment with someone else's outfit?
What about SF?
Many thanks!


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## Yamsailor (Jun 7, 2006)

castorp said:


> Thanks Yamsailor, that's excellent information!
> Do you have any thoughts on the San Diego area? Is it a likely spot to either start such a venture or to find employment with someone else's outfit?
> What about SF?
> Many thanks!


You are welcome. I know absolutely nothing about the West Coast market. You may want to contact the National Association of Charter Boat Operators. I am not a member but I have heard they have some good information. Here is the link: NACO - National Association of Charterboat Operators


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## castorp (Sep 27, 2011)

Yamsailor said:


> You may want to contact the National Association of Charter Boat Operators. I am not a member but I have heard they have some good information. Here is the link: NACO - National Association of Charterboat Operators


again, many thanks!!


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## Yamsailor (Jun 7, 2006)

castorp said:


> again, many thanks!!


You are welcome.

Good Luck.


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## sailingfool (Apr 17, 2000)

castorp said:


> Thanks Yamsailor, that's excellent information!
> Do you have any thoughts on the San Diego area? Is it a likely spot to either start such a venture or to find employment with someone else's outfit?
> What about SF?
> Many thanks!


If you work for for someone else you'll make $20/hour, no benefits. To have a shot at making money in the charter business you need to own the business...and the business needs to be a success. Even in a temperate clime, that is a long shot. If you are doing a 6pack daytrip business, you'll need to pay for the boat, the dock space, business costs, and a mate's salary before you make a buck.

Having a scheme where you can count on a consistent 70-80% occupancy level on an inspected vessel, would give you a chance at making a iving, but finding that level of business is challenging.

FWIW, this business is for sale:
http://www.cheerscharters.com/index.html


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## castorp (Sep 27, 2011)

sailingfool said:


> If you work for for someone else you'll make $20/hour, no benefits. To have a shot at making money in the charter business you need to own the business...and the business needs to be a success. Even in a temperate clime, that is a long shot. If you are doing a 6pack daytrip business, you'll need to pay for the boat, the dock space, business costs, and a mate's salary before you make a buck.
> 
> Having a scheme where you can count on a consistent 70-80% occupancy level on an inspected vessel, would give you a chance at making a iving, but finding that level of business is challenging.Cheers Sailing Charters on Hilton Head Island


This is all great info as well!
Many thanks again!!
It certainly sounds like a challenge to make a living wage at the business, even if one is additionally diversified with other related gigs, but clearly there are individuals and orgs out there that are doing it... so my question then becomes, what are some of the key ingredients to a successful business model with this? Certainly marketing must play a large part, not to mention word-of-mouth reputation, but further than that what other considerations come into play here?


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## Lake Superior Sailor (Aug 23, 2011)

You have to qualify with the laws of the area! .......Dale


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## davidpm (Oct 22, 2007)

Another option is being an ASA certified instructor. Sailing instruction is often combined with renting boats.
We chartered from this company Emerald Coast Yachts - ASA Sailing School and Charter Company a couple years ago.
What they do is find people who are willing to put there boat in charter. They take a percent of the charter revenue and the boat owner gets the rest.
It was a couple and they were working very hard but seemed to be better after a couple bad years because of Katrina.
They didn't have to own the boats.


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## davidpm (Oct 22, 2007)

You may want to check out these guys: Santa Barbara Sailboat Charters - Boat Rentals - Kayaking - Santa Barbara Sailing Center
Not to far from you and they hire a lot of captains as they have a pretty big operation.
My wife got her ASA 101 from them.

One thing you may not know is that all the sailing instructors I have seen are very up front about being willing to accept tips. So while the $20 per hour may be about right you may end up with a little more.


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## PorFin (Sep 10, 2007)

Castorp,

Assume you already have your USCG license?


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## Yamsailor (Jun 7, 2006)

sailingfool said:


> If you work for for someone else you'll make $20/hour, no benefits. To have a shot at making money in the charter business you need to own the business...and the business needs to be a success. Even in a temperate clime, that is a long shot. If you are doing a 6pack daytrip business, you'll need to pay for the boat, the dock space, business costs, and a mate's salary before you make a buck.
> 
> Having a scheme where you can count on a consistent 70-80% occupancy level on an inspected vessel, would give you a chance at making a iving, but finding that level of business is challenging.
> 
> ...


While I agree you need to have your own business to make any descent money, you can make a little money if you find the right situation. Some relief captains are given 1/3 of each trip plus tips. In a good location, a relief captain can make $400/day ($800/weekend). No benefits.


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