# Sailboat partner needed - Penobscot bay - incredible!



## sailordoc (Sep 17, 2011)

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!


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## sailordoc (Sep 17, 2011)

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!


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## jameswilson29 (Aug 15, 2009)

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?


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## sailordoc (Sep 17, 2011)

Sorry, I did not understand your question.


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## YARDPRO (Aug 3, 2009)

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.


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## jameswilson29 (Aug 15, 2009)

sailordoc said:


> 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...uke

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.


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## arf145 (Jul 25, 2007)

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?


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

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.........


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## sailordoc (Sep 17, 2011)

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.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

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.


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## BORNFREE (Apr 25, 2001)

sailordoc said:


> 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  .
> 
> ...


Hi Doc,yours is a interesting post,please note my gramer and spelling is not so good but I sure can sail,I am retired and live in Florida,move here six years past from Massachusetts. its to bad your so far north,I would love to take you up on your deal.
Should you ever be in the market for a another vessel please consider a 42,47,52 foot Vagabond Blue Water vessel,maybe we could sail together and also do some charter work with her,maybe in the Caribbean or were ever,I am not a dreamer,just don't have the money,what I do have is a USCG 100 ton,aux sail certificate and American Sailboat Instructors certificates so I have been around boats most of my life, best regards, Fred 863-206-7961


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## BORNFREE (Apr 25, 2001)

Hi Doc,if it is of any interest I am also a high time flight instructor with over 15,000 hours retired with lots of time on my hands,feels like I am applying for a job,anyhow maybe one day when I am up your way we can go sailing in your boat, best Fred


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## sailordoc (Sep 17, 2011)

Fred, 

Thank you much for your reply. It seems to me you were the first to fully grasp what my offer consists of and how good it is. Except for the distance, all other information you posted seem to fit my needs and maybe one day, as you said, we could talk about being partners. Even your flight abilities might one day be handy. I'll send you a message so you can send me more data. 

Regards!


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## CalebD (Jan 11, 2008)

Tough sell but I see what you are after. 
I'd consider it if I also lived in ME, so not happening for me in NYC. 
I've had partners throughout my 8 year keel boat ownership but we have both been in it from the beginning (sharing the purchase price). 
I've also been lucky that my remaining partner is someone I went to college with a long time ago. It is difficult to hunt down partnerships with people you know nothing about. 
I'd suggest you try to recruit people to come sailing with you and see who likes it and might want in on the partnership. Form a LLC partnership and own shares in it and pay for maintenance and whatnot from a shared budget. 
I have a friends who operates his boat in a similar manner and it is not an expensive boat (Endeavor 32') but it is a lot of fun to have that much boat. 
You just want someone who will keep all the systems up and running on your boat while you can't use it. We all want that, which is why I'm doing most of my own engine and boat work myself. The more I learn the better off I am.


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## downeast450 (Jan 16, 2008)

Doc,

I am a Maine coast sailor. I have a mooring on Mount Desert Island and one on the Cathance River, down near Bath. I have been sailing the Maine coast for 35 years. I own my own boats and do ALL the work myself. I truly enjoy doing the work and am 100% sure what gets done and how. My boats sit on their moorings for more than half the time they are in the water because I have other interests and responsibilities, too. I do reflect on their lack of use and consider it a shame that they are not being used more.

Another approach you might try, to gain the access to the spectacular cruising opportunities that Pen Bay sits at the middle of, is to offer an owner your financial support for some of the expense of their ownership / maintenance in exchange for access to _their boat_. It would require a special circumstance and you are now getting close to simply chartering.

Keeping a boat ready to use requires constant attention. Having boats on moorings connects an owner, who can't afford a captain, to tides and the weather 24 hours a day. The list of things that require attention and or at least reflection is a long one. I could not invest the necessary time in your boat for the opportunity to sail but might share mine if the terms were fair.

I am not interested in your offer. There are many boats with lots of mooring time that might be. What is "ownership" about anyway? For me it is familiarity with the boat. Knowing what it can do and how to get it done. Doing the work on the boat is an important part of that equation.

There are lots of charters available between Portland and Bar Harbor.

Good luck.

Down


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## why...land (Aug 27, 2012)

Just curious Doc - did you find a partner? I am looking for one who wants to float between Maine and the Bahamas as the weather changes. I've done this for 6 years and know the coast very well. Sailing in Maine is grand from June to Sept but otherwise chilly. Catamarans only!! Let me know where you are with this proposition or a new one...?


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## drhoward20 (Aug 29, 2012)

hi physician from ny in south dakota age 60 very physically fit
sail quit a bit
interested in sailing and help with maintenance
I sail a hobbie cat
going to bvi nov 50 foot yaught
call me Howard 605 4680176


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## sailortrash (Sep 1, 2012)

sailordoc said:


> 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:
> 
> ...


In all honesty NO not on a boat that size for me any way but then again i don't like to share. 35 plus yes maybe but with out more information I would be too leery to get near the deal especially since a physician should be able to afford that vessel by themselves no problem even if you paid someone else to maintain it.


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