oncharter
Owning a Boat in a Charter Fleet
What are the pros and cons of owning a boat in a bareboat charter fleet? THERE IS NOTHING QUITE LIKE WALKING down a dock in some exotic location with your sea bag on your shoulder and climbing aboard your own boat with the name you gave it and the hailing port of your hometown on the stern. This is your boat and you are its master. You look around and the boat is clean, everything is working, there are clean linens on the bed and the fuel and water tanks have been topped off. All you have to do is shop for groceries and away you go. That’s what it is like when you own a boat in a well-managed charter fleet. But how does the whole process really work and is it for everyone? The Deal: Each charter company has its own way of structuring the deal for those 24 Multihulls Today • winter 2022
who want to own boats in their fleet. In general, the owner will be expected to buy the boat and in most instances the owner will put down a deposit of 20 percent or more and then finance the rest through their own lending institution or through one affiliated with the charter company. The charter company will offer either a guaranteed income on the boat or a percentage of the charter revenue. Factored into the revenue plan will be the costs of maintaining and operating the boat, which will be deducted from the charter revenue. In exchange, the owner will get to use the boat either for a set number of weeks in most cases or, in other plans, for as many weeks as they
