Yacht for dinner cruise and small parties

Party boat

Which coast? Which port? How far off shore? Goast Guard Captain? Weather "averages?", any others in the area doing the same thing? Target Market? 100K won't buy you much for 30-40 guests better figure closer to 500K. Insurance? Coast Guard approval? Many more questions need to be asked and answered.

I would recommend doing some searches on yacht world and looking at dinner cruisers or houseboats. I did a quick search and didn't find anything in the areas you are looking for so transportation may be an issue. At any rate, I would have to concur with diesel one's estimate of $500K as a bare minimum. If remodeling is required, then you might be looking at something closer to $750K or more.

if you can't find an inspected boat already modified and equipped, or one that fits your budget, maybe looking for an older motoryacht in the 60/70' range would be a place to start.

it will need some modifications to be USCG inspected (over 6 pax) including higher railings, fireproofing, etc... Not cheap but doable. I've seen 53 and 58 footers certified for over 30 passengers. Keep in mind that to be inspected, the boat must be US built so that limits you to Hatteras, Vikings, Bluewaters maybe and a few more.

considering the state of the used boat market, that maybe one way to do it, although indeed it's not going to happen on a $100k budget.

then, as every business, plan on 2 or 3 years of pouring cash into the business until it starts... if it does.

Try looking in the commercial rag "Boats & Harbors"; it's also called the "yellow paper."

Judy

There are a few older 50' to 70' yachts for sale that are already US Coast Guard approved as passenger boats. I spoke to one owner recently who wanted to sell his 65' aluminum motor yacht approved for 35 passengers, but it was worth maybe $200,000, plus I was on board an older Burger in the same size range this year that was also USCG certified, similar price.

I applaud the dream, but $100k is not going to buy you anything that will fit that many people or make you any money for that matter. The lunch/dinner cruise boat that was operated by Starlite out of Daytona pulled out a while ago because of a lack of revenue. The rest of their fleet is based in Tampa/St. Pete - they might be a good resource to check out, although this is a challenging business particularly with gas prices being high. You've probably not thought this out well enough in terms of even acquiring a vessel, let alone the expenses of running that type of business (staffing, insurance, captain/mate salaries, advertising, chef, liquor license etc..) Getting a seaworthy boat that isn't a moneypit, getting it certified to USCG standards, and outfitting it as a restaurant (cooking equipment, ventilation, refrigeration, flatware/silverware) is not going to happen for $100k. Invest your money elsewhere - probably a couple good buys in the stock market after yesterday : /

I agree with Judy. And I think you'll be able to find something in the $100K range if you keep your eyes open and are diligent. My father is in the dinner cruise boat business and he often mentions extremely good deals that he finds in Boats & Harbors.

I also agree with Judy. Your money would be much better spent buying an inspected vessel that is current than trying to get a uninspected vessel inspected.

cc roamer

i had a 58' roamer years ago that i was able to get certified for 49 pax without a whole lot of expense. the uscg is stricter now in some ports, the local authorities "COPT" have some flexibility. i kept only the original galley and caterers had to bring their own plates, warmers, flatware etc. that way i didn't have to worry about local health dept., and i didn't sell alcoholic drinks or you get another tax authority and license cost. it was great fun, not profitable by a stretch, but did help defray costs for me to have a boat i couldn't have afforded otherwise.

IMO i would already hire an tried and tested vessel that is already avail for hire for private functions you know the vessel already has the licences to sell drink etc offer food , Saving you a lot of time and hassle .

And with you saying your looking to create a party atmosphere am i correct the entertainment will be provided by a DJ ???

A named dj , or a local based if local based i would suggest local night that has a good following .. and good reputation .

Unless i could be mistaken and your entertainment is String Quartet or simply a Pianist providing the music ..

As for the food is your plans for a set menu or finger buffet .. or wil lyou decided that nearer the time ...?

Been a dream of mine for about 30 years, and I've checked into variations of it a fair amount for different locations and times. The Roamer is one of the few private yachts other than old woodys that qualifies for 49 pax fairly easily. The hull material is the key. Steel, aluminum or wood. You won't get certified with a fiberglass hull without some serious work and money. There's a 49pax Bluewater that was (maybe is) in Miami forever. It's also been for sale in Boats & Harbors forever. Judy's advice is right on. Check Boats & Harbors. It's the source for this. Look for currently certified boats. Even an expired certificate may be a signal of a big expense to get it reinstated. But there really isn't much of a market except maybe in Washington D.C., and what market there is is saturated.
I believe there is a 12 and maybe 21 passenger certification or endorsement, such as is used on some fishing boats and water taxis. I've never looked into that much, but maybe someone here can give some insight on that. That might get you in for the money you're talking about and be easier to market. Most of the certified boats of under 100' are tour boats or dinner cruisers. Catering is where the money is , but even that's a real hard go. And those boats are usually from about 400K up to a few million.

2K9

Please – THINK THIS THROUGH – CAREFULLY! As a business person you understand P&L. Unless you have some laundry to do and the “P” in P&L isn’t as important to you as is the “L” - LOL... Understand that the economic climate is very severe re competition. As some forum constituents mentioned above – tour boats are gathering dust these days, compared to pre 2008. I looked carefully into something similar in SF Bay area. 2009 I went to actually speak with several owners/reps of tour boat and fishing boat companies. When put on a spread sheet the biz just simply isn’t profitable in current economy. Also, I don’t see it becoming profit oriented in foreseeable future. Your first post re $100K won’t scratch the surface! As some have said in this thread - $500K to $1M is closer to the cost. And, oh yeah – Profit??... What Profit??? Plenty of loss though if desired!

W.