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42' Sea Ray Charter for Florida

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by bpeiffer, Aug 20, 2006.

  1. bpeiffer, Aug 20, 2006
    #1
    bpeiffer

    bpeiffer New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2006
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    2
    Location:
    Carolina Beach, NC
    We have a 42' Sea Ray Aft Cabin in Wilmington, NC that we would like to move and charter somewhere on the Atlantic Coast of Florida. Does someone know where there is demand for charters for a boat this size? Investigating West Palm Beach, Jacksonville. Interested in finding a charter broker who can book the business and advise where to locate for the best charter potential.
    More information is available at www.BlueWaterAdventures.com
  2. Ken Bracewell, Aug 20, 2006
    #2
    Ken Bracewell

    Ken Bracewell Senior Member

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    Location:
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    Brokerage

    There are many yacht brokers in Florida, but I'm not sure how many of them would represent a boat of that type.
    The standard commission is 20% of the gross (in your case $1200/week) which is then split between the clearing house (5%) and the charterers agent (15%). In most cases the brokers each receive half of that commission with the other half going to the brokerage house.
    So, you are essentially looking for a clearing house that is willing to work toward chartering your boat for about $150/week.
    You may be better off marketing yourself.
    Best of luck and happy cruising.:)
  3. CaptTom, Aug 20, 2006
    #3
    CaptTom

    CaptTom Senior Member

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    Location:
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    Bill,
    I'll go with the comments by Ken, as it can be expensive. You may want to try advertising yourself and see what kinds of hits you get. Will the boat be down here anyway, or are you bringing down only if you have charters?
    Regarding location, probably Palm Beach or Broward counties would be good. In Broward, say around Ft Lauderdale, you can get to the Keys, Bimini or the Bahamas no problem. Local cruising is scenic, especially up the New River, and the ICW around the holidays. Charter to a group or company for the holiday boat parades also, and they pay for the boat and decorations. Other boat parades in both counties where you can run charter specials. Consider sunset cruises, dinner cruises, day trips to Miami (Miami Beach marina a great stopping place), etc. If I give you any more info I'll have to sharge you. LoL
    Are you running the boat yourself or looking for local captains? We can talk about that aspect more.
    Good luck and drop me a line if you want to discuss further.
    Capt Tom
    capttom@sprynet.com
  4. bpeiffer, Aug 22, 2006
    #4
    bpeiffer

    bpeiffer New Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Carolina Beach, NC
    42' Sea Ray Charter available for Florida - addt'l. details

    Plans are to contract with a company to provides captains, maintenance, upkeep, charter booking, scheduling, etc. Boat will move to Florida if income projections are reasonable...not worth it for $150./week net (too much wear & tear for so little return). Will stay in NC if no profitable market for charters in FL. Some folks in Florida (boat club) outside the forum are saying it can produce $2-5K net per month marketing to incoming out of state folks in travel packages...is that believable?
  5. CaptTom, Aug 22, 2006
    #5
    CaptTom

    CaptTom Senior Member

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    Location:
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    Bill, you may be able to expect that at some point in the future, but this is more-or-less a new venture so I would not plan on that kind of return this year. I've heard brokers tell charter captains that their boat will book, you'll be busy every weekend, etc, etc. But they end up sitting since brokers many times will book yachts that have been with them for a while first, if possible. Not saying you won't make $$, but you will have to test the waters and see how it turns out. You may not make a profit at all the first season, and you should be prepared for that. Also, it does get a bit slow after January 1, so be prepared. Spring breakers don't typically charter this type of vessel.
    If you set this up as a legit business, at least you should be able to take the write off for the expenses. Check with your tax guy.
    I do hope it works out for you thought. Good luck. Let me know if I can help you further.
    Capt Tom