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Bought a boat - Need a Captain

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by Danvilletim, May 5, 2018.

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  1. Danvilletim

    Danvilletim Senior Member

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    Well we did it! After looking in Europe and US we finally settled on an older but brilliantly refit 105' Poole -Chaffe - ex-Pirate Radio. I think I joined this group 8 years ago and moved up from a 35' to a 62' to a 105'. I've certainly gotten some great advice and contacts from this group! Thanks.

    Captain - 105’ MY seeks experienced captain for a full time position for both private and charter use. This summer will be focused on Bahamas for June and then chartering in July/August out of Nassau. This is St Vincent flagged boat, so foregin crew is welcomed. This is a fun, young family that enjoys lots of activity and watersports. The boat is in top condition and will run with 3 crew.

    Must have:
    3 years of charter experience
    200 ton license
    Extensive kmowledge of Bahamas and Caribbean
    Experience running the accounting and budgets of the boat (quickbooks)
    Excellent engineering skills.
    COUPLES ARE encouraged!!!
    Must be available to start in 2 weeks
    Reference from charter central agent required. PM me and I'll send the email for the boat.

    Attached Files:

  2. CaptPKilbride

    CaptPKilbride Senior Member

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    Good looking boat, certainly a change from the typical Poole Chaffee 105' I have been used to seeing. Are you planning on bringing on more crew when she is being chartered?
  3. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    I had the same question as I would expect a crew of five at the minimum. Plus if you're towing a boat like you talked about, add another.
  4. Danvilletim

    Danvilletim Senior Member

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    The boat has previously run with 3. Captain takes one of the vip staterooms. There is an aft crew room that is not currently an option. Maybe dater a refit. So right now it’s 3 or 4 if a couple.
  5. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    3 is doable on charter with experienced crew although 4 would provide better service and less stress on the crew.

    Nice boat :) congratulations
  6. CaptPKilbride

    CaptPKilbride Senior Member

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    It's really all about what level of service you will be providing to the charter guests. "Lots of activity and watersports" coupled with top notch service, keeping the books, and doing all the engineering will burn out a crew of three, no matter how experienced they are.
  7. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    That's without even mentioning meals. Meals, of course, depend some on the formality, but providing them as expected on most 100'+ charter boats takes a lot of time from the chef and from the stews. I did a quick glance at charter boats in that size range and seemed about an even split between 4 and 5 crew members. If he somehow gets a captain/stew or captain/chef combination then it makes 4 easier for him. The lack of crew accommodation is a big issue on that boat. Even letting the Captain use a VIP cabin reduces him to 6 charter guests

    Now, how many weeks of charter will certainly play a role in level of burn out.

    I'm curious with a crew of 3 in what 3 positions they will serve.
  8. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Problem on most boats is the lack of crew quarters so we have to make do with what we have. In our case (84 Lazzara with 5 guests stateroom sleeping up to 10 guests) I am both captain and chef. My girlfriend handles the tender, watersports and tends to the guests needs. We have a stew who handles mostly cleaning...

    It also depends on where the boat is operated. In the Exumas distances are short so we average an hour or running a day which leaves me a lot of time to swap to the chef toque :). Been doing it for 10 years now and 50% of our guests are repeat so we must be doing it right.

    Before the lazzara we ran a 3 stateroom 70 footer just the two of us... that was challenging :)
  9. Capt Bill11

    Capt Bill11 Senior Member

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    105’ chartering with 3 crew while towing, recipe for crew burn out and deferred maintenance.

    I see it all the time with boats that run charters out of Nassau.
  10. Capt Bill11

    Capt Bill11 Senior Member

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    Why is the aft crew stateroom not an option?
  11. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    You're talking 84'. He's talking 105'. There's a big difference in expectations.
  12. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    And work load. Why is the aft crew stateroom not usable without a refit? Usually you can make a stateroom usable at just about any dock/marina. Whether it be woodwork, carpeting, a/c etc. etc. 4 would be the absolute minimum for charter on a boat that size. The TOYS are the problem. You need a person dedicated to just them and the guests on most charters.
  13. Danvilletim

    Danvilletim Senior Member

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    Thanks this is great feedback.

    A couple things. The boat was originally 88' and the extension benefited the swim platform with tender storage and made the flybridge deck huge. So from a stateroom / crew room perspective..... it's 88'. From an outdoor space perspective it's as big or bigger than a 112.

    The aft stateroom is small but reasonable size. Certainly bigger than most European crew rooms. It has two bunks and AC. But no toilet and shower. That could be added as there is space, but not before we cruise. I also think it needs some creature comforts in ways of wall paper, carpet, etc. It still needs to look like a yacht.

    So at the moment there is only 3 guest vs 4 guest staterooms. Getting to four crew would not be hard with either a couple or a little work on the aft stateroom. But we will only have two weeks before we go. There is simply no time.

    And from what I'm hearing, charters are not so easy to come by. If we can get 3-4 this year I would be thrilled! So the reality is that this boat will not see nearly as much guest/owner usage as normal until the Kids get out of high school.

    On the plus side, the captain's cabin at the moment is huge. Queen size berth and direct access to fly bridge.
  14. Danvilletim

    Danvilletim Senior Member

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    Not a huge difference between 84'. Same toys and frankly it will likely be cheaper charter price. At least this year while we build a reputation.
  15. Capt Bill11

    Capt Bill11 Senior Member

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    Tell that to the people who have to wash it down and keep it squared away for charter.

    To be successful in the charter business, it sure helps to hit a home run right out of the box.

    Short changing things rarely leads to that result.
  16. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    You re right... towing requires an extra crew

    Burn out can be avoided with enough days between charters so crew gets rest and so we can catch up on maintenance. To me it s more important than extra crew. We ve done 24 hours turn around, usually around spring break when we have repeats stuck with set dates. It s tough but doable, just once :)
  17. Capt Bill11

    Capt Bill11 Senior Member

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    Only once? You’re very lucky. :)

    24 hour turn arounds are pretty common in the charter business. Especially for the busy boats out of Nassau.

    Then there are the day charters in between.
  18. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    More than once over the years yes, I meant once in a row...

    I guess it comes down to good judgement in taking bookings by balancing revenue with the ability of the crew to do a good job.
  19. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    THIS, it's still considered a big 105' when it comes to taking care of it. Towing adds a need for an extra crew member as well.

    If you don't hit a home run with every charter you do in the beginning, your fate as a charter boat is sealed for a very long time. Best to get the crew lined up, let them get accustomed to the boat and it squared away for a month and then charter.
  20. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Very good point. The crew makes the charter as brokers aree very reluctant to book new boats / new crew. When we started 10 years ago, we prtty much jumped at the deep end of the pool but made it work getting good feedback. Still took 2 or 3 years to get brokers to trust us.

    Being accustomed to the boat is critical. Every boat is different and on charter it has to be perfect and look perfect too with no hesitation, delay or confusion...

    Equally important if you want happy guests is a captain who is very familiar with area. In your case, the Exumas have so much more to offer that the typical charter stops. There are still many scenic anchorages where yu are likely to be anchored alone. Guests love thT, it wat makes the exumas so different from the bvis, grenadines or st barths. Local knowledge is a must.
    Last edited: May 6, 2018