What is normal quality for a bareboat charter?

[JAD46]

Having chartered sailboats for several years from larger companies, I often find something small not working. I USUALLY ARRIVE THE NIGHT BEFORE FOR A SLEEP ABOARD WHICH ALLOWS ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO TEST EVERYTHING AND HAVE LEAD TIME FOR REPAIR,

I think when you charter from some small company with 20 year old boats, you should expect problems.

[krafthaus]

What you describe is absolutely not what you should expect or pay for. We chartered quite a bit before we bought our boat, which actually was the last boat we chartered and now we own. I would ask for a partial refund in your situation.

We only chartered from The Moorings once in Mexico and the rest of the time was with smaller charter companies in Vancouver, BC & Rodney Bay, St. Lucia. If the smaller charter company is well run you will have a very positive experience, which was the case for us.

Our boat sees some charter use when we aren't using it and we've worked at some upgrades for the enjoyment of us and those who charter her.

Yacht Charters » DSL Yachting

Good luck on your next sailing adventure!

[david knowles]

Have rented twice a small Irwin that was perfect and a large cat. The cat was so bad we turned back for repairs. Lost the first day and while out we called back to have them arrange for seatow to haul us back to the dock. They sat on their hands and with some effort did sail the boat back to the dock. The boat was also the name of a good rum I still have a bottle of the rum . Never set foot on the boat ever again

[Rustic Charm]

I'm a little surprised with the conclusion "you get what your willing to pay for". Which is clearly true. But, you should not be able to rent a vessel with these sort of discrepancies, at least not legally.

In Australia (which I'll always specify as this is an international forum and every country is different) you cannot charter a vessel that is not under survey, thats registered to a commercial standard. A 20 year old boat for charter would have to be in damn good condition.

[Dave22q]

An an owner I do not charter but I've rented many hotel rooms, cars and tools. Some basic principles seem to generally apply. Know your renter, check his reviews, consumer complaints. Be very leary of small operators who can be great or awful If you vacation, wedding or whatever is riding on it, minimize the risks and use a well known operator.
Have zero tolerance for safety violations. If you spot one it is best to assume others exist. One major violation should be a deal breaker. Finally, never let them work on your time. Make it clear that you are paying for the agreed time and anything less requires a price adjustment. Being pleasant does not necessitate being stupid. Good luck on your next charter.

[SantaFeTrailer]

You know, every time we've chartered at the end of the week we've said "let's go up one notch next time." It's disappointing how something like 1 out of 2 heads not functioning or the dinghy engine only working at half throttle or whatever put a kink in a vacation you've spent a lot (huge) amount of money on and planned for months.

[Mithril Bham]

We had a number of 20 year old boats (mainly Pearsons) that were in great condition. The owner was responsible for maintenance fees although the charter company was responsible for making sure it happened. One of our biggest problems were owners (mainly on motor yachts) who didn't want to spend the necessary money.

[Modivator]

As a service to your fellow sailors I think you should post the name of the charter company. They ruined your vacation and stole from you, they don't deserve your protection!!! Companies like this should be driven of of business before they kill somebody.

We have chartered from Sailing Florida out of St Petersburg Florida numerous times and the boats are always in great condition. When the charter is over a check sheet is provided to note anything that needs attention. Then they actually correct the issues!

[Modivator]

The owners not will to maintain their boats should have their boats removed from the charter fleet, no exceptions!

[jb cruzan]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Anybody can screw up, like saying "Gee, your boat won't be ready for another two hours, I forgot to gas it up" but then if someone has any concept of responsibility, they'd also say "So dinner is on me."

True statement that applies to virtually all business operations. You can also tell how they run their day to day operations from this exchange. If they offered dinner, then it was a screw up and they feel bad about it. If there is no offer that is your cue that this is not a screw up (in their eyes) but how they actually go about running their business day to day.

[Mithril Bham]

Originally Posted by Modivator

The owners not will to maintain their boats should have their boats removed from the charter fleet, no exceptions!

Very true. We had detailed contracts specifying that. Problems did arise due to fast turnover needed to make it in the short season in the PNW. Problems would occur during the charter that could take longer than a few hours to fix especially when the boats came in on Friday and specialized technicians were not available. Not an easy task at times. Spent many Fridays working 16 hour days and back again early Saturday morning. We would never have sent a boat out with the problems listed in this thread. Pre-board is an excellent idea.

[barnakiel]

I have a friend who was, until recently (now set off for their rtw trip) a 'maintainer' at Sunsail in the West Indies. Looking at how his team worked, I have zero doubt these people tried very hard to make the boats as perfect as one can in short periods of in-between charters.

Now if the same standard of care applies to smaller companies, I cannot say. I can imagine when the fleet is small (sometimes just one or two boats) and when the owner is away from where the boats get chartered, it may be hard to get the boat in good order for the party taking her over. Perhaps this then should be reflected in the price of the service, I think.

I am not surprised then by what you say. I would not rent there again and I would tell all my sailing friends not to use this service. If I were totally unhappy, I would document the case and request partial or complete refund.

b.

[Mithril Bham]

I have many stories regarding dealing with owners and guests in the charter biz. One time we had two engineers (father & son) who pre-boarded and submitted a five page list of concerns. I was duly impressed with their attention to detail. After spending hours answering their questions I sent them out. They proceeded to run aground into a well marked reef.
Sometimes you just gotta laugh.
For every horror story about a charter company there is one about a charter guest.
Not saying this applies to this situation.

[dlazenby]

We have barefoot chartered with BVI Yacht Charters, Sail Caribe, The Moorings and CYA out of Canada and have never had any problems. When we did have engine problems in Belize, The Moorings sent someone out right away.

[upstateny]

A 20 year old bareboat is NOT normal. Our experience with BVIs Conch Charters for 2-weeks, which rents older boats, had one problem with the Windless. The Windless was fixed in about two hours.