i must say that th idea to rent my boat out has crossed my mine too. i'd bet that most all boat owners once thought to rent their boats. i say that cause a hundred things came to mind on how to use my boat, and make a buck.
i bought my boat from a guy who chartered her to a school, and th school used her to give lessons on and once certified, th students chartered her for events as th school so promoted, such as races, raft-ups, cruises and givin free charters (a perk to students to sign up fer classes)even is sometimes an option offered. th school i think would be th one writtin ye a check fer yer boats USAGE, i dunno, would just have to see with schools about that, and it may even mean they have priority over yer boat before you when ye wanted to use it.
he was also an instructor at th school. now this way (bein a capt at a school and charterin yer own boat to th school ye teach at) of 'commissionin' th boat makes sense to me cause:
1)th owner is gonna see th boat more often than not to inspect and maintain th boat as it is "USED BY TH PUBLIC",
2)th boat will be "USED" by those whoms been thru th school, meaning to me that when it gets USED, its by folks who are boat savvy and ye can rest more kowin its USED by someone more likely to respect it.
3) might be a # 3 but am tryin to hurry and get this off to ye ...
i have chartered a boat with a club i was a member of, it was like $400 ($50.00 a person and there were about 8 of us) and th boat was not maintained properly. th reef lines werent there at all and th bolt in th gooseneck was jury-rigged. a boat can really get stressed, overworked and damaged further when its not properly maintained. if we had needed to reef and couldnt, we couldve tore other things up easily. if ye cant shift gears on th boat, then what good is it. I didnt have any desire to be on th boat when i first arrived and saw it, but i had agreed to crew and felt i could be of help if th boat went to shit on these eager beavers who were ever so desperate to get on th water. it was the texas association of single sailors (TASS), first i had no idea there was a charge, just thought i was offerin help, and i wouldntve went if id know they were chargin cause i had my Ericson to rouse over.
i personnaly felt th boat was USED, like a hotel room, at th least. this experience is one that erased my thought of charterin my boat out. i dont want to own a hotel room. i dont wanna clean up after people nor have to replace, repair or clean stained cushions after each time someone brought her back. boats are enough work already without addin to it. rentin a house is scary enough, but a tender, fragile boat takes a whole nother set of patience and acceptance that I do NOT have. yer talkin money to fix and repair as wear n tear comes about like growth of nails n hair. and thats "IF" th renters even tell ye that somethin needs attention, which if they dont, could jeopordize th next renters, yer investment, yer peace of mind, yer love of yer life -YER SOUL !!!
no im not tryin to talk ye outta of it, just givin ye whats can and will be th case(s).
i dont believe ye will ever sleep at night.
i'll say, i have a friend (capt) that has thought about teachin lessons on his own time, but he dont have a boat to teach on. i thought, and asked em if he wanted to use my boat as i knew he would care fer my boat. we havent moved on with th idea as God has other plans fer us at th moment, but i wouldve done that, maybe. but my case wouldve meant me expensin a nother place to live as i live aboard. th fee he paid me wouldnt offset th coast of an apt or hotel room. but fer you, you dont live aboard, so a capt/instructor who needs a boat to teach could be a candidate fer yer to rent to.
another thing i would do is be careful/selective where/how ye advertise "BOAT FER RENT." ye can hang yer sign on th laundrymat wall, th clubhouse wall fer all to see riskin yer boat to th unexperienced/novices, or ye can just mention yer desire to frends and let them spread th word o folks they know, increasin yer chances of yer boat bein USED by a someone with exerience, respect fer a boat and other peoples investment...
ye wouldnt loan yer car on a regular basis, would ye?
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Rent only to qualified sailors - if you can verify qualifications and experience or take them out for a check. Do they know the waters ? Read charts etc.Take a page from Enterprise auto rental customer procedures and documentation. Get docs from LegalZoom. Check and verify your insurance and renter's coverage. Take an advance deposit and require credit card info. Require customer signed waiver of liability and responsibility and acceptance of the vessel condition. There will be some stuff that happens that you cannot blame on the renter. For example, if they hit an uncharted submerged object requiring gelcoat or keel repair. How can you know if it was the renters fault if they were in reasonable depth waters ? Bottom line. Know your renter...trust but verify ! and renting can help defray your costs.
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