Smoking or Non smoking on tour boat?

[SeaBird]

I have been running a sailing tour business in Costa Rica for a few years now and we usually, but not always, have mixed groups of tourists on board. Occasionally people want to smoke cigarettes and/or cigars but I HATE it! And I'm worried about an ash blowing up and burning a hole in the Dacron sails.

I am wondering if other half day tour operations have a no smoking policy and if it has worked out? I have thought about asking the smokers to hang out at the back of the boat, to help avoid the smoke blowing in other tourists' faces, but at the back of the boat is where the hammocks hang and that space is usually occupied throughout the tour.

It is a 45' boat with teak decks and I worry about the vinyl seats in the cockpit getting ash-burned as well.

I wouldn't want to piss anyone off though if we say no smoking allowed.

Opinions?

[nes]

Many places in the states are NO smoking, Personally, I think that it should be a matter of your boat, your rules. You don't smoke, and don't want to clean up after it, NO smoking. I seriously doubt you will lose customers over it, and may actually get a few in the bargin.
BTW, I quite smoking (4 packs a day) in 1980, and the last time I wanted one was two days ago. Sometimes the smell is really really good. NEVER ever start.

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by SeaBird

I have been running a sailing tour business in Costa Rica for a few years now and we usually, but not always, have mixed groups of tourists on board. Occasionally people want to smoke cigarettes and/or cigars but I HATE it! And I'm worried about an ash blowing up and burning a hole in the Dacron sails.

I am wondering if other half day tour operations have a no smoking policy and if it has worked out? I have thought about asking the smokers to hang out at the back of the boat, to help avoid the smoke blowing in other tourists' faces, but at the back of the boat is where the hammocks hang and that space is usually occupied throughout the tour.

It is a 45' boat with teak decks and I worry about the vinyl seats in the cockpit getting ash-burned as well.

I wouldn't want to piss anyone off though if we say no smoking allowed.

Opinions?

It depends upon the mix of your clientele. In the US only about 20% of the population smokes any longer so, at worst, you might decrease your prospective client base from that population by that proportion with an absolute no-smoking policy. The percentage of smokers is relatively greater in other societies, up to a majority in some southeast asian countries, and is quite common in south America. Given your location it might make more sense to simply require that if someone wants to smoke they must go to the leeward rail abaft the mast or some other location where smoke and ash will be carried away. Most smokers can get by with a few puffs to relieve their cravings from time to time and, as a practical matter, I would imagine you need as broad a base of prospective customers as possible. (And worries about ash and "embers" from cigarettes are largely over-blown IMHO.)

We have a "restricted" smoking policy. Never below decks and always dead aft and to leeward. With that we've never had a problem. (And in the old, racing days, the entire crew would have a cigar and a brandy in the cockpit to celebrate a successful day even though most of use couldn't stand the darned things. There is something to be said for tradition tho'.)

FWIW...

[jeremiason]

Costa Rica has outlawed smoking in bars and restaurants... So it shouldn't suprize a smoker that they couldn't lite up...

On the other hand it is your business, you have a better read on your clients. Do you get a lot of smokers? On the other hand do people not ride your boat because it is a smoking vessel.

What are the other charter vessels in your area doing... I know if Golfito, it appears all the small boat charters are letting people smoke...

[David_Old_Jersey]

I think the way to really piss someone off who is a smoker is to drop in a non-smoking policy after they have arrived (and after you have banked their cash), or even to overly restrict them on times.


An entirely non-smoking boat is fine with me - your boat, your decision, it just comes down to what your market wants. Personally I would start by making the policy (publically) as on deck and downwind (or whatever that works on your boat)and then count those who do smoke / whether it has an impact on your bookings - after that can decide whether to go for the full ban.

Although as a Smoker who is firmly in the camp of "you can take my ciggarette when you can prise it from my cold dead hands" - nonetheless I am actually happy about certain places being non-smoking....as long as "civilisation" is within puffing reach!, so for me on deck somewhere (Force 10 or above is ok with me!) is a requirement......but I appreciate that I am not required onboard your boat.

What you want to avoid is folk having a sneaky fag somewhere that causes a problem (for boat or for others).

[David M]

With the ever diminishing number of people who smoke, I wouldn't worry about losing their revenues by having a 100% no smoking boat. In fact, that will make those who hate having to smell it all the more likely to book with your charter boat. You can't please everyone in this world.