Boat-Based Business

He and his wife are amongst our closest friends. They are the previous owners of our Challenger. Of course, I suspect I have corrupted him. He now owns a project boat

[CaptainK]

Right on !!!

[sluissa]

I just joined after reading this topic also.

As far as the podcast idea goes, I'd like to hear sailing stories told by people, or at least read by people outloud. I'm currently stuck on land, but I'm looking to cast off within the next few years, once I get out of college. I don't get to get much experience on the water right now, so I and I'm sure there are at least a few other people out there, would like to just hear stories told, doesn't have to be exciting, though it would help.

I've spent hours just reading stories people have told on the internet about normally mundane things, but on a boat, even the most mundane thing seems exciting.(Going to the bathroom in 10 foot waves comes to mind, hehehe) Just my opinion. Take it and use it as you wish, I'd never be able to do the podcast thing myself.

Sailors are notorias story tellers by nature. I agree with your logic. The trick is marketing. Traditional means such as writing a book are great, but a really hard way to make a living even if you have the talent. Producing a news letter would be difficult aboard a boat, and a magazine would be out of the question. Podcasting does have the advantage of being compact to produce. A poll I posted recently leads me to believe that the cruising community is not yet ready to get their entertainment from high tech sources such as podcasting, so it would have to target the armchair sailing crowd. I am still contemplating this idea, but I think it has more potential for my needs than anything else I have come across.

[CaptainK]

"The How To Get Drunk & Not To Fall Overboard Show?"
Featuring Kai Nui & CaptainK as your party favorite hosts this evening.

Episode #1 How to mix your drinks, without spilling them all over the galley?

Spill drinks?!?! That sounds like a crime drama to me I just need to get National Geo to sponser my adventures. Of course, getting all the sailing tales to stay G-Rated may be a challenge My current boat based business has not shown any profit, but when it does, I will have it made. I buy lottery tickets. Still showing a loss, but I am sure I will eventually be in the black
I guess maybe I should stop buying used ones

[CaptainK]

Yeah that's a start, Kai!!

[Lakbay dagat]

Cpt K, Kai Nui

I am all for having a good time rafted ordockside. Yes, over the years I have found that I can swim more than once. The best thing about karaoke, we can all be stars in our minds.

Notin' like a good time or sail to let the stress of everyday life escape your mind.

seriously!! Never spill the Pusser's

[CaptainK]

I hear that :cubalibre NEVER spill the Pusser's indeed!!

Oh! But I am a star. But not in my mind. But among many of the 1st Gulf War veteran's. They remember me as DJ Evil K!! (My alter ego)

[salvor]

For many years I would cruise till broke,work in a shipyard for a year then cruise till your broke again. I am completing my third boat in 20 years. my answer to this paridime is the following;
1. I built a commerical dive operation on board, ( EXO26 kirby band mask with hard wire coms,5cfm gas powered dive compressor ,hoses ect.
2. a complete HVAC engineering/fabrication shop with henrod torch, tig and mig welding
3. tankless heater repair/LP gas
4. a heavy duty sailwright sewing unit, to repair sails
5. along with shipwright tools and other kool toys
I started to advertize last year all over the pacific. What I found out was real kool. all these remote hotels, ect, desperately need engineering tecs with multilevel skills, their own tools, their own transportation with their shop. I started advertizing at $45 an hour.plus cost and vat. I am sure Iwill be able work every where I go except those areas where not allowed, like in hawaii, a stay aboard ( live aboard word not allowed here) is illegal under state
law. brutaly enforced!!!!!! cook islands sends monthly emails with offers of a free acre if I set up shop for at least four years there, nobody wants to work or has basic skills beon smoking pot or using duct tape to repair everything. I have put a route together , from marshall islands to cook islands, this way I can continue to work my out of the weather seasons, like raft up in tonga for the bad weather. then work my way south again. I"ll let you knowhow it works

[salvor]

golly; I didnt know things where that bad getting work in some ports. Iam a HVAC engineer/ commerical EPA/hasmat salvor. they almost beg me to work every port I land. however I wouldnt work around the Australian screw outsiders mentality. In the honolulu port, stay aboards are fined for trying to work. and that is suposed to be america. I grew up around boats in Alaska. I try to hide from work but they seem to know I can fix it. my wife made a joke to a sailor who was asking us for work. she told him to wipe some deck paint and epoxy resin, plus a little fuel on your jeans and work will find you. works for me,

[salvor]

Iam a retired military diver, retired commerical fisheries diver,(urchins, herring roe,sea cucombers) Iam interested in helping to ficilitate a diving blog.
I was sailing in the marshall islands last year, the government just reopened bikini island after 60 years, there is only one dive boat and the poor divers cant sleep at night cause their wallets are too thick. there is room for at least two more boats. and I asked the boat how they felt about another boat. they said there was a need for more operators and their wellcome.

Quite the setup you have there salvor. Sounds like you do well. I have allot of manual skills that I could employ, but part of the idea of going cruising is, in my mind, to get away from feeling like I am working, and employ some of my more creative skills. The idea is to find something that I would be doing anyway, and make it profitable. The limited income that I would want to generate makes this plausible, but I have not found it yet. The first question I ask when considering a boat based business is "Does it sound like work?" If the answer is yes, than I move on. I have an online radio show, but have not yet developed a way to make it profitable. That is something I consider fun, and does not feel like work. I am excited by each show idea, and each interview is like sitting around playing cards with friends. I have worked in boat yards, and the marine industry, but to me, that is WORK. I like diving, but the idea of commercial diving is not for me, because I like it, but I do not love it. The commercial dive boat idea has lot's of potential, but again, to me it means, schedules, dealing with liability, and crew, and making my boat a place of business, not a place where I do business. Great ideas though, don't misunderstand, I think your ideas have great merrit for many people. A few posters on the thread about Hookas might really like to know more about your set-up. I am curious how you work around the restrictions on foreign nationals working in different countries. From what you said, it sounds like this has not been an issue.
Lakbay dagat, you have an unfair advantage. Your lovely better half can sing duets with anyone and make them sound good with her incredible voice Like I said, you just need to take the party on the road, and charge admission

[Charlie]

Ok here is an idea. Making money on boats is hard. Why? Everyone wants to be on a boat. Make money on land and take it to sea.

Current US tax law is that you can sell your primary residence and keep up to $250k in gain tax free ($500k for a married couple). Buy a piece of land Build a house with as little help as possible and then sell it after having lived in it for two years. I did this. It took me 18 months to build the house and then we sold it and made $200k. Is that a realistic #? In many parts of CA the answer is yes. If you guys can build a boat think how much easier it would be to build with plumb and square corners. I did the trades that I liked and subbed out the ones I didn't (sheetrock, insulation, roofing) Take that $200k invest it at the current rate of 4% and you could withdraw $1000 a month for just short of 30 years (330 months).

I'm doing it again as we speak but we are going to keep this one b/c I came across an opportunity to by land that could be split that had a mobile home on it. We bought the land and are in the process of splitting it. We are living in the mobile. B/c of the "silly" appreciation in housing prices when I sell the split property and the mobile I should recoup all the money I had into the land (its tax free b/c it is our primary residence). From there I take a small loan on the house and have enough money to buy a boat and go crusing with an income froma rented out house.

Charlie

[CaptainK]

Charlie.

Actually that is a very good idea there.

The only problem here is that the majority of the people on this forum are not land owners?

Lucky you!!!