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Starbox189,
I charted in Raiatea last June. I spent a lot of time researching and trying to find a good boat at a reasonable price. I discovered that it was difficult to know who were the actual charter companies and who were brokers. In the end there are only three that I could find. The two big outfits were Moorings and Sunsail. However, once there we were told that Moorings bought Sunsail. The third company was something like Tahiti charters and I never did discover them prior to the trip. All three companies are located in the same little crowded harbor on Raiatea.
We chartered a 46' foot Cat that was a 2001 and I was surprised at the amount of corrosion. Surprisingly everything seemed to work on the boat and nothing failed while in use. Although, we found that the GPS did not have the detailed maps for the area, and hence the islands showed up as triangles and squares and hence was almost useless
I attempted to work right with the base, but found that I got a better deal by going through a broker. The base gives a big discount to brokers and little to direct customers. So by working with a broker that passes on part of their discount, you can get the best deal. I ended up using CharterWorld.com for my best deal.
That area represents the best cruising, the Carribean does not compare.
Have a great trip
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