Starting up a Yacht Charter in Australia

[dadinabarrel]

G'day Cruisers
I'm looking into setting up a Yacht Charter in the NW and am finding it difficult to get a list of what the legal requirements would be. I've tried the DOT/Marine/Commercial and it fels like you need a lawyer to be able to understand those guys

So far I have:

- Yacht to be surveyed to 2B preferably (<12 pax to 200nm) but 2C (<12 pax to 60nm) would be enough for daytrips
- Life Raft to be in survey
- Certificate of Operation for a Domestic Commercial Vessel
- Yacht Insurance
- Public Liability Insurance

I expect there must be some kind of skipper's qualification but I can't get a straght answer from DOTM whether a Yachtmaster or a Masters 5 is the way to go. I don't have either but want to be sure I jump in the right direction, my preference would be the RYA Yachtmaster.

Q. Are there any charter owning or knowledgables on this forum who can help me? I really need to know if there is anything else I
need to put on that list and answer the quals question so I can correctly scope up the project


Cheers

[Suijin]

If you're going to do crewed charters, for the size boat you're considering I think all you need is the USCG six pack license. It may be different if you're the proprietor of the company but I can't see why that would be the case.

I have a friend who's an RYA Yachtmaster instructor and when he arrived in the states he needed the six pack to crew charters. His RYA certs were irrelevant. He may have just got the 50 or 100 ton, given his experience, I'm not sure, but he was told he needed the six pack. I don't recall if he needed the sailing cert as well.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Dad.

[Hobie_ind]

Originally Posted by Suijin

If you're going to do crewed charters, for the size boat you're considering I think all you need is the USCG six pack license. It may be different if you're the proprietor of the company but I can't see why that would be the case.

I have a friend who's an RYA Yachtmaster instructor and when he arrived in the states he needed the six pack to crew charters. His RYA certs were irrelevant. He may have just got the 50 or 100 ton, given his experience, I'm not sure, but he was told he needed the six pack. I don't recall if he needed the sailing cert as well.

You might have missed the part about him asking about requirements in Australia. It's a bit out of the USCG's jurisdiction.

:-)

[dadinabarrel]

Thanks for the G'day GordMay.

That's good info for the states, but yeah I'm pretty sure Australia will have their own set of rules and regs around this one.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Welcome Aboard CF!

It think it is a good idea to put your location in your CF profile (and it will show under your avatar when you post), as it helps other members focus their answers to your particular location or area. You can edit your CF Profile in your User Control Panel.

[dadinabarrel]

Good point, thanks mate

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by Hobie_ind

You might have missed the part about him asking about requirements in Australia. It's a bit out of the USCG's jurisdiction.

:-)

Oops, my USA-centric perspective led me to interpret "NW" as "Pacific NW". My bad.

[briendaniel]

Firstly your relevant government body is the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). The link is: https://www.amsa.gov.au.
AMSA is responsible for administering the National System of Domestic Commercial Vessel Safety, or NSCV.
They certify vessels for commercial use.
They also manage the qualifications of personal.
The RYA qualifications are valid for the operation of the vessels under which the qualification has been issued. IE if the certification has been commercially endorsed, then RYA YAchtmaster is typically used for vessels under 200 tonnes and under 24metres. RYA quilifcations can be commercially endorsed by AMSA or the MCA (UK Maritime Coastguard Agency: https://www.gov.uk/topic/working-sea...-certification). It doesn't matter which country the RYA qualification has been gained or where it was commercially endorsed, it is recognised by AMSA as good to go.
This is for the operation of sailing commercial vessels.
For the operation of motor vessels the RYA qualification needs to be supplemented by an MED 3 certificate as a minimum. The essential thing to understand is that RYA certification is recognised internationally. Whereas the Australian masters qualification need further work to be recognised internationally. This means RYA qualifications are probably the best as they don't require further endorsement if being used outside Australia. (not that this is relevant to you).
Take a look at the website, it is all there and very clearly set out.

[mickelsen]

All you need is a six pack. Take the exam and do it on your own not one of the expensive so called schools. You can find sample tests on line. Must also document 360 days of sea time. Could be as a passenger or guest or deck hand. For the betterment of all know your stuff.

[Bill Seal]

COIK "Clear Only If Known'.
CA can mean California, Canada, or Central America.

[Olddave]

Originally Posted by dadinabarrel

G'day Cruisers
I'm looking into setting up a Yacht Charter in the NW and am finding it difficult to get a list of what the legal requirements would be. I've tried the DOT/Marine/Commercial and it fels like you need a lawyer to be able to understand those guys

So far I have:

- Yacht to be surveyed to 2B preferably (<12 pax to 200nm) but 2C (<12 pax to 60nm) would be enough for daytrips
- Life Raft to be in survey
- Certificate of Operation for a Domestic Commercial Vessel
- Yacht Insurance
- Public Liability Insurance

I expect there must be some kind of skipper's qualification but I can't get a straght answer from DOTM whether a Yachtmaster or a Masters 5 is the way to go. I don't have either but want to be sure I jump in the right direction, my preference would be the RYA Yachtmaster.

Q. Are there any charter owning or knowledgables on this forum who can help me? I really need to know if there is anything else I
need to put on that list and answer the quals question so I can correctly scope up the project


Cheers

The term "yacht charter " implies that you want to set up a bareboat charter company.
Or do you want to set up a "charter yacht" with a qualified master taking paying passengers?
Dave

[jacktheflyer]

My syndicate went down this track a couple of years ago. We bought a yacht in 4C (bareboat) thinking it could be upgraded to 2C. 2C requires a completely different level of survey and 4C is no help. Also if your boat doesn't already have this level of survey then it is likely to cost you $10,000+ to get it with no assurances when you start. I understand you need to have a cox'n rating for commercial operations which is also not easy to get. You can get a restricted cox'n rating but this is no help. Sea time under supervision is the issue here. Very difficult if you're not working in the industry.

Good luck with your enterprise and I hope you have more success than I did.

Scrubby

[mowerandy]

a six pack refers to beers out here in the land of the kangaroo! I'm therefore drawn the comment "all you need is a six pack" - youd be surprised what can be achieved with a six-pack out here. You can use it for bribery, making friends, conversation, Dutch courage, self defense, whacky problem solving - you can even make fish and chip batter with it.
I concur that a six pack will solve most of your problems, or at least help you forget them for a while.
PS: if you are going to use it to bribe AMSA you are prolly gonna need more than a six-pack. I'd skip the slab too, and go straight for a pallet (they probably have their own forklift for such occasions - good luck

[Olddave]

Mowerandy,
"You nailed it" Brew