Charter Etiquette

[smitty469]

We are chartering with guests for the first time & a question came up on responsibilities. We have the hull ins with a deductable.

What happens if one of the crew accidently say drops the boat hook overboard, or incorrectly ties a fender (or a dingy) & it's lost, or breaks a hatch, or rolls a dingy & submerges the outboard, or looses a winch handle, or any number of things that can happen & does happen during a cruise. I'm not talking when something accidently breaks or serious neglegence is involved. Who is financialy responsible? What happens if this happens to the skipper?

My thoughts are it should be a shared financial responsibility for replacement/repair. Goofs can happen to anyone.

As far as neglegence, depending how blatent it is, the responsible person should be responsible.

Thoughts?

[Amapola]

The captain is always responsible for the vessel. If your name is on the contract/insurance, I'd say you're the captain.

[Ram]

Your getting paid to have these folks aboard its your loss if they screw up- I find it best to oversee every thing this way you can correct things as you go

[Bash]

Originally Posted by smitty469

We are chartering with guests for the first time & a question came up on responsibilities.

I'm not sure what you mean by "chartering with guests." Are they co-chartering with you, or are you paying the charter and inviting them as your guests? Would "guests" be expected to function as "crew?" How you answer those questions makes a difference in terms of ultimate responsibility.

When I have guests aboard, whether I've chartered the boat or own it, they don't handle boathooks. They certainly don't run the dink. (I might let one of my brothers-in-law run the dink, or perhaps even a brother, but if I do that's my stupidity and I should pay the consequences of being part of a family.)

When I crew for others, if I break a winch handle, that's the skipper's problem. If I drop a winch handle overboard, which I have done, I would certainly purchase a replacement even after the owner insists that it's not a problem.

[smitty469]

Originally Posted by Ram

Your getting paid to have these folks aboard its your loss if they screw up- I find it best to oversee every thing this way you can correct things as you go

I guess I lack the charter terminology.

Four of us are chipping in on a charter. Nobody is paying anyone. I am the skipper. All realativley experienced.

Gee, If crew member Bob slips while heeling & working the jib sheet & the winch goes over, I don't see a problem in sharing costs.

As far as the Skipper should be working the boat hook picking up a mooring, I would think the harder/more challanging task would be pulling up to the moooring, not hooking. Nevertheless, crew or whoever picking up the mooring slips, gets bumped, gets a splash of saltwater in thier face, or whatever & drops the boat hook, I mean geesh, stuff happens.

[smitty469]

Originally Posted by Bash

I'm not sure what you mean by "chartering with guests." Are they co-chartering with you, or are you paying the charter and inviting them as your guests? Would "guests" be expected to function as "crew?" How you answer those questions makes a difference in terms of ultimate responsibility.

When I have guests aboard, whether I've chartered the boat or own it, they don't handle boathooks. They certainly don't run the dink. (I might let one of my brothers-in-law run the dink, or perhaps even a brother, but if I do that's my stupidity and I should pay the consequences of being part of a family.)

When I crew for others, if I break a winch handle, that's the skipper's problem. If I drop a winch handle overboard, which I have done, I would certainly purchase a replacement even after the owner insists that it's not a problem.

Good points.

[Palarran]

Originally Posted by Bash

I'm not sure what you mean by "chartering with guests." Are they co-chartering with you, or are you paying the charter and inviting them as your guests? Would "guests" be expected to function as "crew?" How you answer those questions makes a difference in terms of ultimate responsibility.

When I have guests aboard, whether I've chartered the boat or own it, they don't handle boathooks. They certainly don't run the dink. (I might let one of my brothers-in-law run the dink, or perhaps even a brother, but if I do that's my stupidity and I should pay the consequences of being part of a family.)

When I crew for others, if I break a winch handle, that's the skipper's problem. If I drop a winch handle overboard, which I have done, I would certainly purchase a replacement even after the owner insists that it's not a problem.

I find that interesting. When I have friends aboard I would prefer them to do all the work, from the boat hook to helming, to running the dingy, pretty much everything. My success is that after 3 days I don't even have to get out of a chair for them to raise the anchor and get underway.

As for breakage on my boat, typically I do pay for it and that's ok. My buddies will usually never allow my wallet to leave my pocket - ever - while we are out or afterwards.

In regards to the OP question, if you guys are sharing the charter they the costs should be shared equaly. If friends didn't do that, let em go.

[wolfenzee]

My father used to charter a boat every summer and we would spend the last day cleaning, did such a good job the charterer could turn around and charter it with out doing anything (his appreciation was shown with reduced rates and it was a good lesson for kids). As far as how you should return a boat (I worked for a charter company once), leave it in the condition you would like to find it, as a charter and/or if it were your boat that was being returned.

[wolfenzee]

Originally Posted by smitty469

We are chartering with guests for the first time & a question came up on responsibilities. We have the hull ins with a deductable.

What happens if one of the crew accidently say drops the boat hook overboard, or incorrectly ties a fender (or a dingy) & it's lost, or breaks a hatch, or rolls a dingy & submerges the outboard, or looses a winch handle, or any number of things that can happen & does happen during a cruise. I'm not talking when something accidently breaks or serious neglegence is involved. Who is financialy responsible? What happens if this happens to the skipper?

My thoughts are it should be a shared financial responsibility for replacement/repair. Goofs can happen to anyone.

As far as neglegence, depending how blatent it is, the responsible person should be responsible.

Thoughts?

The chartering company had a $500 deposit, the amount if the insurance deductible. Once a client sailed under the low end (186ft clearance at the middle)of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge....when boat got under the bridge and lost its wind it stopped heeling.....damage=bent windex, all we could charge them for was the labor to climb the mast. Someone who makes that stupid a mistake deserves to pay more (we never chartered to them again though)

[Bash]

Originally Posted by smitty469

I guess I lack the charter terminology.
Four of us are chipping in on a charter. Nobody is paying anyone. I am the skipper. All realativley experienced.

Yes, your charter partners would not be considered "guests."

You basically have two options. You could decide to split the deductible four ways, regardless of fault. Or, you could decide to hold a court of inquiry at the end of the voyage, at which point damages would be assessed according to degrees of culpability by the ruling nautical authority.

You probably ought to decide before you leave for the charter.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Palarran

I find that interesting. When I have friends aboard I would prefer them to do all the work, from the boat hook to helming, to running the dingy, pretty much everything.

The OP used the term "guests." You are using the term "friends."

Some of my friends come aboard as guests. Some of my friends come aboard as crew.

Guests are always treated warmly, but they don't get to play with the boat hook.

[maytrix]

You can handle this in any number of ways, just need to decide it up front.

If the costs are being split evenly among everyone involved, then I'd say discuss the insurance deductible and agree that any added costs are split at the end of the charter.

When I have done the same with friends, I would have split costs such as a lost/damaged boat hook and such, but if I crashed the boat into the dock, as Captain I wouldn't expect others to contribute.

[FSMike]

Originally Posted by Bash

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Guests are always treated warmly, but they don't get to play with the boat hook.

Excellent.