Why Only Beneteau / Jeanneau in Charter Fleets?

[marty9876]

Just curious on peoples thoughts on why the vast majority of charter boats are Beneteau/Jeanneau? On a coastal cruiser basis, are Catalina/Bavaria/Dufour and such not basically equal in quality and fitting of the application- coastal cruising.

Kick backs from Beneteau/Jeanneau?

[neilpride]

Charter companys just buy 2 and get 1 for free,just kidding.

[Pblais]

When you need 100 boats you shop different than when you need only 1 - the one you like. It's not that they don't buy good boats but that they want the same boat every time. Having bought two boats, I will say I didn't buy the second because I was less in love with the first. There may be an analogy with second wives but I ain't going there.The charter companies want 300 second wives. They must be wrong if I am right. If you feel the need for more than one boat - ask the Admiral.

You learn to like the boats you do. After a while it sinks in and sticks. How you get there is on your own.

[BambooSailor]

Because they do not need to stock parts for 100 different types of boats, thay can exchange parts between boats if necessary, they can get volume buying discounts, etc.

[swagman]

I thought Beneteaus were orginally the preferred charter choice as they were the first to put a wheel on smaller yachts. Most others followed years later.

And once a supplier like Beneteau is producing volume they can of course produce down to a price plus are best tooled up to to produce 'charter' versions as oppposed to 'owner' versions. These 'charter' versions have less frills and maximum sleep space.

The comment already made about buying one range in one country not makes good sense about swopping parts but makes brochures multinational also. Certainly in Europe charter companies move boats across differing nations to fill demand so one range is a logical set up.

Sorry, can't comment on Catalinas and whilst appreciating what cheap sailing has done for our sport, not sure you can assume Bavaria are built to the same standards as Beneteau or Jenneau. I don't see them that way.

Finally also see Dufour as a higher standard to the others, and maybe priced out of the charter market - if indeed they even produce 'charter' versions.

All IMHO

Cheers
JOHN

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by marty9876

Kick backs from Beneteau/Jeanneau?

No. But Moorings own Lepod cats in South Africa.

Moorings/Sunsail tell Beneteau what they want in the Beneteaus and Jeneaus. Beneteau then actually comply.


Seems simple to me


Mark

PS Remember Moorings and Sunsail are the one company and Jeneau and Beneteau re the one company.

[Inkwell]

Any one would with the volume that they can provide to a manufacturer.

[beneteau-500]

well in athens 80% of the yachts are now Bavaria's and all the uk based companys use Bavaria's as well only Vernicos use beneteau as they are the agents for these yachts

[David M]

The most profitable airlines also standardize their fleet. There are economies of scale in keeping things the same.

[Vasco]

The BVI fleets in the past have had their share of Dufours, Hunters, Catalinas and every other production boat going including CSY, CS and C&C. Beneteau is now clearly the winner and that is not much different from the privately owned and operated boats here on Lake Ontario and, I expect, in most places in North America. Quality, price and quick delivery, not necessarily in that order but you get a decent boat at a decent price and their service is top notch. Another big plus is that Beneteau continues to make boats while many companies have disappeared.

[Bash]

Because of Beneteau's huge volume, they can afford to target certain designs at the charter fleet market. Charters want a different thing out of a boat than cruisers: lots of ensuite cabins, not much concern about storage space. Look at the Beneteau 50; it has 4 ensuite cabins. That becomes an attractive boat on the charter market because four couples can share the costs, and a week aboard suddenly becomes quite reasonable.

[Marinheiro]

for a long period, up until a couple of years ago, the French government provided a significant tax break (read subsidy) for French built yachts being put into charter fleets

[bvimatelot]

Originally Posted by Marinheiro

for a long period, up until a couple of years ago, the French government provided a significant tax break (read subsidy) for French built yachts being put into charter fleets

True - but the French "defiscalisation" scheme only gave French owners the tax break and the boats were required to be kept in the French islands (though they were allowed to cruise out of area but for less than 90 days)

It certainly did bring along a lot of industry and tourism to the islands and gave a boost to Metropolitan France's boat builders

[Reality Check]

Many of the Benns now in charter fleets are not French Built but come from the US Factory.

The charter fleets have some design/ layout control over the models they use. The private version of the 361 is a 362 in charter with two cabins and 363 with the three cabin layout. What is on the boat in terms of hardware and amenities is also based on the standards the charter fleets set which can be different than the private versions both plus and negative.

Once a fleet operator finds a good fit for the need, they typically do not make rapid or frequent changes. Parts standardization and availability are key factors for the fleets as they should be for individuals who purchase any boat.

[Cheechako]

Salesmanship... give them what they want at the right price for a volume buy or intent to buy... The Dufour is probably a higher quality boat than t he others you mentioned...