Offer your own boat for charter?

[abbeytowindward]

Hi there Cruisers,
Looking to garner some advice from the world about the charter business...
Most specifically, I have a unique 47ft monohull race boat that is being fitted out comfortably as a cruiser (without losing the racing streak, die-hard racers go ahead and commence colourful commentary thankyou).


I would like to know, has anyone else submitted their boat to a charter company in the whitsundays (Qld, Australia) to be abused in the charter world?
A minefield of financial complication I know, although all advice good and bad welcome.


Cheers and fair winds to you all!

[ChrisJHC]

On first glance this sounds like a bad idea.
Oh, and on the second and third as well!

When you say you’re refitting a custom race boat as a cruiser, are you also replacing all of the racing-oriented hardware?
As well as other more temperamental things like the mast, boom and rudder(s)?

Most charter boats are built with over-engineered hardware as they have to put up with non-sailors abusing them.
The opposite of most racing-oriented yachts which are designed to be as light as possible.
There’s a reason so many yachts in the Sydney-Hobart break parts of their gear once conditions get “sporty”.

Especially in the Whitsundays where you can have charterers with zero experience taking your boat out.
Most will have no idea what things like the traveller, outhaul, vang etc do.

Still, at the end of the day, it’s your boat so feel free to ignore everything I’ve said!

[Fore and Aft]

Windy Abbey was she originally built to survey? The cost of putting the yacht in survey and the ongoing costs like insurance etc might surprise you. Then you have to find a market for people who want to charter a custom monohull thats neither a racer or a cruiser. If she's any sort of race boat she's going to have a big main and a deep draft. Not something you're going to want newbie sailors to handle after a few beers while cruising the bay. I don't know much about the charter market, but what I observe is that it seems to be more about a platform for drinking, swimming and fishing. Sailing seems to be a distant thought.
Then there's the words flogged to death which seems to describe some of these ex charter boats I survey.
Cheers