Yachting – to Charter or to Buy

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Going cruising is shown to be one of the top 3 things you can do to relieve stress. Leaving the shore behind is the perfect getaway from all the hassles that are associated with the city environment – and all the more so if you are headed for beautiful waters to swim, dive, fish and barbecue. Many people know this and take full advantage of chartering.

Why buy a boat if you can charter one? Yet I have met people who have said this only to find down the line that they have become yacht owners. So let’s examine the two options.

Chartering a boat can be a blast whether it’s for a day or a month-long vacation and there are many benefits:

1)You arrive at your exotic destination and your boat is waiting for you to move onto and go exploring.

2)You will be able to choose how many crew and what level of service you would like. In most cases you will need to have crew, especially because you don’t know the boat

3)You can share expenses with another group if you would like to vacation together.

4)You have maximum enjoyment and minimum responsibility. The maintenance duties and depreciation of the boat are the worries of somebody else and you can walk away without ever having to think of it again.

Owning a boat. Let us re-examine the above 4 points:

1)Your boat is always waiting for you and she may be right there on your dock. You don’t need to worry about booking a cruise or how well maintained she is because you already know that. She is set up in the style you like and has all your personal things you need for a cruise; including your fishing/diving gear, galley set-up, music system, boat toys and bedding.

2)You may not need crew because you know the boat. You can choose to have crew but in this case you have the captain that you know rather than one you haven’t met and may not enjoy.

3)Co-ownership or fractional ownership is becoming more common and is an option if you would like to share the boat and the expenses.

4)Maintenance and depreciation is a factor. Depending on your itinerary you could spend up to 10% of the value of the boat per year. And you may lose almost that much in depreciation.

That last point may be the deciding factor for those on a tight budget but before you discard the notion of ownership let’s put that into perspective: Boating is a luxury. Most people don’t get to go. How many people take a similar percentile loss on a muscle car without reservation?

Consider also that a muscle car doesn’t give you the opportunity to anchor in some beautiful bay, sleep aboard and then enjoy the view over breakfast. Another advantage is that you can get a tax deduction for your boat as a second home if you have a cabin, head and galley. And who doesn’t love to sleep on a boat?

Times are always changing and there is no right or wrong, just differing outlooks on how to do boating. The facts are that not many people get to enjoy life this way and if you have the resources then why not take the time? People who start boating quickly learn to appreciate the healthy, fun, family-friendly lifestyle and will likely never give it up.

In case any of the above interested you I have listed some options below to get you started:

1)To charter a boat of any type and size:

Herman Pundt or Nick Duke from Denison Yachting’s very active charter program. It would be hard to find someone more knowledgeable and they are a pleasure to deal with.

[email protected]   (252) 241-8171

[email protected]   (434) 390-2861

2)If you would like to do a private one-on-one  Learning Charter.

3)If you would like to buy a boat:

[email protected]  (954) 649 4958