Charter Management Programme with good maintenance is essential!

Yacht Partnership

Have you considered putting your boat into charter?

Yacht Partnership members enjoy the benefits of our on-site boatyard – from our crew of highly skilled and experienced marine technicians who service our fleet at greatly reduced labour rates, to the ability to lift each boat after each charter if necessary, we provide the highest level of care for every boat in our fleet.

Revenue: A properly priced, well-kept and well-equipped boat should earn enough revenue to cover annual marina and guardianage fees, annual insurance, and routine maintenance. We offer most boat owners 60% of the net charter revenue. For under 5-years old, we offer generous profit-sharing incentives. Owners are encouraged to consult their accountants about the advantages when the vessel is GST registered.

Requirements for boats under the management of Nanaimo Yacht Charters: We expect each of our boats to be well-equipped to our charter standards, very clean, and well maintained. Every charter boat is comprehensively insured under our fleet policy – providing you with full protection.

Use of your own boat: There is no limitation to your use of your boat during the shoulder seasons. During “high season”, we require a minimum of 12 weeks availability for charters. Let us take care of everything on your behalf and avoid spending your valuable holiday time for maintenance and yacht preparation. Step on board with the boat ready, detailed, and fueled — and just walk away at the end of your trip, we will do everything to prepare the yacht for your next use or the next charter.

Charter guests on your boat: Careful vetting of charterers who take the helm is our top priority. We take the time to vet each charterer and provide training where necessary to ensure the safety of our fleet. Our “Charter Skipper Résumé” is filed with each charterer before anyone leaves the dock, ensuring that we can assess their level of skill and experience. And we provide each charterer with all the navigation equipment, charts, and guidance they need. Together with an extensive checkout procedure, and a personalized onboard operations manual, we ensure that anyone at the helm is prepared to operate and navigate your boat.

Briefing Charter Guests:
As part of a charterer’s orientation upon arrival at the base, a mandatory “Skipper’s Briefing” is held in our dedicated briefing room:

During this time we review the charterer’s proposed itinerary, provide suggestions on the best anchorages and other pertinent information on the area, and note navigation precautions.
All navigational aids (paper charts, cruising guides, tide books etc.) are issued to ensure that the skipper is fully equipped for boating and navigating our tidal waters.
This is followed by a complete walk-through of the boat, pointing out all the information relevant to the boat and the charter. We believe this to be a vital part of the briefing as it gives us the opportunity to ensure that the charterer is completely familiar with operating all systems on board and well briefed to look after your boat whilst aboard.
A comprehensive operating manual is developed for every vessel. This is a written version of the verbal boat and area briefings, complete with photos and diagrams. It serves as a reference and recap for charterers and is kept onboard at all times. (As part of our yacht partnership, we ask that you as the boat owner assist us in compiling this manual, including a quick reference guide on the location of the boat’s equipment).
Furthermore, if there is any doubt as to the ability of a charter guest to handle your vessel, he/she is asked to take the vessel for a test sail. In some instances, our skipper remains on board until they are comfortable that the charter skipper is 100% competent prior to their departure.
After this process, our base manager releases the boat and its crew, or if the charter guests require more training, places a professional skipper onboard. Our base manager has the right to insist that the charter does not proceed if he feels that the charter skipper does not meet our proficiency standard.

Debriefing Charter Guests:
Upon the boat’s return, the charter base manager debriefs the charterers and reviews any issues that were encountered on the boat, as well as assessing the boat for any damage and/or problems.

We ensure the checkout process is thorough and consistent using a detailed checklist, which both the charter base manager and charter guests sign before and after the trip acknowledging the checkout and the responsibility for the vessel. Finally, the yacht is lifted for a quick but careful inspection after every charter or owner use.
In our years of experience, we find the disciplined use of these procedures assures that our fleet and your boat is properly cared for and maintained to the highest standard and that charter guests have the information they need to make their charter vacation fun and hassle-free.

Pre-Charter Boat Check and Maintenance: Our charter guests liveaboard 24 hours a day and we, therefore, ask them to record any issues found whilst on charter on an “On Charter Fault” sheet. This forms part of the history of the boat and an integral part of the preparation for the next charter. The boat then undergoes a thorough preparation and check prior to the next charter start date. Your boat will stay in better condition than if it is just sitting at the dock because our Yacht Partnership Programme is geared to keep all boats in pristine condition.

Cleaning: Before every charter, our staff detail your yacht in preparation for the next charter or your personal use. In addition, beds are made up and fresh starter packs (ready-use items to welcome charter guests onboard) are added.

Engine Usage: Powerboats in our fleet have a pretty consistent pattern of use by their charterers. A charter week’s (seven days) usage ranges from a low of 15-17 hours to a high of 36 hours. Although we have no absolute limit, we make it clear that “running hard” is not in the best interests of the boat, or for that matter, a good vacation for the charter guests. On our sailing boats, we expect usage of approximately 250 engine hours per season.

The “Desirable” Boat for Charter:
When considering putting your boat into a charter management programme, it is important that the boat be desirable. For this reason, we have some guidelines that help you determine if your boat will be suitable:

Popular, late models catch the eye of the charter guest looking for bareboat holidays. Popular brands include: Beneteau, Jeanneau, Bavaria, Dufour, Catalina, Hunter, Lagoon, Leopard, Fontaine Pajot, Meridian, Bayliner, Ocean Alexander, Carver, SeaRay, and Grand Banks. For less well-known models, traditional layouts are most attractive.
Vessel layout is more important than speed. Any boat should be able to accommodate charter guests comfortably. Two- and three-stateroom boats with more than one head are currently the most popular.
A well-equipped and well-maintained boat is essential. A good dinghy and outboard, an array of electronics, and added features help make a charter holiday successful and increases the likelihood of repeat bookings. Full equipment is required, including a well-equipped galley.
Quality maintenance, including immaculate, shiny, odour-free interiors (even the bilges) and exteriors, is expected by our clients. All systems must work well. Primarily, the main engine(s), outboard, generator, refrigeration, electric windlass and sails. Any of these working inefficiently will damper the enjoyment of the charter guest from the outset.
A safe boat is a must. All safety equipment should be available, current and convenient. All fittings must be secure. A good, customized boat manual, with warning notices where necessary, should be available and in good order to help our charter guests operate your boat properly. We create this manual for all boats in our fleet.

“Charterers aren’t purchasing ‘boats,’ they’re buying ‘adventures’!”

We do everything possible to ensure that our charter guests have a memorable and safe holiday onboard your boat.

We are a service-orientated company with a long history of customer satisfaction, located at the head of the best cruising ground in the Pacific Northwest and in one of the fastest-growing areas of Canada – a guaranteed combination for success.

We invite you to join our Yacht Charter Management Programme and enjoy hassle-free ownership of your boat

Call us today: 1 250.754.8601 / 1.877.754.8601
Email: info@nanaimoyachtcharters.com