Should I Borrow a Boat?
5 Things You Should Consider
borrow a boat n. (/ˈbɒrəʊ a /) to take and use a small vessel for travelling over water, propelled by oars, sails, or an engine belonging to someone else, with the intention of returning it.
Do I Borrow a Boat?
Some Things to Consider
We look at the whole range of borrowing options.
Why would you borrow a boat? Why not own one? Or charter one? In some cases, there can be a charge, similar to charter, but from the owner of the yacht, rather than from a professional operator.
It is understood that boat ownership is falling, yet more people sail and there are wanting to sail. The cost and worry of ownership is putting people off. There are a few options to consider.
The alternatives to outright ownership are:
- Borrow a Boat from Friends. Borrow a boat, from a friend or a platform that adds boats of people prepared to lend them;
- Borrow a Boat from Professionals. Charter a boat from a professional operator;
- Borrow a Boat from a Peer-toPeer Platform.
- Borrow a Boat from Yourself. Buy a boat, but, into a charter fleet to make it affordable (and even make money);
- Borrow a Boat you Share. Buy a share of a boat to dilute the cost of ownership.
5 Things to Consider Before You Borrow a Boat
We look at each of the pros and cons of borrowing a boat from a friend, professional, a peer-to peer platform, or as part of a share.
What you choose decide will often depend upon your circumstances, how often you sail, how experienced you are, the other members of your crew, the type of sailing you want to do.
If you would like to discuss the options with one of our experienced operators, why not call us or leave a note.
Top 5 Things to Consider Before You Borrow a Boat
Friends
1. Borrow a Boat from Friends
Borrow a Boat from Friends. It is possible, if you are into sailing, you know someone who has a boat, or if you work for a large organisation, like the Armed Forces, or the John Lewis Partnership, they have boats you can have access to.
Pros. Often you can use these yachts for free or for a highly subsidised rate.
Cons. Whether it’s a close friend or an acquaintance, or a company boat, they will expect you to hold a sailing qualification and have some experience. You will have to deal with the embarrassment of damaging a friends boat, should that happen. So do proceed carefully!
Professional Fleets
2. Borrow a Boat from Professionals
Borrow a Boat from Professionals. Chartering a boat from a professional operator is the most common way to borrow a boat.
Pros. The market is regulated and you can have a level of assurance from a company with a reputation to protect. They will look after a fleet of boats, meaning they have experienced maintenance engineers and spares at hand to rectify flats.
Cons. There are very cons as the fleets have evolved to meet customer exceptions, comply with national regulations and have agents to satisfy. You may well pay a little more than if you were to borrow a boat from a peer-to-peer platform, or a friend, you might decide it’s worth it. You may also find different types boats in more locations that the professional operators.
Peer-to-Peer
3. Borrow a Boat from a Peer-to-Peer Platform
Borrow a Boat from a Peer-to-Peer Platform. Is a relatively fresh idea based on the sharing economy. There are a number of new platforms that allow boat owners to lend their boats.
Pros. For the boat owner, they can get benefit from an asset when they are not using it. For the person chartering, they might find different boats to the mainstream charter fleets, in more locations, perhaps offering something different.
Cons. There is a great deal of variation in quality. We can see from reviews of genuine peer-to-peer transactions, that there is a lot that can go wring and does go wrong. Whilst the platforms claim they have so many boats, that they can react to last minute cancellations, it’s not true (at least that’s what the reviews tell us). The yacht could be in an obscure area, or be at the height of the season, the experiences are, that the customers are left with no boat, and no one to complain to. Individual owners have very little invested in their business reputations, if something goes wrong – they can very easily disappear.
Buy (In a Charter Fleet)
4. Borrow a Boat from Yourself
Borrow a Boat from Yourself. One option if you want your own boat, charter quite a lot, but want to cover some or all of the cost. If you buy in a charter fleet, you will be able to charter your own boat (borrow it form yourself) for just a small administration fee to your managing operator.
Pros. You can own your own boat covering the cost of ownership.
Cons. Having others borrow your boat.
Sharing
5. Borrow a Boat You Share
Borrow a Boat You Share. Shared ownership schemes are another good was to sail on your own boat, whilst defraying many of the big costs, such as mooring. Many set up these schemes privately, between friends, whilst others use specialist companies.
Pros. Great way to sail your own boat and save on costs. Great if you want to sail a lot.
Cons. You will be committed to sailing in one location and you will have to compromise on when you want to use the boat, especially at peak times of the year.
SailChecker Can Help You Borrow a Boat
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