Renting a good catamaran for 1 year

[Frederic]

Hi all,

Who knows where to go rent a good catamaran (Freydis49 for instance) to sail around the world for about a year? If this doesn't exist, why?

Thanks

Frederic

[jerjacko]

Originally Posted by Frederic

Hi all,
If this doesn't exist, why?


Frederic

I don't know exactly, but if I can't rent a car in the US to drive from Connecticut to Mexico or South America - not that I'd want to - I figure the risks of losing an expensive boat someplace in the seven seas is greater than any rewards that a rental company might make.

A couple years ago there was a girl who was asking people to contribute to her joining a sailing group to sail around the world. The organizers, I think in England, had a few sailboats and people paid to join the trip. If you searched through the forums here you might find more about it. That is the closest I've seen to renting a boat for a year and taking it very far from the owner's control.

[Frederic]

It's funny how people tend to use cars to explain everything. Besides, it makes the explanation more complex and longer than it really needs to be. In this case, "I figure the risks of losing an expensive boat someplace in the seven seas is greater than any rewards that a rental company might make." is perfectly understandable and doesn't need extra demonstration.

Thanks for the reply anyways !

I mean: it's like saying a nice word when you buy a car and you ask a question to the car dealer, and the car dealer answers you in a way that makes sense to you.

[redbopeep]

While it is not normal for people to be able to find a cruising boat for a one year rental--I have heard of it happening. In that case, the boat's owner was desperate for money and couldn't sell the boat.

The unfortunately thing, for you, would be that any owner in that situation is not likely to have a well maintained boat so your cost to get it ready for the trip may be excessive.

It is a buyers market at this time, so you may simply be able to purchase your desired boat and sell it when you have completed your trip. Further, you might try to get into a boating partnership which would suit your needs.

Good luck,

PS-- many people are so truly clueless about ocean travel via sailboat that an analogy regarding more common things --cars and houses etc--are the only way to get those folks to understand the issues.

[Frederic]

The owner's point of view is well thought. But like you wrote; It is a buyers market at this time [...] sell it when you have completed your trip is indeed what concerns me: being a seller in a buyers market.

[redbopeep]

Originally Posted by Frederic

The owner's point of view is well thought. But like you wrote; It is a buyers market at this time [...] sell it when you have completed your trip is indeed what concerns me: being a seller in a buyers market.

Nobody ever said that adventure was free did they?

Let's see...assume that you actually COULD rent a large cat for a year to circumnavigate (well, you won't do that in merely 1 year unless you've no desire to see much besides bluewater--in which case you'd likely be getting into a monohull not a large cat, so maybe you meant sailing around just part of the world?). What would that cost...I've no idea, but I would image that it would cost more than 20 percent of the boat's value. I'd also assume you'd be responsible for all maintenance for that year so that part's a wash. I also would image that if you buy a boat now and sail it 1 year you wouldn't lose more than 20 percent.

So--what's the difference? Very little--just commitment to the adventure to be had, seems to me.

JMHO.

[Frederic]

just commitment to the adventure

To me, the only commitment I can see here is to reimburse a heavy monthly payments no matter what. This is a kind of bootstrap I'm trying to avoid because it makes the daring assumption that we use our savings to pay the loan during the trip and my wife or I (idealy both) can find a job - in such bad economy, with such high unemployement rate - when we return.

Suppose we don't, what will happen and how will I cope with the boat loan? One way is to escape and hide. Another way is to lower the selling price, down, down, and down again until someone buys. And if nobody buys, lower again, and again... and that process will make us angry, sad and that will erase all the good times we just had.

I sold a 270k$ worth 52' monohull for 180k$ ! Since it took me 2 years to sell it, I lost another 20k$ in waiting time. And I truely used it for about 1 year in South Pacific. This is a 40% loss. Loosing 40% on a brand new Freydis49 is an enormous amount of money that will not pay off the loan, ie with tons of financial troubles ahead of us. Renting a used Freydis49 costs about $5000/mo + insurance; a much better deal than buying according to me.

In Western society people whose garages are full of useless stuff don't realize that the more they own, the more they stress to protect their belongings and the less they free themselves to enjoy life. I buy everything cash or I don't buy it. And when it's time to set sails, I don't have to bear a greedy banker to remind me my monthly payments.

Monohulls vs catamarans is a never ending debate and I'm sure there are tons of posts about this topic.

[redbopeep]

Might you consider downsizing the boat to one that you can afford to pay cash for? Seriously, I know several cruisers who are doing great trips on very little. Food for thought.

[Frederic]

1) With 4 kids and I like to have at least 1 crew member for ocean crossing, it's hard to go below 42' on a monohull, which would be 38' for a cat.

2) Long trip means significant load. The displacement of a monohull can take it but weight is an issue on small cat and all base managers in Raiatea told me that you need to be in the 50' to carry 8 people, their food, equipment, mineral water in addition to water maker, sails, tools etc...

3) Boat to be at least 3 times the breaking wave heigh for safety. Want to be beyond this cruising limits as little as possible.

We evaluate a smaller boat option too with part of the family flying for long legs.

[redbopeep]

Finding a way to make cruising happen is hard, I know. I hope you can figure something out that will work for you. There are large families who have cruised on very tiny boats. No, not cats for the payload reasons you're well aware of.

We each have our own version of the cruising dream. However, if funds are tight and there's uncertainy of jobs later, etc, you might start thinking about "other" ways to live the dream--which would include smaller or different choice of cruising boat.

Four kids--they will have a great, great time cruising! I'm excited for them as well as for you and your wife to find a way to make this work for all of you.

[DWT]

You might look for a boat forsale in the south Pacific. someone who's intentions were to go all the way and could not make it for some reason. Selling the boat is what they think is the only solution but someone to bring the boat back to home port just might be an option they did not think of.

Any way, good luck and keep us posted on how you do.

DWT
30' Morgan 1969
CarolAnn

[traona]

We had a fantastic day cruise with Good Times on Tuesday 15th November 2011 and would highly recommend them to anyone thinking of taking a catamaran cruise and to swim with the turtles! An experience not to be missed. Staff and crew went out of their way to make it a day to remember, extremely courteous, friendly, helpful, informative and very well organised. Great lunch on the boat! Would definitely do it again! Thanks guys!

[HandyBilly]

Originally Posted by Frederic

Hi all,

Who knows where to go rent a good catamaran (Freydis49 for instance) to sail around the world for about a year? If this doesn't exist, why?

Thanks

Frederic

Did you give up on this idea? or did you find anything worthwhile in your searching?