The decking and topsides of wooden boats need repainting every few seasons (or more often in the tropics). Fibreglass boats can look brand new with a fresh coat of paint that can restore the beauty of the yacht. Two-pac epoxy or linear polyurethane paints do a better job protecting the boat than its original gel coat. These paints are available in a wide selection of colors and many will stay shiny years longer than gel coat. Repainting should be considered anytime the gel coat becomes so dull that chemical cleaners and buffing cannot renew the lustre. A significant difference between an amateur and a professional painter is preparation. The amateur focuses on painting while the pro puts most of his efforts into preparing the boat for painting. The majority effort of a good paint job lies in the preparation. It doesn't matter if the boat is wood or fiberglass, prep work still has to be done. This job on both types of boats starts with removing all hardware, windows, ventilators, decorative name plates etc. After that, the steps to prepare a fiberglass boat are slightly different from those taken with wood. It is no longer possible for do-it-yourself application of many two-part urethanes popular for refinishing fiberglass boats. These paints use isocyanates and other dangerous chemicals in their formulations. Less durable formulae are available for most two-part urethanes. These do not use the regulated chemicals, so can be used for do-it-yourself application. Even so, true chemical respirator masks, protective clothing and eyeware are essential. Unless you are an expert with spray equipment, the best way to apply paint to fiberglass is the "roll and tip" method. One person rolls a thin coat of paint onto the hull. The second person follows the roller with a foam brush. The brush removes the "stipple" created by the roller and produces the smooth finish. We are able to both look after and maintain fibre glass vessels, as well as more traditional classic wooden yachts by also providing a full varnishing and teak preservation service. Gel Coat and Painting experts will match the color of your boat as closely as humanly possible to make any repair practically unnoticeable. Maybe it's repairing minor aesthetic damage, maybe refinishing a structural repair, or refreshing the whole vessel with a complete re-paint. Together with our technicians, you will choose the boat painting technique that will create the best results for your budget, however regardless of whether you choose roll and tip, spray painting, dockside or boatyard service, you can be sure of the top quality results you'd expect. Allure Boats is located only minutes from Lake Macquarie - Australia. Allure Boats' shipwrights are among the most experienced boat builders in the business. Allure Boats specialises in custom design and construction of fibre glass and timber boats. We are very experienced in expert restoration and repair of vessels new and old.
Many people ask how to put their private yachts into charter. First, to tell them is, that chartering is not a get-rich-quick scheme, especially in today's environment of astronomical insurance rates, fuel prices, etc., but is useful either to defray the costs of yacht ownership or to finance a healthy, outdoors lifestyle. There are worse ways to earn a living, let's face it.
Fitting out for yacht charter
The first thing you need to address is the boat. Fitting it out for charter is important, ensuring you have all the required safety and emergency equipment, changing furniture, coverings and carpets with heavy duty and hopefully water-resistant materials and basically making sure that everything works and has a back-up.
The vessel itself, depending on the flag, will have to be legally documented for yacht charter. Charter insurance, as opposed to recreational insurance is also a must, is more difficult to obtain and is more expensive.
Charter management, promotion and marketing
Next on the list is to look for a Clearing House or a Management Company that will accept your boat, these terms can be synonymous but there are some differences. A Clearing House basically holds the boat's calendar, lists your boat on its website as well as on recognized industry databases, distributes hard copy brochures, and generally acts as a secretarial service while your boat is out on charter. A Management Company performs all the above and additionally may offer promotional and marketing services, manage your boat, perform maintenance, hire a crew on your behalf, provision for yacht charter, and many other functions not offered or performed by Clearing Houses. You can expect to pay a monthly fee and/or a % of the value of the charter to the Clearing House.
Your own charter yacht web page
You should then create two web-sites for your boat. Both sites can be identical and provide nice pictures of people having a great time on your boat, menu selections, testimonials, packages, special offers and a very basic spec sheet. The nicer the pictures, the more chance you have getting customers. The difference between the two sites is that one will have your contact information and the other will be anonymous or "broker-friendly". This broker-friendly site is important so that yacht charter brokers can point their customers to your boat web-site without the fear of you "stealing" their customer.
OK, let's stop for a minute to breathe. Take a step back ... Where are your charter customers going to actually come from? They will come from the following sources:
From Yacht Charter Brokers.
... your own advertising and promotional efforts.
... your website.
... existing and satisfied repeat customers.
Let's talk about charter brokers for a minute. This is the next link in the marketing chain. Yacht charter brokers are like a cross between travel agents and mortgage brokers. There are probably 400 to 600 active brokers worldwide. They have their own marketing networks, do their own advertising, for example on Yacht World, have existing customers that trust them, have access to all major databases, clearing houses and management companies. When a broker gets an inquiry, he or she will either go to an industry database, like Nemesis Marketing, (www.centralyachtagent.com) or Charter Index, (www.charterindex.com) or MYBA (www.mybamembers.com), or, they may go directly to a Clearing House or Management Company if they have an idea of what yacht would be suitable.
You may note that the broker nearly always goes to the Clearing House or Management Company, and rarely to the yacht owner directly until the later stages. This is because the Clearing Houses carry the yacht calendars and have the availability at their fingertips. Brokers don't like to spend time and money calling a dozen yacht owners, most of which are out on charter anyway.
You will pay the yacht broker 15% to 20% sales commission depending on the circumstances so you must price your charters accordingly - look at your competition and also bear in mind that there are brokerage fees and clearing house expenses to pay. Clearly, if you don't use a yacht broker, you "save" 15 to 20% so you should maximize the number of direct charters to try and get a nice "mix" that will fit your particular charter business.
Many people ask us how many charters to expect each year. As with all businesses, there is a ramp-up. The first year you can possibly expect 5 to 6 charters. The second year, perhaps 10 to 12, and after a few years, when your boat and crew are well known to the brokerage community and you have a number of repeat customers, you can achieve up to, perhaps between 25 and 30 charters a year. This is very exhausting however and many charter yacht owners prefer to remain at the 20 to 25 level.
All the above will appear to be very daunting, but it pays to keep everything straight and once you have hooked up with a good Clearing House or Management Company you'll find them to be an excellent source of advise.
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Jeremy96 Dawes96 has sinced written about articles on various topics from Painting. Alex and Hilda are qualified, professional shipwrights. They are co authors of this article and have successfully restored and repairs many boats and yachts at the Allure Boats shipyard. on. Jeremy96 Dawes96's top article generates over 480 views. to your Favourites.
Thankyou has sinced written about articles on various topics from Painting, Internet Marketing and Management. About the Author: Tony King is an experienced yacht charter agent, for further information and resources visit . Thankyou's top article generates over 33100 views. to your Favourites.