Hiring my boat (Sunshine Coast) Please tell me your thoughts?

[logga77]

Hi All
I just thought I’d share my thoughts with you.
I’ve currently got my 3 year old fiberglass 5 m tournament boat for sale as I have recently changed jobs and have taken a pay cut, I really don’t want to sell it sell it so this is what im thinking.
If I could find a few people that don’t want the expenses of owning and maintaining a little fishing boat but have the licence and experience to operate one on the sunshine coast then maybe I could afford to keep it.
I would have to check on insurance and public liability and the rest first but if its reasonable then im thinking this could be the way forward for me keeping my boat, im not looking to make money so would be cheaper than the boat hire companies but more lightening the cost of keeping my boat.
If anyone reading this is interested please pm me
otherwise im happy to get some feedback

Cheers Dean

[74fpv01]

Just have to think to yourself "what if"........

If something was to happen to the boat while it was on hire what would be the outcome. Would insurance cover it ? You would not want to be in a position that you can't afford to keep the boat and can't sell it cause of some issue caused by someone else.

It is a good idea, just need to tread very carefully and think through all possible scenarios.


Cheers and good luck.

Jason


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[ifish86]

i saw a blokes post on gumtree asking to hire a boat, thought it was too iffy generally carnt trust people nowadays but if it was to family and friends why not.

[BillyT2382]

Yes very true you can't trust ppl in general, for all you know they could steal your boat or they could sink your boat...But all you need is insurance then your covered, once you know what you want to do then go for it...
But in saying that, you probably already know what you want to do, and thats keep your boat.

If you ask me, i would hire your boat... Yes, i would travel to the sunshine coast just to hire your boat if it was at reasonable price..

Cheers
Billy

[Linedropper]

If it was me I'd be looking at selling a share or shares in it instead.

[Captain Seaweed]

I thought about doing the same with my boat to be honest. If set up correctly any damage can be taken off a credit card and have the correct insurance incase it sinks or kills someone. Does it need to be built to survey?

Marty

[spelchek]

Once you start charging money for use of your boat all the rules change. Your current insurance won't cover it - that you can be certain of. In saying that, of course, I'm assuming you'd make an honest claim if something did happen - not just say you were driving, which you could do, but you wouldn;t want to get caught out. If someone was injured by the person hiring your boat I would imagine it could and would get nasty fast once the authorities and insurance got involved.

I'd be more inclined to look into Linedroppers suggestion - IF (and it's a big if) - you can find a party or parties you trust implicitly to 'share' with.

Good luck!

[Mossy247]

Yeah true a lot of if's and with the recent changes to the rules and laws after the coroner's report/findings of that boat going into the Brisbane River rockwall. I think alot more of the onus is not so much on the skipper driving as you would I guess have to judge if they had the necessary ability as I believe you as the owner now take more responsibility rather than the skipper... Anyway changes are here : http://www.msq.qld.gov.au/About-us/MSQ-headlines/Boating-safety-improvements.aspx

[Chas & Clarry]

May be worth a chat with an accountant...you may be able to claim depreciation, insurance, etc etc as "business expenses" and that may offset some of the costs??

[Clonoid]

It would be better to create some kind of ownership syndicate, a bit like a timeshare holiday house, but for a boat. I've seen comments elswhere that these scenarios often end in a $hitfight though - you need the right people to share with...

[timddo]

IMO

You would need to set up a business. They buy those insurance. Boat , public liability etc

Run it as a business.

But if you can learn to trust people, cash jobs are ok. I don't trust nobody with my boat. Who knows what they will do

[Boab Bribie]

Hi Dean,
Take it from me who is in the bussiness of self drive hire boats. Unless your boat is in survey and you have a hire and drive licence and registered with MSQ then dont think about going there. Like the guys mentioned it is all the what ifs like every industry now days once something goes wrong it goes pear shape. Example if the boat was to be out on hire and something went wrong and a incident report was filled out etc with MSQ once they found out about the boat was on hire and not in the correct spec's and you did not supply a saftey managment plan etc etc you will have alot more to lose than your boat mate.
This is'nt a negative reply to your question Dean i wish you all the best if you want to get into the hire and drive bussiness but there is alot more to it than just advertising your boat for hire and a hell of alot more to lose if someone lost there life weather it was there fault or not ???.

[Yellowjack]

Just take a $50,000 deposit everytime someone takes it for a spin, if any troubles, they dont get their deposit back ;D :P ;D

Cheers,
Jack

[coucho]

Old saying "two things you never let anyone borrow your wife and your boat cause they both come back f**ked". If you like your boat don't hire it out no one who hires a boat treats it with the respect the owner does it can only end in tears!

[propdinger]

i would just sell it and go on a charter boat a few times a year if money is tight better to pay it off (if money still owed) and go out with someone like Smithy once or twice a year. Then when you have enough money later on buy a new one. A boat is a luxury item if you cant afford to keep it sell it simple IMO

[ubdkdd]

Whilst not a boat, we recently had a similar story.

We have a farm down behind Mt Warning, and being a farms, they cost a bit to maintain. So we thought a good way to bring in a few bucks would be to let a few people use it as a camping spot. Its on a river, is nice and lush... perfect spot to camp.

Anyway, as soon as we started talking about allowing it to make money from members of the public, everything changed. Insurance on the property, the house, even the fences, public liability, we had to talk to council, environmental protection, the tax office, it changed trust arrangements, which changed mum and dads part pension, it changed my tax structures and blah blah blah blah blah.....

It was so ridiculous, it was laughable, so we forgot it about it.

When i was growing up (back when people took responsibility for their own actions) farmers would merely have a sign on the gate next to a bucket on a stick, into which you'd throw a couple of bucks as you went it. But gone are the good old days....

[BillyT2382]

I think the point here is that he wants to keep his boat if he can, But not have all the cost to keep it running, but keep it to a bare minimum, So in saying that why not be your own "Boss" you are the captain, you know your boat better than anyone and i would guess you would know some pretty good spots in the bay, yes Bay fishing...I'm sure being a charter boat for the weekend wouldn't hurt the budget, once you workout the necessary requirements you need to be one, then all you need to do is find out the cost for taking say a comfortable amount of ppl on your boat...I would keep the boat, but thats just my 2 cents :)

Cheers
Billy

[Stuart]

I think the boat is the cheap part of this equation. Sure they will blow the donk, sink the boat but that’s nothing compared to them suing you and then MSQ charging and fining you. The boat would be the least of my worries if some one were to die onboard even if all the boxes were ticked and the insurance payed up. What a friggen head ach to go through just for a few hundred bucks, I couldn’t think of anything worse. Leave it to guys such as Boab boat hire mate. Just remember this little bit of advice mate, in today’s world its all about who is going to pay.

Stu

[MTAQ/BTAQ]

I agree with BOAB, I have a 6m vessel in commercial survey, when money changes hands then you must have a commercial vessel in survey for if it has a problem on the water then MSQ have covered their backside by having the vessel inspected annually and safety gear checked at that annual inspection so the public is not put at risk.

[logga77]

Thanks guys for you opinions i have to agree with most and say that hire isnt a good idea, the last thing i want is to be sued and be responsible for something tragic.
Like someone said leave it to the guys that are running the hire business.
So bar selling the boat my only other option would be to look for a 50/50 share owner, i have thought about this alot and think the only fair way to do this is to have the boat on alternate months that way there is no issues with planning an outing in advance .
i know there are horror storys with boat share but i think if done correctly then it can work.
has anyone had any expirence with boat share? Is there anyone who would be intrested in boat share?

by the way my boat is currently up for sale in the classified section Have a look if intrested in sale or share
5.05 tournament its a nice little boat but really only good for two people to fish from, i fish out from mooloolaba mostly.

at the end of the day if i do keep the boat i know that i will only get out in it around 10 times a year max so i do have to weigh up the going out with smithy option.
But if i can find someone to invest 50% into the boat then this woud allow me to keep using it for my 10 trips a year.
I would just need to find someone who would love it like i do and would treat it like a Lady.

Thanks again for all you comments guys i do need some help in this sad time lol

Cheers Dean

[Aussie123]

There may be a loophole in the law in queensland that you can exploit to your own benefit here.
It did exist in NSW and as far as I know has never been closed and being maritime law it may also exist in QLD so plenty of research may give you a good solution.
With a charter business the customer hires the boat therefore survey and masters certificates or survey and hire/drive compliance comes into play which is a very costly exercise and unless you don't about 10k spare to get the vessel into survey and the time to complete a coxswains you are buggered.
The loophole was to hire yourself out as a guide and this bypassed the requirements to have a surveyed vessel.
As a guide you were free to transport your customers in your own car to and from fishing spots without being registered as a commercial vehicle and you were also free to use your boat without being in survey as the customer was hiring your services and not the vessel.
Its a loophole in the wording and definition of charter hire.
A regional manager of the NSW Waterways did this for many years while employed with Waterways every weekend and made a hell of a lot of money out of it.
He used his personal boat without any survey needs on it.
He also did other things to generate an income like guiding guys in the freshwater with his boat and also taking tourists fishing on the rock platforms in the local area.
When he retired from Waterways he build a lovely custom charter boat and did very well as he already had a large customer base from his so called guiding business.
The only problem with this setup is you must take them fishing,in no way ever can they use your boat without you on board and no way can the word charter ever come into the equation.
It is definitely a solution worth investigating here in QLD which may allow you to earn that extra bit of money to save your pride and joy.

[grinner2]

Cant afford ti keep it , then sell it , Once sold perhaps you can organise the odd fishin trip with other Ausfish members & share the cost of the days outing.

[timddo]

There may be a loophole in the law in queensland that you can exploit to your own benefit here.
It did exist in NSW and as far as I know has never been closed and being maritime law it may also exist in QLD so plenty of research may give you a good solution.
With a charter business the customer hires the boat therefore survey and masters certificates or survey and hire/drive compliance comes into play which is a very costly exercise and unless you don't about 10k spare to get the vessel into survey and the time to complete a coxswains you are buggered.
The loophole was to hire yourself out as a guide and this bypassed the requirements to have a surveyed vessel.
As a guide you were free to transport your customers in your own car to and from fishing spots without being registered as a commercial vehicle and you were also free to use your boat without being in survey as the customer was hiring your services and not the vessel.
Its a loophole in the wording and definition of charter hire.
A regional manager of the NSW Waterways did this for many years while employed with Waterways every weekend and made a hell of a lot of money out of it.
He used his personal boat without any survey needs on it.
He also did other things to generate an income like guiding guys in the freshwater with his boat and also taking tourists fishing on the rock platforms in the local area.
When he retired from Waterways he build a lovely custom charter boat and did very well as he already had a large customer base from his so called guiding business.
The only problem with this setup is you must take them fishing,in no way ever can they use your boat without you on board and no way can the word charter ever come into the equation.
It is definitely a solution worth investigating here in QLD which may allow you to earn that extra bit of money to save your pride and joy.


Your a very smart man.

I know a few people who are already doing it.::).

[BillyT2382]

Yes indeed a very smart man...why didn't i think of that hmmmm?

[Master4Med2]

That only works if the customer never acknowledge that a payment has been made.

However what happens if there is a boating incidence, where injury or even loss of life occurs. Will the guide have the customers total loyalty ? even if, it's the customers that are the injured.

Do you know many people that wouldn't sue in that position.

[logga77]

:'( Looks like ive sold my boat after all, oh well i will get another one in the future hopefully the near future.
So anyone that go's out up the coast if you ever need a deckie or buddy to go out with im self sufficient and dont talk to much and know a few x :D and would also throw some $$$ your way.

Cheers Guys

Dean'o

[Chas & Clarry]

Bummer Dean'o, Hope the good times return and you can get a new one

[Reef Cruiser]

what happens if you own the the boat and you take friends out and they give you money for petrol and somthing goes wrong ?? does that mean you have to take your friends out for free . so it does not come back on you

[sharkcat one]

Reef Cruiser

You are solely responsible for everybody on your boat . If something goes wrong it does not matter if they give you money or not , you are the captain , you are responsible .