If you have ever considered swapping the suit & tie and air-conditioning, for deck shoes and salt air and running your own business, then a charter boat business might be just the thing you need to feed both your entrepreneurial and outdoor desires.
Here is a simple but practical guide, inspired by our charter boat owners, on how to successfully launch your own charter boat business in Australia or New Zealand. Watch the video of Pete Johnson from Pegasus Charter to see his story.
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If you have absolutely no experience with boats of this size, a great place to start is taking sailing or power boat lessons, ideally on the type of boat you eventually hope to own. This can be informal from friends or through a sailing club, or more formal through a boat training program.
Boat Charter Business Names
Sign up to your local sailing club as crew and you will be on the water in no time. Or if in Sydney, join our Multihull Cruising Yacht Club as crew. Visit here: https://www.multihullcruising.org.au/
Charter boat operators are always in search of good, reliable and passionate deck hands to assist in their charters. This is a great way to learn the rope of the charter boat industry and get a taste for the style of charters you might expect. This will also help you log the hours required on a commercial boat to enable you to get qualified as a commercial captain.
If you plan to operate your own charter boat in Australia, you will need the appropriate qualifications and these qualifications depend on the length of the vessel. There are training schools around Australia that provide the training required.
How To Grow A Charter Boat Business
If you plan to run a boat that is less than 12 meters in length you will require a Coxswain Cert II ticket (most common and easiest to obtain). See courses offered by Seaschool here: https://www.seaschool.com.au/commercial-certificate-courses/coxswain-cert-II
If plan to operate a boat over 12 meters but under 24 meters, you will require a Master Engine Driver 3 certified. This is a more rigurous course with many more hours logged. See courses offered by Seaschool here: https://www.seaschool.com.au/commercial-certificate-courses/marine-engine-driver
It’s important to work with your accountant to build out a business plan. Things to consider are your hourly or ticket rates, how many charters a week or a season you might get, and where the new emerging opportunities are surfacing. Then consider expenses such as costs for a deck hand (or a skipper if unqualified), maintenance, insurance and marina / mooring fees. How will the boat you like fit in the existing market? Below is an example of how a Seawind 1160 Resort charter boat PNL may look based on Sydney Harbour.
How To Start A Fishing Charter Business
Charter boat operators in the Whitsundays and Sydney are already noticing strong bookings as Australians rediscover their backyards, despite restrictions on interstate movements. To watch a full replay of Webinar Interviews with Trevor Rees of Whitsundays Escape <
We can recommend an expert charter boat accountant for specialised advice. Contact Peter Jabour or Andrew Schilling from Jabour Accountants on 02-4626 9900
Getting finance on a boat is not always easy as banks don’t tend to favour floating assets that can sail away over bricks and mortar. So it certainly helps if you have equity in property that can be used as security against boating finance which also means lower interest rates and longer and lower repayment terms. When it comes to serviceability, unless you are buying a going concern with several years of financial records, the potential income from a future boat is unlikely to be considered towards serviceability so income an existing income will be reviewed.
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We can recommend an expert finance broker for assistance with finance. Contact John Eldick from Sumplus Mortgage Brokers on 1300 761 197.
To operate commercially with paying passengers in Australia or New Zealand, your vessel will need to be commercially compliant or in ‘Survey’. In Australia this is a nationwide system so once your boat is approved in one state you can operate with the same restrictions in another state.
Use the following table to work out your vessel service category. For example, a passenger vessel carrying 30 people and operating out to 15 nautical miles has a service category of 1C.
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Common classes of survey our boats are built to include 1E (for larger groups in smooth waters), 2C (groups up to 12 for offshore charters), and 4D (bareboating in partially smooth waters).Owning your own fishing charter business is a dream job for countless anglers, but only a few actually make the leap. That’s too bad because once you learn how to start a fishing charter business you’ll realize that it’s actually a lot easier than many people would think.
Yes, there are some requirements you’ll have to meet, and it will take some work—as is true of starting any type of business. But once you have a handful of important boxes checked, you’ll be able to make a living doing what you love, out on the water reeling up fish every day.
If you weren’t guiding people to the fish yourself, you could merely list your boat on Boatsetter and rent it to anglers, then let them do the catching by themselves. But that wouldn’t be nearly as much fun as showing all those people how to catch fish firsthand.
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Taking them out on your boat, however, you’ll be the official captain and that means you’ll need a Coast Guard captain’s license:
Whether or not you need a separate fishing guide license in addition to your captain’s license depends on which state you’re living in.
Some have licensing requirements that can be quite extensive, while others have no additional licensing at all—so you’ll have to do your due diligence and find out what the requirements are where you live.
Steps To Start A Fishing Charter Business
There can be a lot of liability involved when you’re a licensed captain taking paying customers out on the water. Plus, your boat is now a big part of your business. So, lining up the proper insurance is a must.
And remember, part of what your clients will judge you on is how well you equip them. Good fishing charter captains understand that they need to hand their clients good quality gear to keep them satisfied.
This is another chore that will vary depending on where you live. The regulations and paperwork necessary for establishing a business will differ from state to state, and that’s on top of federal regulations and requirements.
Make Sure Your Charter Fishing Trip Is Legal And Sustainable
If you’ve never established a business before and aren’t sure what type of entity is best for your needs, you may want to get the help of an attorney.
Once you have all your t’s crossed and your i’s dotted, you’re ready to take people fishing. But like any business, you need to let the public know that your services are available. Almost all fishing charter services need to utilize advertising or public relations to some degree, but since you’re just getting started, you probably won’t want to lay out a bunch of cash.
A painless way to get into the game is to list your service among Boatsetter’s network of fishing charters. Since there’s no upfront cost, you can create your listing without spending a dime, and over 1, 500 captains choose to list their services on Boatsetter.
Things To Know Before Starting Own Charter Boat Business
Okay: are you ready to take the leap? Now more than ever before, people realize that doing a job you love is more important than just about anything else when it comes to being a happy person.
And what job could possibly be better than taking people fishing every day? If you’ve ever considered starting a charter fishing business, there’s no time like the present.
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