Yacht Ownership

Owning and sailing a yacht or catamaran in an exotic part of the world is a dream for most people. But paying for maintenance, insurance, dockage and other bills can be a drain on any yacht owner as you watch the costs add up monthly. Placing a yacht into charter management is a good way to offset the cost of ownership. There are different types of management programs offered by the charter industry.

Most charter fleets offer these schemes but these vary in the details, such as the yachts available, the down payment needed, the number of free charter weeks, the term of the investment. Don’t get trapped into something that doesn’t work for you, because not all charter companies or ownership schemes are a good fit for everyone.

Make sure that you understand what you are getting into. Read and understand your contract. Make sure you have a good exit strategy and if you are unsure, talk to us. We can guide you through the various schemes on offer and help you choose the best one for you.

Reduced Payment Schemes

Why pay the full price of your yacht when you can pay just 50-60% of the purchase price, depending on the charter fleet, and let the charter income finance the rest. Perfect if you are buying a yacht for your own use in a few years’ time.

• PURCHASE PRICE: Reduced Payment Schemes will suit investors looking for a LOWER TOTAL INVESTMENT. A down payment of 50-60% of the purchase price is required, and the charter income will finance the rest.
• INCOME: You receive NO INCOME during this period but full ownership of the yacht is yours after a fixed period, usually between 5½ and 7 years.
• EXPENSES: There are NO ADDITIONAL COSTS for mooring, insurance, repairs or maintenance.
• SAILING WEEKS: You receive a number of FREE sailing weeks every year on your yacht or on a similar yacht. Most fleets offer yachts at bases in different countries.
• END OF CONTRACT: By the end of the contract, you have bought your yacht for just 50-60% of the purchase price. You are free to sell the yacht or keep it as your personal yacht and simply sail away!

“The obvious choice if you want to own a yacht at the end of the contract and in the meantime take sailing holidays worldwide.”

Take our advice on the various Single Payment schemes offered by charter fleets to find the best one for you.

Initial & Final Payment Schemes

Reduce your initial payment even further and defer any further payment until the end of the contract. 

• PURCHASE PRICE: Pay just 35-40% down with a final payment of 15-25% at the end of the term. With some schemes, you don’t even have to make the final payment and the fleet will buy the yacht off you at a fixed percentage of the purchase price.
• INCOME: You receive NO INCOME during this period but full ownership of the yacht is yours after a fixed period, usually 5 ½ years.
• EXPENSES: There are NO ADDITIONAL COSTS for mooring, insurance, repairs or maintenance.
• SAILING WEEKS: You receive a number of FREE sailing weeks every year on your yacht or on a similar yacht. Most fleets offer yachts at bases in different countries.
• END OF CONTRACT: By the end of the contract, you will make your final payment to take ownership of the yacht. You are free to sell the yacht or keep it as your personal yacht and simply sail away!  If you opted for a Buy-Back scheme, you can sell the yacht back to the charter company at a fixed percentage of the purchase price.

“This is similar to many popular car financing packages.”

Take our advice on the various Single Payment schemes offered by charter fleets to find the best one for you.

Guaranteed Income Schemes

Guaranteed Income Schemes are very popular for investors who want a “no hassle” yacht ownership experience with a good income.

• PURCHASE PRICE: You pay the FULL PRICE of the yacht equipped to the level required for charter and receive a guaranteed annual income over the term of the investment from 4 to 7 years.
• INCOME: The GUARANTEED INCOME is fixed at the start but varies with the fleet, the model of the yacht and the term of the investment, and typically ranges from 7-10% per annum on the purchase price.
• EXPENSES: There are NO ADDITIONAL COSTS for mooring, insurance, repairs or maintenance.
• SAILING WEEKS: You receive a number of FREE sailing weeks every year on your yacht or on a similar yacht. Most fleets offer yachts at bases in different countries.
• END OF CONTRACT: At the end of the programme you can take the yacht out of charter to sell or keep as your personal yacht. Many owners trade their yacht in towards the purchase of a new charter yacht to maintain the income.

“Stress-free yacht ownership with a fixed income and sailing holidays worldwide.”

Take our advice on the various Guaranteed Income schemes offered by charter fleets to find the best one for you.

Self-Run Ownership Schemes

This scheme allows you to buy your dream yacht and sail it as much as you want, but earn an income by chartering the yacht when you are not using it.

• PURCHASE PRICE: Under Ownership Schemes, you pay the FULL PRICE of the yacht equipped to the level required for charter and USE THE YACHT AS MUCH AS YOU WANT.
• INCOME: You receive a NET CHARTER INCOME over the term of the investment usually 5 ½ -7 years. The annual return is often higher than the Guaranteed Income Schemes but will vary from year to year depending on repairs and maintenance carried out.
• EXPENSES: You are RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EXPENSES of the yacht, such as insurance, maintenance, mooring charges and charter operation. The charter company will carry out the work and deduct the expenses from your charter income at the end of the year.
• SAILING WEEKS: Your use of your yacht is UNLIMITED but the more the yacht is chartered out, the greater the income.
• TAX BENEFITS: This scheme usually allows you to run the yacht as a business with the associated tax benefits.
• END OF CONTRACT: At the end of the programme you can take the yacht out of charter to sell or keep as your personal yacht and simply sail away! Perfect if you are planning your retirement.

With a smaller charter company, this scheme may suit you if you want a particular type of yacht, with customized features and you want to sail your yacht for more than 2 months a year and be more involved in the upkeep of your yacht.

“Putting your yacht into charter is the best way to significantly offset your cost of ownership.“

Take our advice on the various Ownership schemes offered by charter fleets to find the best one for you.