Luxury Yacht Charter- San Juan Islands

[Mattleycrue76]

Lol 1.5 g per mile makes a lot more sense. Thanks for enlightening me!

[Aquanautchuck]

I haven't been following this thread until now...
The Nautilus Explorer started "local" (BC), Mike Lever sold that boat and had a bigger one custom made in China. Its 115ft and cost him roughly $1.2 million 10 years ago. You couldn't have a foreign built vessel made for this activity (look up the Jones Act) unless you foreign registered it (which is a good idea) and conducted international journeys. For coast-wise trade it won't work. The original Nautilus boat went bankrupt through incompetency (after Mike sold it and involved a lost diver who fell overboard in a storm but who was found alive by another vessel).

Mike tried to do some limited WA charter activity but the hassles exceeded the prices he could charge (by and large we are cheap SOBs). So he added AK where the markup/bookings are much more reliable and appeal to people worldwide. Now he bops back and forth between the Socorros, MX and SE AK completely skipping Puget Sound and the Gulf Islands. And only hits even Port Hardy a couple times a year (which used to be his bread and butter). He's booked solid into 2010, maybe beyond.

Personally I think you will have a tough go business-wise sticking to the San Juans. Ranging up into the Gulf Islands will increase your appeal at 3x the hassles for being on foreign voyages. You'll need someone who really knows the worthy dive sites or your customers (and word of mouth) will be disappointing and that is what will sell - much more so than the hot tub. The Nautilus Explorer has a hot tub and its really an afterthought on people's minds when they book $3k 1-week trips to SE AK and the Socorros.

For what you are thinking of I would look into a used Delta hull (or similar, they are local) and have in completely converted to your specs. Boats in currently charter along the SE coast are not going to cut it. Ditto stuff on the SO Cal market. SE AK boats are going to be in rough shape almost by definition. However, with the buy-out of the King Crab boats last year (or maybe in 2007?) there are quite a few of those on the market right now. As long as you don't put it back into fishing, those hulls are CG blessed and could be converted into a charter. So you might consider that avenue.

Capt:

Great info for all of use to know next time we think of complaining on the 2 tank fees. I always knew it was a tough business. Heck, it is tough just to get gas money from people sometimes when I take the Zodiac out.

[CaptnJack]

Yeah as much as the San Juans are a charter boat mecca, they are not really a dive destination people travel + pay for. Divers are remarkably cheap compared with yachty types.

Mike Lever's Nautilus Explorer is an awesome boat and his "dive skiff" is amazing (Al hull, 38ft long, 40something knots, 12 divers). He is basically the Lindblad of the North American scuba charter market. He told me on our trip years ago that he actually makes more money on naturalist tours in AK than he could ever on a scuba charter cause he can charge basically the same rates to that crowd (or more, flying in from NYC and Miami etc) and have far fewer expenses.

The problem with the San Juans is that those high rollers can just charter their own yacht and have no need or interest in sharing space and being in a crowded (at least in summer) anchorage. I think its a testimony to the market that a year before the recent economic crash Island Dive and Watersports went under without even a single competing shop in the Islands at all.

I don't want to rain on anyone's parade but its good business practice to know what market your now defunct competitors tried to tap and why it didn't work.

I know for me, locally, I am probably not going to go "luxury" for a week in my backyard. I can do the same dives off Bandito or my own boat and I would rather invest my travel dollars in cave diving.

[Aquanautchuck]

You make a very good point. Years ago when I was a tadpole diver, I would go up and do the "Starfire" with good old Gordon. We would drive up from Oregon and stay two days for some great cheap diving. I have always figured that if it costs more than a few hundred bucks to do a boat trip I was going to put that money into going to warm water. I guess even through there is some great diving up there, I always figured that since I dive cold green water 90% of the time I don't want to spend the big bucks to do more of it.

[BASSMAN]

$1500.00 for a week of all inclusive, every need provided, complete with air fills, jetski's,gourmet food, and a bunch of dive's? Looks like good deal at first glance but I would have to admit I could go to Bonaire or several other tropical places for that kind of $$. But then again I work for the Airlines. But several people can get better benifits than me, if they accumulate thier Frequent Flyer Miles properly. Pay your Mortgage with your FF credit card and then write a check to the bank of that card.

When I first looked at that $1500.00 / week it looked good, but all I really want to do is, dive!
All the rest is just, fluff. :dontkno


Good luck with your future Purchase Jaksonbrown !
I hope you find a boat that can make your Retirement a pleasurable one.
I hope I get to dive with you some day!