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Glenn Ashmore Glenn Ashmore is offline
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First recorded activity by BoatBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 329
Default Best place to advertise a boat for charter ?

Fountaine Pajot designs are fairly popular in the BVI and Belize but it is
getting a bit late to get quality bookings for this winter's season . Who
will be handling the local management?

If this is just for one season you might try listing on
http://sailonline.com/ .They have a section where you can list owner's time
and private charters and the fee is very nominal.

If you intend to keep it in charter your own web page with lots of pictures
of the interior and cruising grounds is probably the best place to start but
developing cross links to the site is the key to getting bookings. Put a
link to your site in your sig and start haunting the travel and charter
forums that feature your cruising grounds. Web based forums are a lot more
effective than news groups for this. Several owners on TTOL keep their
boats almost 100% booked simply by developing relationships with other forum
participants. A side benefit is you get some idea who is renting your boat
and you get much better feedback on how your local rep is handling
maintenance and service.

The charter brokers are another way to get bookings. They have a big to do
every year where they come and look at the various independent charters
before they steer customers to them. Most of the good ones will not touch a
boat unless they know the local management and have seen the boat first.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a nice venezia 42 catamaran which I would like to offer for
charter this winter in the Caribbean, so I was looking for a place to
advertise it. To my surprise, I did not find anything suitable. Seems
like the only way to do it is to make my own web page. Or am I wrong?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

(that underscore mail at yahoo)