wrote in message
ps.com...
"Steve" wrote:
Greetings all,

Pardon me if this has been discussed before but I am new to the group.
Has
anyone had experience with what seems essentially to be a boat time-share
lease, i.e. sharing the use of a boat with several other people, but
never
owning it? I was perusing boat ads the other day and ran across one such
outfit and it seemed like a good deal, which immediately made me
suspicious.
Anyone here ever tried this type of thing?


Several, I think.

I've owned boats in partenrship, and it is not suited to my
personality. Part of it is the inevitable bickering over maintenance
exenses, which made me want to just smack them over the head... we did
not have any repair issues, thank goodness, that can be even thornier.
Just let me say: Buy a small boat you can afford rather than ruining a
friendship going in partners on a big one... or, if you must have a
big boat, go in partners with somebody you hate already.

Places like J-World or Club Nautique can also be a pretty good deal,
but part of what you pay for is professional management of the boat(s)
and expenses, and you have a limited range of options for use. Still,
it's much cheaper per-hour than owning one of the boats yourself....
unless you really have good maintenance skills and use the boat a lot.

Walking around almost any marina or sailing club, you'll see millions
of dollars sitting idle 99.99% of the time.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

I agree with all that Doug has said, but you also have to consider that
there is always the possibility that the another guy who shares the boat and
had it out just before you will find himself unable to get back at the end
of his time because either he went too far downwind or else the weather went
against him on his way back. So you arrive to pick the boat up when it is
your turn and you find it is not there waiting for you Big difference from
a timeshare property!
Also consider that it is likely to be very hard to sell your share when you
are tired of the deal. Take Doug's advice and buy a boat you can afford and
can sell when you want to trade up.