What is the "charter version" of a boat model

A lot of ink has been spilled over the last two decades over "charter boats", or to use the favourite yacht building companies' expression: "a yacht built with the charter market needs in mind".

Before we analyse what that means it is good to understand why the yacht builders came up building yachts for this market. Well, the answer is simple: Because there is a high demand for such vessels. For every single boat they build for private use there is a demand for three vessels which will be used for charters -at least for the first 5-10 years of their life.

After the early '80s and the chartering industry boom the yacht builders -pioneered by Jeanneau- took very seriously the increased demands for boats built for charter only. Trying to identify the first boat for this new category (until then there were only yachts built for pleasure or for races) the Jeanneau model Sun Fizz 40 comes to my mind. It was the first boat of this size offering a "two aft cabins" layout, a design still in use today for all charter yachts from 34 to 50 feet. But the -obvious- designing revolution was not the only feature this boat used to start a new category and philosophy in yacht building.

To understand the philosophy behind this design and build direction let me elaborate on the charter market's needs:

1. A charterer does not care about the longevity of the boat. After all, he will live with it only for a couple of weeks -the duration of his charter. 2. He wants to pay for his holidays as little as possible 3. He doesn't pay too much attention for the cabins size and the comforts in general -for as long the charter price is low 4. He cares for the safety and the vessel's reliability, at least as much as an owner does

Resulting from the foregoing demands, the companies started building vessels to match those requirements

1. The yachts had to be cheap. New "mass production" techniques invented and the quality of the materials in use was sacrificed to benefit a final product at a "reasonable" price. Forget the use of solid wood... cheap-wood covered with mahogany (or teak, or whatever) is a fine material now. The construction of the dinette on the Bavaria yachts of the middle '90's was not with screws (or even nails) but with a stapling machine!!! Why not? it supports the couches, it is faster to built and above all.. it is cheap. The fact that these saloons were falling apart after a few years of use doesn't seem to matter...

2. The charterer doesn't really care about comfort. If we can offer a yacht with a 3 cabin layout at 40 feet we will accommodate six persons instead of four. If this is possible at 40 feet then what about 36 feet? (all charter boats at 36 feet today have this layout).. Why not even below that?.. (the Feeling 326 and Jeanneau 33,1 of the 90's also have three cabin layouts).. And then.. why to sleep people only in cabins.. The saloon can very well offer a bunk (on each side!!).. that makes 8 people accommodation. Finally, if we introduce a mechanism for lowering the saloon dining table we can sleep two more.. a total of 10 pax (I'm sorry, but you are no longer a person but just a number) can be accommodated onboard a 36 footer. If you believe that this is not possible, look at the Jeanneau model Sun Shine 36 of the late '80's.

The fact that in some (extreme) cases you need a shoehorn to squeeze you into the so-called aft cabin is a minor detail. Ten people on a 36 footer brings the charterer's cost/per pax below a back-packer holiday.. The dream for every tour-operator.

3. The charterer is safety conscious. Therefore the companies couldn't make compromises in that section. Actually, helped by the new technologies, I believe that today's yachts are safer than 20 or 30 years ago.

To describe a yacht built "with the charter market needs in mind". I would say that: It is a vessel, capable of carrying the maximum number of people for the given size, in high standards of safety and many compromises in quality, comfort and sailing performances.

To end this article it wouldn't be fair not to make a few remarks (a) American charter market is different from the European. Although the U.S. charter yacht builders are offshoots of the European, like Jeanneau America or Beneteau USA, they built only the "owner's" version of the mother company's models with fewer cabins. Yet, these boats are very well operating as charter boats in the States. It seems that the average American sailor still put his comfort above his pocket.. (b) In recent years there has been a change in the European market too.. For example, the new Bavaria 33 cruiser is offered only with 2 cabins layout, or the Jeanneau 49 with four cabins only (instead of 5 cabins layout, which was last decade's standard for the category).

Alexander Vournas is the owner and SEO of http://www.almiyachts.com, an informative intermediary in the yacht chartering field.