Should I buy a charter business?

[humpndunk]

I've been looking for a business to buy, and recently came across listings for sportfishing charter businesses for sale. Does it make sense to buy an existing charter business? I'm don't have a captain's license - I'd have to hire captain and mate. Can these businesses make money with an owner who's not a captain? What about an absentee owner? Let's hear all comments. Thanks.

[Hennessy]

Good fun and lots of fish is in your future!! but the ride is a tough one of extreme optimism and $$ disasters.

Been charter fishing for over 20yrs and loved every minute of it but the profit margin is not going to fit in any business plan with anyone that is sane.

the cool thing is that your crew will know where the fish are since they are fishing more than anyone if you have a client base that takes years to gather.

Be ready for constant break downs even if the engines and boat is new.

Be ready to go into a commission war since charters are going to be fighting for anything with these fuel prices

good luck finding a good crew 9 out of 10 are bozos

but you may win a tournament and have a great time and that is the only way you should consider gettting into this crazy biz

my company is for sale too we have moved to Hawaii, so the boat is ready to go in Costa Rica taxes paid and ready to go I am still fishing January and February only, and am full those months. could work outbetter with less hours on the engines per year

bring cigars!!

Capt.Mike

[Run&Gun]

NO, don't do it

[WAHOONBOX]

IF YOU ARE SERIOUS HERE.....THEN SO AM I................

BEING IN THE BIZNESS FOR 25 YEARS....I AM AVAILBLE FOR CONSULT.

[Cardinal Joe]

Are you just Crazy or Stupid ???????????? You have better Odds at the Casino's ,making money than at the Sportfishing charter business !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cardinal Joe

[Deep C]

I've been chartering off and on for thirty years and my answer would have to me a resounding "Not a money maker"... My small boat program is only lucrative enough to basically support itself and provide a marginal parial living. Boat owned outright, no hired crew, live a mile or so from the fishing grounds and burn no fuel makes this possible.
Bigger boats can offset some of the expense of owning them through charters. A consideration in that capacity is to not run so much that you wear the boat "investment" out in pretty short order.
Frequently some charters are set up as a way to entertain clients for people connected that way. To legitimize the action its necessary to take "general public" as well as those select clients... Its a delicate balance...
Lets look at a couple scenarios for numbers: I'll use a cople ports as base.
Lets start with my home port. Palm Beach... My small boat burns roughly 20 gallons a day ($100)... Bait and tackle lets say $30... Charter = $600 that leaves $470... Sounds good until you look at the offsets... oil change allowance= $20 per trip. Then maintainence withhold about $100... We're dwon to $350. Now we siphon off the monthlies... $500 dock + $400 insurance... Roughly three trips a month to cover them. Now those annual pains in the scuppers Licenses, taxes, stuff... $1800...or 150 a month... Lets call the first four trips a month as your break even... Sounds simple... Small boat has weather limitations getting 1/3 cancelled. So you gotta book six to break even... Ralistic month off season is six trips. In season moderate traffic will be 12-18= For argument sake that will net $3500 in good months...
Bigger boat costs go up and the margin between cost of a trip run and original profit is about the same... Its a means of offset not profit...

[humpndunk]

Ahhhh, you guys are funny!
This is good advice though. Thanks to those who are taking the time to actually write something.
Keep it coming.

[kingpin]

Ahhhh, you guys are funny!
This is good advice though. Thanks to those who are taking the time to actually write something.
Keep it coming.

I don`t see anything or anyone funny here. This is sad.

[fmoore]

jmo - If you don't know enough about the commercial/charter fishing industry to know it is extermely difficult to make money then you have no business trying to buy a charter business. It's hard enough for a guy who owns his own boat to pay himself and a mate. Now think about trying to pay a third person.

One more thing, none of us are trying to be funny.

[000's]

Like everyone else said you can have fun but you will never make much money at it ,trust the people here,do something else.