BVI Charter Boats - Why all Beneteaus?

[JohnBoy]

I own a 2009 Hunter 36 and sail on Kentucky Lake - this is my second boat (previously owned a 26' Pearson), and I admit that I am not that familiar with the various attributes pros/cons of the various boat makes and models, but it is my understanding that, outside of personal taste, there is not much difference (in terms of quality) between recent models of Hunters, Catalinas and Beneteaus. I have read the Sailnet forums where the Hunters, Catalinas and Beneteaus are summarily trashed, and I get the fact that these boats are not built for trans-ocean passages, but are instead coastal cruisers. That being said, one of my goals is to one day (in the next 10-15 years) have my boat delivered to the keys or the BVIs. In anticipation of that, I chartered a boat (37' Beneteau) in the BVI's just before Christmas (we had a great time). I noticed that every monohull boat in the charter company's (Moorings) marina, as well as all those at the neighboring Sunsail marina, was a Beneteau. No Catalinas. No Hunters. As a matter of fact, I dont recall seeing any at all the entire week I was there.

Any thoughts as to why that was the case? Is this an indication that the chartering companies do not think that a Hunter or Catalina are of high enough quality, or is it a case of Benteau giving the best quantity discount to these companies when they purchase boats?

 

[Tim R.]

They are in bed with Beneteau. Beneteau actually customizes the boats for Moorings.

There are also a lot of Jenneaus and some Bavarias.

 

[tommays]

In the big picture of world wide boat building Benteau is a really BIG company and there willing and able to do what the charter companys want

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Cheapest bid?

Parenthetically, your comment about another forum is well-taken which seems to be populated by all the self-proclaimed experts.

 

[kloudie1]

The major players like Moorings have a specification that says what they want the boat to do and the equipment they want on it. The boat manufacturers bid on the boat business and the guy with the best solution (maybe not necessarily the least costly) wins the business.. Lots of times, it happens that a manufacturer has a stock model that requires the least modification to make the specification. I remember years when the Moorings fleet was all Hunter..
Yes some people who drive Chevrolets will tell you that Fords are poorly built .. and vice versa..
I have sailed in several of the elite boats and never found the functional items to be any better than my boat. eye candy .. Yes, for sure.. but ya know they use the same engines and transmissions and spars and winches.. and electrical components.. If ya want a Rolls Royce, that is fine but don't talk down about the Infiniti owners..

 

[PrincessoftheLake]

A friend of mine who used to charter in the BVI's back in the 70's said that then all the charter boats were Morgans. I don't know how accurate his statement is but it does lead one to believe that charter boats may go through times of what is in and what is out. I own a 1995 Hunter 40.5 and before that a Hunter 34. I love them both. I have chartered Beneteau's twice and I didn't love either of them but I don't think it means there is anything wrong with Beneteau. I just like Hunter better.

POTL

 

[Alex Dare]

charter

Really comes down to a corporate decision by the manufacturer. The amount of money to be made selling boats into the fluctuating charter market vs. the amount of time, factory space and tooling needed so that family production boats can be made into 4+ cabin/multiple head configurations that the charter companies need to generate income.
Morgan went whole hog into the charter biz and when tax laws/economy changed and own to charter became less desirable, their market disappeared and they had nothing to fall back on.

 

[Richard Bryer]

I believe there was a time when the French government allowed some preferential tax treatment for investments in French made boats that were invested in for charter purposes. I am not sure this still is the case or how Beneteaus that are made in US are treated. If it was true, it could well explain how the French yacht building industry seems to have remained relativley healthy while the same industry in other countries has not fared so well

 

[JohnBoy]

Thanks everyone - my main concern was that maybe there was some structural or performance issue with Hunters that made them undersireable for that area. It appears, based on the comments, that I have no worries.

I love my Hunter - I felt the Beneteau I chartered was great as well, and other than the expected differences in layout and placement of certain equipment and features, the Beneteau 37 and my Hunter 36 were very similar, and (in my marginally experienced eyes) were also similar with respect to performance and handling.

 

[Paul Mermelstein]

And have you noticed that Fords and Chevys are recently very good cars? The production boats are just fine too. By the way, I drive a Lexus.

Paul

 

[JohnBoy]

And have you noticed that Fords and Chevys are recently very good cars? The production boats are just fine too. By the way, I drive a Lexus.

Paul

I am not sure if I get your point. I suppose you are equating Hunters and Catalinas with Fords and Chevys, and that your Beneteau is a "Lexus"?

I really was not interested in a d*** measuring contest, just some information and feedback. But thanks anyway.

 

[Paul Mermelstein]

I am not sure if I get your point. I suppose you are equating Hunters and Catalinas with Fords and Chevys, and that your Beneteau is a "Lexus"?

I really was not interested in a d*** measuring contest, just some information and feedback. But thanks anyway.

Yes, you do not get the point. I was implying that Hunters, Catalinas, AND Beneteaus are like the Fords and Chevys that have had a bad rap but have improved and are actually good boats. My comment about the Lexus is that even though I drive one, I also like and respect the other cars and the three production boats. In fact, I also have a Ford.

 

[JohnShannon]

I suspect once we put our tinfoil hats away, this can all be explained by the "profit motive"
I would bet these co's think that the Beneteau will allow the most profit.

That could be due to
-lower purchase price (incl any gov subsidies)
-higher resale
-lower less maintenance
-easier to rent particularly to Europeans
-etc. etc.

I have a Bene I like it a lot, I think at one point it was set up for chartering and in fact that is what I like least about it. Useful storage space has been converted to extra bunks. I don't need to sleep 8 on the boat, but would rather have a little bit roomier head and additional storage.

So even though charter operators are choosing for Bene (i suspect a profit motive) doesn't mean you should. The charter guy most likely has a different set of requirements than you.

As far as structural issues I doubt it. Do Bene's bounce better? Charter service I expect lots of running aground (unfamiliar waters) and bouncing off piers. I don't think you get a lot of heavy wind/wave sailing in these areas.

 

[JohnBoy]

Yes, you do not get the point. I was implying that Hunters, Catalinas, AND Beneteaus are like the Fords and Chevys that have had a bad rap but have improved and are actually good boats. My comment about the Lexus is that even though I drive one, I also like and respect the other cars and the three production boats. In fact, I also have a Ford.

I guess I misinterpreted your post - please accept my apology.

 

[Stu Jackson]

One of the different things I remember from chartering is the refrigeration systems. While it was some time ago for our last bareboat charter, the boats all had holding plates run off the engine, so they told you you had to run the engine at least an hour a day.

Most of us have simpler 12V refrigeration systems which allow us to stay out at anchor without running the engine for more than day assuming that the house bank is big enough.

But air cooled 12V refrigeration systems don't work so well in the tropics.

It's a refit that many boat builders don't make unless they have the volume, which seems to be why one vendor (at a time) would have a large share of the bareboat fleets.

The other one, for sure, is the layouts, as mentioned above: sleeping for eight in mid-30 to 40 footers starts getting cramped, and I don't see the layout of a C36, for example, being easily changed to fit more berths for the charter trade, while Beneteau makes many boats of that range with dual aft "staterooms." The C42 does have one of their arrangements with dual aft staterooms, but it's not their best seller.

Many of us also spend a lot more time down below on our own boats (in both cooler AND hotter weather) than we do on bareboat charters in the Caribbean.

 

[Paul Mermelstein]

I guess I misinterpreted your post - please accept my apology.

No problem, JohnBoy. It is hard to express oneself and convey the fine points of communication in emails and texting. So maybe it was my error too.

Paul

 

[Ducati]

Charter companies get the best deals when they buy their boats in bulk. This translates into lower charter prices for vessels that do a very good job. They usually have an average lifespan of 5-7 years before they are sold off. I own my second Beneteau and while they are not the best made boat on the water they still offer excellent value for most people who sail and charter.

 

[Steve Walsh]

We've done 6 BVI bareboat charters in the past few years and spent a lot of time talking the to maintenance guys, charter co. managers while at the charter docks. The answers as to why they use Beneteaus instead of Hunters or Catalinas ranged from:
a) Beneteau targets that market
b) The charter companies like a standard brand for maintenance commonality.
c) Beneteaus are easier to repair, not as many non-standard things to deal with like the B&R rig.
d) Europeans prefer the Beneteaus.
e) Charter operators prefer Beneteaus because they hold up better against the inevitable charter abuse.
f) Resale is easier, especially to the European market.
g) Their repeat customers are more comfortable chartering a bigger boat of the same brand since they developed confidence in it.
These are their opinions, not mine, it is probably some combination of the above. It is my understanding that the boats are bought and owned by private owners who put them in charter service. Moorings has specs and models that have to be used (like larger water tankage) to become part of their fleet. Second tier companies, like Conch Charters, use older charter boats and did have a Hunter 42 (420?) in 2008. All six boats we have chartered used Adler-Barber 12v refrigeration and it worked very well, even freezing my beer a couple of times. Maybe the Hunter interiors are just too nice and won't stand up to the charter service abuse. Maybe Hunter just made a corporate decision not pursue the charter business due to the investment in time and money and increasing manufacturing capability it would take to gain the business vs real net profit. I have read that some models of Morgans, Gulfstars and CSY's were designed and built for the early charter market. Interesting thread.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

The Bavaria charter boats in the BVI's are out of Horizon Yacht Charters, not the Moorings. All Bavarias are classified as offshore vessels. You cannot get into much trouble in the BVI's - it is a very comfortable cruising ground in comparison to real ocean sailing and so Beneteaus and Hunters and Catalinas are suitable for BVI use. Beneteaus are laid out well for charter purposes, where several couples (depending on the boat size) can comfortably live aboard for a short period of time and have some semblance of privacy and accommodations. They aren't the fastest boats around, but who needs fast when you are cruising a relatively small area? Moorings boats (a good company to charter from, I think) has newer boats and so they might be a little more expensive than those who offer older models, which might be more problematic because of their age. The princess above made a comment about Morgans once used as charter boats. Back in the 60's and early 70's, the Morgan Out Island sailboats were undisputedly the most common charter boat of the day. But that was decades ago. There were others as well, specifically made for the charter biz, which was growing back in those days. They were built heavily, were comfortable below, couldn't sail into the wind very well (sometimes you had to turn the motor on to tack some models). This is the reason why people used to say, "Gentlemen don't sail to weathier (windward)". The boats couldn't sail to weather. Now, there are a number of boats that sail quite well to windward, but while windward performance has improved with new designs, most charter boats don't sail to weather very well, but certainly a lot better than the older boats.

 

[nodachi]

Paul, I too initially misunderstood you. Please accept my apology. It made perfect sense once you explained it. Duhhh. So many people are blow hards sometimes...