posted 04-23-2014 10:11 PM ET (US)        

This was the email I received:

"We Would Like Your Opinion

Mercury Marine constantly seeks opportunities to make boating better for everyone who loves to spend time on the water, and we’re asking you to share your opinion regarding a proposed boater-to-boater rental program. Given the popularity of online vacation rentals, such as VRBO and Airbnb, we’d like to hear your thoughts about similar programs for boaters.

The survey is brief and should take no more than 10 minutes to complete. Please click on the survey link below to access the survey. Click here to open the Boat Rental Survey

Thank you for participating!

Ben Duke

Vice President of Marketing
Mercury Marine "

I seems this Mercury sponsored program never materialized. Today I received a roll out of a very similar program from BoatUS and Boatbound http://smtp.boatus.net/dm?id=BCE336581DD7E36DE3BBE62B5BBF4880

The program seems very flexible with the boat owner setting the prices and have the last say about renting to the end-user or not, also BoatUS is providing $3 million dollars of insurance coverage.

posted 04-24-2014 07:24 AM ET (US)            

Not happening!!!

I've seen to many morons on the water...

posted 04-24-2014 10:02 AM ET (US)            

Which begs the question "who would want to rent it anyhow?"

The rental market is for nearly new boats, in box-stock condition, zero customization, with absolutely turn key reliability. It's a niche market, but one that might allow you to own a boat of a newer model and year than you might otherwise be able to afford. You, as the rental agency, need to be willing to deal face-to-face with people, check them out on the boat, offer advice and instruction, and to monitor their use. You also need to be able to deal with complaints when brought to your attention, and to suck up the occasional damaged prop, etc. Renters generally sign an agreement, backed with a credit card deposit, to be responsible for damage, no different than a rental car company does business. Wear and tear is expected. It's easiest to FIND wear and tear when the item being rented is so clean and new looking that it's obvious. Again, think rental car fleets. If you have a place on a lake or bay, with your own dock, and the ability to do all of this, then you are the target of Merc's interest. Nobody is interested in renting your pride and joy old boat... they want a 2014 model.

I was associated with a dive shop for many years that rented jet-skis and inflatable boats (Zodiacs) to recreational users and scuba divers. The above is all based on observing that market for 10 years. None of the skis rented were ever more than 2 years old. Damage was very rare, and when it occured the credit card was billed for the repair estimate and that was that. Every renter went thru a training and orientation session including on-water time, and it was run as a business, not a hobby. If you had a Mercury powered boat to rent, and were participating in a booking program run by a third party, you should expect to run things exactly the same way, like a business.

Nobody, but nobody, wants to rent your old Whaler.

Dave

,

posted 04-24-2014 10:50 AM ET (US)            

And $20K inflatable Zodiac dive boats powered by 90 HP Yamahas were not Jetskis either. Not to mention that the Jetskis being rented have a far greater probability of abuse than a small boat rented by a family. We rented both with good success.

Now:

Mercury isn't talking about Joe Sixpack renting out his 30 year old Whaler, either, no matter how well kept. They are interested in the rental of nearly new boats powered by nearly new outboards. It's a market survey by Corporate America. They don't want your boat...

Dave

posted 04-24-2014 12:12 PM ET (US)            

There are not many people who I would even bring out in my boat!

posted 04-24-2014 12:56 PM ET (US)            

The next time I'm in London...

posted 04-24-2014 01:44 PM ET (US)         

I think about the boats I see in dry stack storage buildings in marinas that rarely, if ever, move. The owner may live out of town or simply doesn't use their boat very much. I can see that type of boat being rented and the owner really enjoying the money to pay the marina bill and maintenance and repairs. Also, the use from the rentals would probably keep the boat in better condition than it would be if it sat for months on end in a rack.

posted 04-24-2014 09:07 PM ET (US)            

Take a new 2014 170 Montauk with a few options the purchase price would about $34,000. I would be able to keep the boat on the New Jersey shore, Barnegat Bay, in the summer and move it to Port Charlotte, FL in the winter.

Each summer/winter season is about 4 months long. If you could rent the boat for 1 day a week over the 32 week period at a price of $350 a day that would be $11,200 a year and would leave a lot of open days to personally use the boat. I would also guess that the motor would be running about 6 hours a day for the 32 rental days adding only 192 hours to the motor in a year. Insurance would be covered by BoatUS and damaged would be covered by the renter or BoatUS.

posted 04-24-2014 10:38 PM ET (US)            

Hey Tom: Bugger off. Show some respect to be respected yourself.

Now:

I've never owned a jetski,(never even rode one, just not interested), but boats are boats. I've witnessed at close range how renting "mechanical floating things that are used by other people" works in the real world. Diving equipment, high end inflatable RIB boats, and yes: Jetskis. I've also *personally* run flight schools and rented airplanes to people, including my own airplanes. So take this as just information from someone who's been there, done that, and succeeded in it as a business.

Renters *in the main* want a predictable experience with a vanilla product. They want to go (fishing, scuba diving, sighseeing, beachcombing) and they want to do it with the least hassle. Most of them could care less about what sort of boat they rent, and truthfully? Guess what: Mercury is doing market research to see what sort of Brunswick cookie-cutter "cheap boats" powered by Brunswick "cheap engines" might be available in numbers suitable enough to be able to offer that sort of booking to people.

What they do *not* want is a polyglot of old boats in various states of condition that each owner things is the best thing since sliced bread. "Except that you need to jiggle this and that, and now and then it might do this..." Naah... that's not what they are trying to source.

So, basically, given a choice between a perfect 1982 Whaler and a 2012 "Brunswick Cheapie", they want to rent the cheapie. Of course there are exceptions, and participating here in the forum is a self selection into a different group. Just don't think for a minute that what *we* would prefer is what the mainstream renter wants.

Dave

posted 04-25-2014 03:17 PM ET (US)            

I have friends who have rented Charlie Too for a week each summer when they take a family vacation on Orcs Island in the San Juans and have done so for many years

The boat is a 22' Revenge that is now 35 years old.

Anacortes Yacht Charter also rents a 15' Whaler, same vintage.

posted 04-25-2014 05:18 PM ET (US)            

The other factor is they have to be as simple as possible to operate, with the fewest controls or other options. I think the only electronics I had was a simple depthsounder. Radio? Cell phone.

posted 04-25-2014 06:15 PM ET (US)            

During our trip out to Molokini on our most recent Maui visit I saw one of the rental boats being thrashed by a renter. The trade winds kick up in the afternoons there, so there were large waves. The operator of the boat was not heeding the rough water one iota. I saw it airborne many times.

That is the main reason I would never rent my boat out.

posted 04-26-2014 09:52 AM ET (US)            

They rent out what *renters like* and what *makes money*. In some markets that's a Jet-Ski. In others a kayak. In yet others it's a rowboat. Elsewhere it's a mid level center console fishing boat. And in some places it's a 120 foot fully crewed yacht. Someplace in the mix is a market for brand new Whalers that most of us would drool over, but for a rental business is just another asset on a balance sheet that will be sold when depreciated, and will be long gone elsewhere before it becomes unreliable.

Marginal owners, meaning the guy who owns one boat that represents a large fraction of his personal net worth are not folks that ought to be renting out what they own. If you can't afford to lose it, you shouldn't be renting it.

Now:

Take this from someone who earns his very comfortable living renting out surplus military jet fighters (Russian MiGs mostly) to the Department of Defense. If I worried about scratches from pilots boots on the wing, and blown tires on landing, and burned up brakes, and engine starts that don't go perfectly, and the occasional mishanding of systems, and the odd overstress, and all of that sort of thing that a "Spends his days polishing his hangar queen" owner who can *barely* afford just one jet would cry over, well... I would't earn a dollar. The difference is that he loves his jet and could not accept it being scratched, never mind destroyed, and to me a jet is just a tool, expendable, repairable, and replacable. I am paid to do two things: (1) To be willing to invest in capital equipment that I am then willing to let someone else use, and (2) my willingness to accept the risk of wear and tear, unscheduled damage, and possible destruction and loss. None of my jets are insured for damage, and in my military contracts the government is not responsible for damage either. It's my own personal risk. Why do I do it? It's a BUSINESS. I look at the risk and I charge what it's worth to accept that risk. If I lost a jet... "Meh"... I'll buy another.

I wouldn't rent any of my (3) Whalers out either, nor my 42 Grand Banks trawler, or my Cessna 310m, or my Cessna 150. Why? I don't need to, they are my personal hobbies, and so there's no benefit to offset the risk.

Business is Business. Love is Love. Know the difference. Enjoy both. And the better you are in business, the more time and money you will have to use and love your own boat...

Dave

posted 04-27-2014 05:48 PM ET (US)            

As a Whaler group i believe we have good success showing off "our rides" to people who frequent this group, maybe a "when in town look me up" kind of network.
I was in san fran a couple of weeks ago and would have loved to hook up with an old BW fan and seen the harbor, but instead I meerly a tourist....
If in SC, look me up, I wont rent it to you, but you can certainly go for a ride
1977 Outrage 19

posted 05-14-2014 03:43 PM ET (US)            

Check out this beauty soon to be available: