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Join the Club?
<br /> FRACTIONALS r
<br /> Boat clubs are not the same as businesses that operate using a fractional model. In a boat club,
<br /> the business owner buys and maintains the boats and the customer pays to have access to the dif- • •'
<br /> ferent boats in the fleet,but has no ownership stake in them.
<br /> Fractional usage is different in that customers are leased or deeded"ownership"in a specific boat
<br /> -these are usually larger,more sophisticated vessels than you would find in a boat club-giving them ,
<br /> access to that vessel for certain periods of time.But they do not own the boat itself. O- 4
<br /> The SailTime Group LLC,one of the largest fractional-usage businesses in the industry,is a good
<br /> example of this.Boat owners sign a boat management agreement with the company allowing .:•:
<br /> SailTime's customers the use of their boats. ..
<br /> "The owner of the boat,the benefit he gets is payments for putting the boat in our program and
<br /> the tax benefits and all the other things that go along with owning the boat;"explains George Bonelli,
<br /> founder and CEO of SailTime."The members,who own zero percent,are effectively paying to use the
<br /> boat-based on the size of the boat,based on the type of membership:' ,...,,There are some
<br /> While the fractional access that SailTime offers is sometimes confused with the boat club concept,
<br /> it is also often confused with fractional ownership.In this arrangement,a group of people pools money [articles that
<br /> to buy a boat together.In many cases,management companies are hired as overseers to handle main-
<br /> tenance issues,scheduling,etc.,but the group owns the boat.If it is someday sold,the group's mem- suggest] people are
<br /> bers get that money.
<br /> looking to gather
<br /> experience rather
<br /> than assets. ,ri
<br /> ple will go out and buy a boat.They want marinas and dealerships to run their own
<br /> to be boat owners,and that's a good thing." clubs smoothly and efficiently. He says George Bonelli.founder and CEO.
<br /> As for the club members that have some of those who have purchased the SailTime Group LLC
<br /> already owned a boat,Spong says they are program are entrepreneurs,and they then
<br /> the people that have been aggravated by approach marinas about setting up a club
<br /> boat ownership,for one reason or another, within their facilities.
<br /> and are not likely to buy again. "That's one way to do it,but I think a up,hooks a boat to the car,and heads off
<br /> marina is leaving too much on the table if to the lake.
<br /> Clubs for the landlocked it already has a boat rental operation," This is precisely the model Kujawa has
<br /> Port Harbor not only had the systems and Church says. "Having someone come in in mind for Your Boat Club. There are
<br /> procedures already in place when its boat and set up a boat club,I think the marina three locations as of this writing,but he is
<br /> club began, the dealership also had the operator,or the dealer,or whoever it may looking for others,with the stipulation that
<br /> best of both worlds in terms of location be,is leaving a lot on the table there,unless they be smaller sites with easy access and
<br /> and services.A dealer that also operates a they can negotiate a good back-end deal good visibility.
<br /> marina,or a marina that sells and services for themselves,which they could" 'The common thing with clubs the
<br /> boats,seem to be the best places to try and Based in Arizona, Church says none way I've seen them is they're locked into
<br /> make the boat club concept work of the state's dealerships are on-water that marina that they're at," Kujawa says.
<br /> In fact, Church has developed a pro- locations,but he believes there is no rea- "It's one location and you pick the boat up
<br /> gram called Boat Club Manager,which is son a landlocked facility could not start a there and take it out on the water,which is
<br /> a Web-based software system that allows boat club of its own: the customer pulls great for that.But that's not how we boat
<br /> in Minnesota for the most part. In
<br /> Minnesota,boaters enjoy exploring differ-
<br /> entAuthorized Dealer/Repair Center for: lakes;we enjoy different types of boat
<br /> Jr rJf,ev ing.If you're going up to the cabin for the
<br /> jar :f11fl HONDA weekend with some friends and need a
<br /> (Co ��,� ninnine boat,perfect,come get it and go:'
<br /> t`' 1-866-277-7944 Kujawa believes trailering as a part of
<br /> One Year Warranty! www.marinerebuild&,com club membership makes sense in places
<br /> 0lir 1Q 1"4, Sc'llisfaction Guarantee Says It A;:a wherepeoplehavealotofexperiencetow-
<br /> ing boats,but may not be such a good idea
<br /> Quality Marine Products•All Major Manufacturers Available in large cities or other locations where the
<br /> Powerheads•Gearcases•Sterndrives•Engine/Sterndrive Packages customer base isn't,by and large,as famil-
<br /> Machining Services•Remanufactured&New Marine Products iar with towing.
<br /> Crankshaft&Gearcase Repairill -17L/
<br /> Soucy says some highway dealers
<br /> Ilk Ihr would be reluctant to get into boat clubs
<br /> I 14
<br /> 34 BoatingIndustry-MARCH 2010 www.boating-industry.com
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