"Let the boat pay for herself" is the most common and most misleading hope in boat ownership. On some boats it is true; on others it doubles the cost. What decides it is not how attractive the boat is but her paperwork, her equipment and the model she is operated under.
This page covers what to know before putting a boat into charter: which documents are needed, which model suits you, how the income actually works out and what wears.
1. Documents First: Commercial or Private?
Chartering a boat commercially in Türkiye means moving to a different document regime, not simply obtaining one extra certificate:
- Commercial registration and the tax regime that follows it
- A seaworthiness certificate that covers commercial use
- Safety equipment raised to commercial standard, liferaft capacity, fire system, signalling
- Crew qualification, the skipper's licence class matched to tonnage and passenger numbers
- Insurance: a private policy does not cover commercial use; separate cover and usually a higher third-party limit are required
- Tourism operating licence and agency arrangements, depending on the model
2. Three Operating Models
| Model | How it works | Does it suit you? |
|---|---|---|
| Fleet management | The boat joins a charter company's fleet; they handle marketing, bookings, turnaround and maintenance, and you share the income. | Least effort, smallest share. You cannot use her yourself in the high season. |
| Managed charter | The company operates her; you reserve specific weeks for yourself. | The balanced model. Your own use rights must be explicit in the contract. |
| Self-operated | Marketing, bookings, handovers, cleaning and maintenance are yours. | Largest share, most work. In practice it becomes a second job. |
3. From Gross to Net
For a realistic calculation, deduct from gross charter income:
- Agency or platform commission, the largest single deduction, varying by channel
- Operator's share, under a fleet or managed model
- Turnaround and cleaning, between every charter
- Berthing and hardstanding, continuing year round
- Commercial insurance premium, markedly above a private policy
- Maintenance and renewal, service intervals shorten on a charter boat
- Empty weeks, a four to five month season, never fully booked
- Damage excess, the policy deductible on client damage falls to you
What remains can cover running costs in a good season; it rarely covers depreciation. Charter can make ownership cheaper. It should not be expected to turn it into an earner.
4. What Wears
| Area | Why it accelerates in charter |
|---|---|
| Rudder bearings | Constant helm input, often inexpert |
| Winches, tracks, running rigging | Load applied without control |
| Sails | UV and continuous season use; left furled |
| Engine and gearbox | Cold starts, manoeuvre count, high hours |
| Keel and bottom | Grounding risk is markedly higher |
| Interior and upholstery | Damp, intensity of use, cleaning chemicals |
| Seacocks and plumbing | Constant and sometimes incorrect use |
| Electronics | Many users, settings disturbed |
This wear is not inevitable, it is manageable. The keys: a condition record at the start and end of season, a handover checklist before every charter, and a complete maintenance file.
5. Survey Before and After the Season
- Start of season: a measured, photographed record of the condition the boat enters the season in. It is the only antidote to the "was that damage already there?" argument at season's end, with the operator and with the insurer alike.
- End of season: wear recorded, the winter maintenance plan drawn up and next season budgeted.
If the boat goes into fleet management, having this record made independently of the operator matters: an operator's own report is a report assessing their own performance.
6. What Belongs in the Contract
- Income split and accounting period: which costs come off the gross, when payment is made, how statements are provided.
- Your own use: how many weeks, which dates, with how much notice.
- Maintenance responsibility: what falls to the operator, what to you, and the spending approval threshold.
- Damage and excess: who pays the deductible on client damage and who pursues recovery.
- Insurance: who arranges the policy, what the limits are, and whether you are named on it.
- Return standard: the condition she is to be returned in at season's end, by reference to the condition report.
- Termination: on what grounds, with what notice, and where the boat is handed back.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Pages
A measured, photographed record before you hand her to an operator, the only antidote to the argument at season's end.
💬 WhatsApp 📝 Written quote 📞 +90 501 5 SURVEYLast reviewed: September 2026. Maritime regulations and charges change; confirm with the relevant authority or your agent before acting. If you spot something out of date on this page, tell us.