Axopar 37 to occasional charter: a surprising success

Background

An Axopar 37 owner based in Hamble contacted us with an interesting question: could his day boat earn income during the weeks he wasn't using it?

He'd seen other Axopars listed for day charter and wondered if it was worth the hassle. The vessel was only used about 30 days per year—the rest of the time it sat on a mooring.

Our Assessment

We evaluated whether day charter made sense for this vessel and owner:

Key Considerations

• MCA Coding: Required for commercial use (£2,800 one-time cost)
• Insurance: Commercial cover needed (£640/year additional)
• Marketing: Would need professional photos and listings
• Availability: Owner wanted priority access May-September
• Skipper: Owner not commercially endorsed—would need to hire skippers

The numbers were marginal. But the owner was curious, and Axopar day charters were in demand.

Our Strategy

We proposed a low-risk trial for the 2023 season:

Phase 1: Compliance & Setup (March-April)

• Obtain Small Commercial Vessel (SCV) certificate
• Upgrade commercial insurance
• Professional photography session
• Create listing on two charter platforms

Phase 2: Operations (May-September)

• List for day charter (£600-£800/day depending on season)
• Owner has priority booking (2 weeks notice for charter blocks)
• We source RYA-qualified skippers for each booking
• Handle all guest communication, payments, handovers

Phase 3: Review & Optimise

• Track actual costs vs revenue
• Gather guest feedback
• Adjust pricing and availability

Results (First Season: May-Sept 2023)

The experiment exceeded expectations:

Charter Activity:

• 14 charter days booked (out of ~110 available days)
• Average rate: £700/day
• Gross charter income: £9,800

Costs:

• MCA coding (one-time): £2,800
• Insurance uplift: £640
• Skipper fees (14 days @ £150): £2,100
• Fuel (charterers paid separately): £0
• Total costs: £5,540

Net Profit (Year 1): £4,260

Year 2 Projection

With MCA coding already done:

• Same 14 charter days
• Costs drop to £2,740 (insurance + skippers)
• Net profit: ~£7,000+

Additional Benefits

• ✅ Vessel used more regularly (better for the engines)
• ✅ Owner offset 60% of annual running costs
• ✅ Professional maintenance justified by charter income
• ✅ Owner still had full access when wanted

Client Feedback

"I honestly didn't think this would work. Onyx made it completely hands-off—I just get notified when there's a charter, and money appears in my account. It's paid for my mooring fees and then some."

This case study shows that even smaller day boats can generate meaningful income with the right management structure—without interfering with owner enjoyment.

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Looking to optimize your charter operation? Contact us to discuss how we can help.