Sharing a sailboat with other like-minded people can be a very gratifying and beneficial experience. Perhaps cost is the most obvious benefit. No matter what the capital and operating costs of the sailboat, it will always be far less than outright ownership. For example, a Catalina 22 worth $10,000 is shared four ways, meaning a $2500 share per person or party. The cost of new motors, dingys, etc. is also more affordable, as are the annual moorage and insurance costs.

Experience shows that there are four key elelements to success: trust among the parties; clarity of the contractual arrangement for getting in; ensuring the necessary skill levels among the partners; and, clarity about how to get out. Trust among the parties is perhaps the most obvious and can take time to build if there are strangers in the co-op. I have found that some socialising among the partners at the beginning is helpful. Our meetings at the "clubhouse" (the local pub) at the beginning, and annualy, were key to getting to know each other. All agreed that each member would have to show either considerable experience or willingness to achieve certification through a basic sailing course.

With regard to "getting in' and "getting out", the rules must be clear, concise and agreed to by all. Then price of getting in can be straightforward. The selling price for getting out can be more complicated, with the need for accounting for purchases of capital equipment since the intial purchase (motors, dingys, electronics, etc. A written agreement is essential and should be in simple language. Lawyers may be avoided if everybody sits down together to work out the terms.

Another key issue is insurance and responsibility for damages to the boat. In the co-ops I've been involved in it has been agreed that the person causing the damage is responsible for the costs of repairs or the deductible of the insurance. Fortunately this has never arisen in my co-ops except for some minor docking scrapes.

Finally, there should be agreement, tacit or otherwise, about how to deal with vexatious or incompetent partners, if the need should arise. Usually they will leave on their own but soemtimes they will need to be asked to leave by the majority. That has happened only once in my experience.

In summary, sharing a sailboat can be a wonderful experience. Friends can be made, sailing can be undertaken in a cost-effective manner and there is something to be said for the human experience of cooperativeness. Sail on!

Hi, Gerry Thorne, and welcome to SharableThings.