End of first season ...... !!

[Steve_B]

Well we did it! After very late "permission" to start, we have survived our first season. I am really pleased to report that we had reasonable first year financially, having been told not to expect a profit until year 3, we made a modest profit this year.
Helped greatly by fantastic staff, the majority sourced through RibNet and the help, support and encouragement of the RibNet community.

I wont give away to much detail, as at least one competitor reads this forum, but some interesting stats;-
Miles travelled - 11048 (or over halfway round the World)
Passengers - 2500+
Average Load factor - 60%+

All this with no advertising, relying on word of mouth, Facebook and passing trade. We have already spent over £2500 on advertising & leaflets for next year and so hoping for even better results.

At the moment beginning to "relax", but already have a charter for 24 tomorrow! Are we doing it again? Yes, but right now if the right offer were made, I just might be tempted.

If I have not said it before, thanks very much

Steve

[mara]

Well done Steve you deserved to succeed ! The smiling faces and very slick operation said it all ATB Tony

[chewy]

Nice work fella, are you operating throughout the winter?

[Chris]

Originally Posted by 250kts

Miles travelled - 11048 (or over halfway round the World)
Passengers - 2500+
Average Load factor - 60%+

If I have not said it before, thanks very much

Steve

So how many hours have those Verados racked up and how have they performed?

[HUMBER P4VWL]

glad it paid off, you have succeeded where many have failed from what I've read and seen. Well done.

Two boats next year? just need another location like sandbanks/iow.

[PeterM]

Originally Posted by 250kts

11048 (or over halfway round the World)

I am sure there were days when it felt like we did all those miles in one day !

As crew I never felt anything but 100% confident in the boat even with the few gremlins that popped up and we did go out in some big big waves . Full marks to Parker & Andre for a faultless product . I dont think even one screw came loose !

As for the Verados we still had to check the engines were off when we fuelled up at the end of the season as they are so smooth & quiet !

Glad it worked out OK for the first time. First year profit in the current market is an awesome acheivement ...

Now I'm sure Andre mentioned a 10m with 700 horses on it floating around ??????

[boristhebold]

Well done Steve and all a great achievement in year 1. Have you thought about a second boat leaving from Bournemouth Pier next season, must be a lot of passing trade in that area, vie seen the 'fun boat' leaving from there but they don't do a cruise/sight seeing experience, I bet you could make a killing from there with a second boat. The Isle of wight would be a good one also, you could do a trip to the needles and across to hurst castle and back.

M

[Starovich]

Nice work Steve, always good when a marine venture is a success.

[Channel Ribs]

Congratulations, you should be very pleased with yourself for the achievement.

[martini]

Originally Posted by PeterM

Now I'm sure Andre mentioned a 10m with 700 horses on it floating around ??????

Need another skipper for that?!

You could base it at Lulworth, apparently there's a shortage of decent operators down there

[HUMBER P4VWL]

Originally Posted by martini

Need another skipper for that?!

You could base it at Lulworth, apparently there's a shortage of decent operators down there

[Steve_B]

OK some feedback on the season. Engine hours since May come out at just over 450, about 4+ years of average use in 5 months??

The Parker Rib:- has been flawless, not a single item produced by Parker has failed or needed attention. I have gone round countless times, looking for screws to tighten, fittings to adjust or replace. I have just put in a couple of pumps of air into the tubes this week, the first since January!
We had to replace a windscreen, due to No.2 son head butting it and breaking it into 3 pieces. He came away without a mark! Parker had a replacement sent from Poland in 3 days.

Verado engines:- As Pete said, still humming away like a sewing machines, but instantly ready to put a big smile on the faces of the customers, as they feel the push in their backs.
Had one engine failure, as published before, caused by rusty fuel (still signs of the rust on filters after 10s of 1000’s of clean fuel later).
One engine suffered from a chipped tooth in the gearbox. After it was diagnosed, Barrus flew a replacement over from the States in less than a week. Brilliant service.

Smartcraft Vessel View:- The screen fogged up very easily, but once again replaced without complaint under warranty.

Bilge pump failed, but I put that down to one temporary skipper leaving it on for three days! I replaced this.

Gas sensor failed/faulty after one nasty thump down a wave. Replaced, but found that access to the fuel tank void almost impossible. I could not remove old sensor, but was just able to locate new one in a suitable position.

Simrad multifunctional display:- one morning got stuck in start up mode and just kept rebooting. Took it to Simrad HQ and they repaired and updated the whole unit under warranty in less than 24hrs! Borrowed a friend’s Navman display to keep the coding requirement and continued to operate.

And that’s it! Nothing stopped us operating for more than a day and the really positive outcome each time was the response from the dealers/manufacturers and the support from Parker (Andre), who took all the reports and feedback, so as to improve the design/fit out of future boats.

[Jizm]

Glad your first season went well Steve,

[Paul Cannell]

Do you know how much fuel you used for 11048 miles covered?

[Channel Ribs]

Originally Posted by Paul Cannell

Do you know how much fuel you used

Ooo, I feel a game of Nearest The Bull coming on.

I reckon 26538 liters.

[martini]

Wishful thinking I reckon, I'm going in at 29,829l

[Steve_B]

OK I will bite on this one. Nearest estimate gets 2 free tickets for next year!

Steve

[willk]

26515 L

Do the tickets work during the Sarfhampton Boat Show?

[Paul Cannell]

Jeezzus.. I only asked a question.. LOL

25410 litre?
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.
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Does the game finish when a correct amount is posted or is there a finish date?????????

[Trell]

Ah well may as well have a bash
25078.96 lts