Conch Charters Feedback

[cat340]

Conch Charters gets a lot of talk because of the price/value. Two things come to mind, buyer beware and you get what you pay for. They are cheap for a reason. The boats have been poorly maintained and should not be in service. After losing three days of our charter due to boat issues, we were told that they would give us three days on our next charter or refund us for the three days. Upon notifying them they we do not want to take a chance again, they will not refund the three days (we chartered for two weeks) and "do not recall" offering a refund. We sure did not leave agreeing to charter with them again.

Boat issues:
Smelled horribly, not the normal "boat smell"
Front water tank leaked on port tack (after they could not fix it they said not to use it)
Dinghey motors did not work. Had to repair one twice and replaced tow motors.
Severe mold in the forward lockers from said leak.
Lots of roaches.
Lines were old and crusty
Instruments did not work
Sails were very worn (shredded the jib)
Other issues.

If you chose to use them, beware and don't expect much. Do not expect customer service as it is non existent. There is a reason why it is a value. I will stay with the Moorings, Sunsail, Horizon, or other first tier companies.

This was one of our worst vacations ever. I thought it was possibly an anomoly with them but it appears to be how they do business.

[pentesilea]

Could you please tell me what boat you rented. a monohull or multihull and what size? We are planning to rent with them in the near future.

thanks for any info you can give us.

Pentesilea

[cat340]

The boat was a 40 ft Jenneau mono. It is my understanding that it is no longer in the fleet.

If you are already scheduled toi charter with them, I would make sure that the boat is satisfactory on all accounts before leaving. On any issuse, deal with them when they occur and in writing. In hind site, after the third day I should have given them the boat back. My wife and I thought about doing that but were trying to salvage our trip.

Do all communition before and after in writing. Keep notes of any issues during the trip.

I believe that this is a small operation and is run that way. The prices are low for a reason - the boats are not maintained.

If you have any issues, tell them that you heard negative things about them (you will deal with Kirst) and were warned. I have told them that I have made it my mission to warn everyone about what to expect.

Good luck and I hope your trip is better than mine.

[Chip Fuller]

I have chartered with Conch Charters four times, and have had mostly great experiences. The staff is very professional, and the value is great. Yes, I have had problems with one of their older boats, but it was 50% less cost than their competitors and the problems were manageable. They also have newer boats if you feel like paying extra for a trip with less risk of problems. By the way, I paid full price ($$$$) for a catamaran from the Moorings in the Windwards a few years ago and had major problems which caused us to lose 1.5 days of sailing. They had the same refund policy as mentioned - no money back, just a credit for a future sail. I suspect all of the chartering ourfits cannot afford to refund cash every time there is a problem. If you want an absolutely guranteed sailing experience, either hire a crewed boat or buy your own. In the meantime, my experience with Conch keeps me coming back for the fair prices and good service.

[sheridan.huston]

Hey there,
we have chartered with Conch the past two years and signed up for this year. We have had a few issues (torn sail) but the crew at Conch was very responsive. We had to lay up in Sopers Hole, so we provisoned and spent the day shopping. Wasn't ideal but on the whole Conch has been very professional and a lot of fun. We have sailed with Moorings and Sunsail and have had motor problems on one of our trips with a long lay up. Sometimes ...boats... happen. Sorry your experience was less than steller, but we've been very happy with them and will continue to sail with Conch.
S Huston/Vandeputte

[Procellous]

Last month was on a Gib'Sea 52 at Conch. Boat was great. We did have some problems keeping the house batteries charged but nothing that kept us from enjoying our week.

Make sure that you do a thorough checkout before you leave. The motor on first dinghy they gave us was falling apart. We made them change it for another one before we left.

[Willem.snyman]

Hi Cat340,
I would like to express my sorrows to you and your crew after what you had experienced while chartering with Conch charters. I do believe that it was a 40 ft Jenneau mono. I will be the first to tell you that sailing is not without problems. However, I have been sailing with Conch for five years, and I am booking my December trip at this time, and I am booking a family trip for April next year. I have also had some problem with some of my yachts that I had charted with Conch, but they were always willing to repair the yacht. In 2006 a water pump for the showers broke, and it took us most of a day to have it repaired. They sent one of their mechanics to Sophers hole to fix up the problem. In addition, they would not let us pay for the diesel at the end of the trip. We made the day an enjoyable one by walking up and down the wharf at Sopher and just “being on holiday”.
You are correct. Conch is not the Rolls Royce of sailing, but they have always been willing to work with us and make sure that we are enjoying ourselves. I see them as a good “Ford” if you will. I cannot remember all the staff members’ names, but [Kristi] and Milles have always been most accommodating to us and have tried their best to make things “happen”
I am not trying to persuade you to come back to Conch, but I truly hope that your next trip to the BVI is a wonderful one, and that you charter a boat that will not let you down. We spend a lot of money and so little time in the BVI, that it is paramount that we enjoy ourselves when we are there.
My note has been a bit long, but I stand by Kirst, Milles and the rest of the team.
Willy Snyman.

[Ramsey_Steve]

We chartered a Norseman 430 and a Beneteau 510 a couple of years ago from Conch, and I can concur with other comments here. The boats were in the sort of shape you'd expect after 10 years of chartering, although in reality it could have been a lot worse.

I skippered the Norseman. Most of what instruments the boat had (no wind gear, ie) worked, with the exception of the autopilot. The boat was basically clean, and had adequate equipment. Her sails were definitely old, but not blown out. The biggest problem we had with her were the engines. 3,000 hours plus of abuse on each engine, and the starboard one was difficult to start every day. Conch advised us not run them at over 2100 or 2200 rpms to avoid overheating. On a windy day that pretty much ruled out motoring to windward.

I believe the Conch 'team' are certainly no worse than other charter outfits in maintaining their boats, and probably better than many, but they're working with a severely aging fleet. During our week long charter the Beneteau suffered from a complete electrical systems failure and one of the Norseman's alternator failed, and we had a minor problem with the dinghy's motor (broken prop pin). When the Beneteau lost all power two hours from their base they were out promptly to fix it. When the Norseman's alternator light stayed on we were able to stop back in at Tortola whilst en route to another anchorage, but they were on the boat within 20 mins to take care of it (and swapped out the dinghy's motor also).

I too would prefer to spend a little more money and get into a newer boat, but if money is tight I wouldn't rule Conch out.

Steve

[CaliforniaCary]

I have chartered with Conch 7 times. No major problems. A boat is a boat and could have problems even if it is brand new. Yes, Conch's boats are older, but for me, I would rather sail longer on an older boat than pay the Moorings price for a shorter sail.

[CaliforniaCary]

And more! I just got back from seventeen days in the BVI's on a 20 year old Beneteau 38 that I chartered from North/South, (another 2nd or 3rd tier company). Conch didn't have any boats available for the seventeen days.
I would like to say that North/South did a great job for my charter. The boat was clean, the refrig's worked great, the mattresses and pillows were the best I have ever had on a boat, the dingy worked great, etc. Can't say enough good things about North/South.