BoatTESTLEASING Is Launched

BoatTEST has announced a new division called BoatTESTLEASING, which will market leases in new boats for their owners.

The program is modeled closely after the auto leasing model, with appropriate changes reflecting the different nature of the usage between boats and cars. Today, 31 percent of the automobiles on U.S. highways are leased, compared to 9 percent 20 years ago.

“Surveys among our BoatTEST members indicate that American boaters are ready for boat leasing,” said BoatTEST owner Jeff Hammond, “as 43 percent say they are ready to lease a new boat and 75 percent say they will seriously consider it.”

According to the National Marine Manufacturers Association statistics, the average boat is only used 25 days a year. Owners of new boats who want to harness income from the days the boat would otherwise sit idle, can have BoattestLEASING market their boats to people looking for premium boats that they can use for far less cost than ownership. By selling numerous leases in a single boat, owners can collect significant monthly income. The cost of slip rental, storage, insurance and regularly scheduled maintenance, is divided among all the users, which results in a fraction of the operating expense for the owner and the Leaseholders. The lease terms will be for 48- months.

BoattestLEASING will specialize in marketing boats that are in the $100,000 to $500,000 range used for a variety of purposes. All new boats handled will be premium models built by the industry’s leading brands. The size range of the boats leased will be from about 25’ to 38’. The types of boats that will be handled include center consoles, dual consoles, sport boats, wake boats, express cruisers, walkarounds, express fishboats, and catamarans. Owners of new premium boats with fewer than 25 engine hours that meet the company’s guidelines of size, cost, quality and location, may enroll their boats in the BoatTESTLEASING will manage all reservations online to secure the slip, insurance, and oversee all maintenance and repair. At the end of the 48-month contract, all control and boat operational responsibility is contractually returned to the boat owner.

David Aldrich is heading up the new BoatTEST division as general manager of dealer sales. Aldrich has been active in the boat rental and charter industry, selling franchises for Freedom Boat Club for three years and was most recently involved with Dream Yacht Charters. Aldrich is well-aware of the needs of boaters as well as dealers, having been a regional sales rep for Regal, Chris-Craft, Sea-Doo and other brands during is boating career.

“The BoatTESTLEASING program allows ‘Affiliated Dealers’ to participate in the upside of the growing shared access business, without added expense or work,” Aldrich said. “There is no membership fee, nor are dealers involved with the hassle and expense of having to market and then manage leases, reservations, and maintenance. This program can only lead to more and easier new boat sales for boat dealers.”

BoatTEST “Affiliated Dealers” can enroll new boats into BoatTESTLEASING’s program and earn a commission on the sale of the program, as well as on any subsequent leases it sells. Contact info@Boattestleasing.com for more information.

Annual leasing costs will depend on the cost of the new boat, and the amount of days per year that the lessee wants to reserve. The minimum number of leased days is 20 a year for most boats.

BoatTEST captains will be used to test all boats before entering them into BoatTESTLEASING’s program to make sure they meet its standards, and to promote the leased boats with video and special usage reports. BoatTEST.com is located in Stamford, Connecticut, and is engaged in consumer education, boat testing, and new boat marketing to prospective new boat buyers doing online research.