Fractional Ownership

With more and more emphasis on “living the good life,” innovative concepts have emerged that allow those wanting to “have it all” to partake in a smorgasbord of luxury lifestyle options. Based on the premise of “why go it alone, when you can lower the cost of ownership and give more people the option to take part?” timeshare and fractional ownership plans have multiplied rapidly. They now run the gamut from luxury condos and upscale vacation homes, to private jets, enviable cars, and even spectacular jewelry and designer couture. Not only do these shared arrangements enable owners to indulge in a variety of business and vacation options, they release them from the burdens of ownership and provide opportunities for investment.


Yacht ownership is one of the latest entries in the fractional ownership ring, and it has unique advantages. Unlike owning a share of a beachfront community on Cape Cod or a mountaintop ski house in Aspen, in which there are a limited number of preferred weeks, the mobility of a yacht allows all shareholders to enjoy optimal weeks aboard. From Maine and Martha’s Vineyard in the summer, to the Bahamas and the Caribbean in the winter, owners never have to settle for an off-season week. They can usually choose a few weeks a year, in three different locations.

Dave Perrich, VP of sales and marketing, for Luxury Lifestyles at Sea  (LL at Sea), says the yachts his company offers cover the cruising area from the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland to the Caribbean. This year, he says, he’s had increased interest in the Montauk, NY, area, particularly from celebrities, and will most likely expand the yachts’ cruising area a little farther north this summer to accommodate that market as well.

Since starting the company just two years ago, Perrich says he has found that fractional ownership appeals to a wide range of interested parties. Sharing the property is not usually about the issue of money with his clients—it’s more a matter of time. He says that LL at Sea has received strong interest even from groups they hadn’t counted on.

“We found that many serious inquiries came from experienced yachtsmen,” he says. “Many have owned their own yachts for years; now, with getting older, they’re looking for a way to continue to enjoy all of the pleasures with less responsibility.” Others are interested in “trading up,” but don’t want to deal with the maintenance, upkeep and security that commitment would incur. “For them,” he says, “Owning a yacht for three weeks a year is the ideal solution.”

Perrich says, that on average, the typical yacht owner spends just three weeks a year on his boat anyway—but pays for it 365 days a year. And maintenance costs, he says, run 10-15% of the yacht’s cost. With fractional ownership, Perrich emphasizes, participants get the benefits of outright ownership, but at only 1/12 of the cost. And what’s more, they can write it off as personal property. Although the yacht is owned by a corporation, each individual can take his share as a personal deduction.

LL at Sea has filed for fractionalization in Florida, and has set up several fractional-ownership programs. They specialize in brand-new boats, 80 feet and up, ranging from Italian to U.S. designs.  All yachts are crewed by a highly skilled team that includes a chef specifically trained for creating culinary masterpieces at sea. Twelve owners are each able to select 21 days per year from three main cruising areas. The remaining weeks are allocated for yacht transfer, maintenance, and crew vacations.  Each owner also pays an annual maintenance fee to cover such things as scheduled services, cleaning, and yacht transfer. Variable costs per week include food, drink, dockage, and fuel.

He says that LL at Sea’s initial yacht offered for fractional ownership already has its 12 owners, and that there’s currently strong interest in their 120ft offering. By April, he says, the company predicts they’ll have enough clientele to close three boats. In fact, he says demand has been so high, that they are looking into partnerships with European builders to bring their fractional-ownership programs to the Mediterranean.

So whether you’re an experienced yachtsman looking for an alternative to full-time ownership; a businessman looking for an investment that fulfills work and family entertainment requirements; or a frequent charterer who may not yet be ready to make the leap to full ownership, sharing your yacht with 11 other people may be the way to go.