What are the benefits of the boat-club?

To mark the launch of its second solar-powered boat, SeaZen is revamping its boat club formula. The Club Rental is a new form of boat rental particularly well suited to residents of the Côte d’Azur. It’s a flexible type of rental, with no check-in, no subscription, no license, and no need to refuel. If you read this article through to the end, you might ask yourself: “Does it still make sense to buy a boat today?“.

The facts

Today, to take your loved ones out to sea for a few hours on a comfortable boat that can accommodate 8 people, you have to get a sailing license or take a sailing course. This is expensive and time-consuming. Once you’ve gained experience, the next step is to buy a boat and a berth. This again takes time and is expensive, very expensive… not to mention boat maintenance.

Of course, the alternative is to rent a boat, but renting a boat with a large capacity remains a one-off leisure activity. It’s punctual because of the price and also because of the time it takes to get used to a new boat. This time is even prohibitive for outings lasting just a few hours, as few locals have a full day to go out at sea.

The club’s solution

To offer the same flexibility of use to a renter as to an owner, we need to simplify the rental experience. We believe that a regular rental formula can be set up as a club, allowing you to rent at an affordable price.

How does it work?

SeaZen offers a solar-powered boat, easier to maneuver, with a recommended capacity of up to 6 people. It’s ideal for outings of 2 to 4 hours on the Côte d’Azur. Off-season, it’s easy to book any time of day. This is the best time to gain experience and enjoy the peace and quiet of the high season. Then, in summer, it’s only accessible at night. It’s self-service, so you don’t have to go to the service station or even load up at the dock. Simply wash it and leave it in its original condition.

The online booking system lets you rent the boat from your smartphone or computer. Everything has been simplified to maximize sailing time. As the boat is located in Beaulieu, it is easily accessible from Nice or Monaco.

Seriously, can a self-service boat work in France?

Technically speaking, solutions exist, developed for self-service cars, scooters and bicycles. However, to spend a convivial moment on a boat, it’s essential that the exterior is in good condition. It would be unviable to let the boat deteriorate, as is the case with some self-service cars.

In fact, the self-service car is perceived as a simple means of transport, the user is an impersonal customer. In boating, everything is different. First of all, the club member is well known, a regular user of the same boat. They’re passionate about leaving the boat in the condition in which they found it.

The other essential difference is that with a self-service car, there’s no supervision between 2 rentals. In a boat club, on the other hand, several surveillance cameras ensure that no one has boarded the boat after the member has left. This makes it possible to carry out systematic asynchronous checks in low season.

Is it safe to go out at night?

It’s clearly not possible to go out at night without experience! That’s the club’s aim, to ensure a gradual rise in level. No less than 3 levels are required to be able to go out at night. That’s why each level is systematically validated by a coach. The club asks its members to have the same level of commitment to safety as if they were owners. This is an essential condition for remaining a member of the club. Numerous publications such as guides and quizzes are regularly updated by SeaZen to support members throughout their progression.

Key figures

The rental budget for a dozen outings spread over the year has nothing to do with the budget to use and maintain your own boat, not to mention the time spent outside the navigation to ensure management and maintenance with the port, insurance, mechanics…

Use case budget for a boat-club member versus a boat owner

Finally, the deductible guarantee by credit card is a highly flexible solution for recovering the sum at any time on the same card when you leave the Club. This immobilization has nothing to do with the depreciation cost of investing in a boat, an investment with no guarantee of liquidity on resale the day the owner wishes to stop sailing.

Financial commitment for a boat-club member versus a boat owner

Is it easy to cancel?

This is where it gets even more interesting. As the boat club operates on a rental basis, there are no commitments on membership fees. You paid for practicing solar boating, with a coach,  to join the club and then you have total freedom. Membership allows you to sail for as long as you like.