There's more than one way to put a new boat to work. We'll help you pick the ownership path, the charter partner, the boat and the structure, so the numbers and the lifestyle both work.
Each path trades off how much you're involved, how often you sail, what the boat earns and what tax treatment may apply. Most buyers know which matters most to them. We'll handle the rest.
The boat is yours alone. Any configuration, any destination, any week of the year.
Your involvementHands-off fleet ownership. Dream Yacht runs everything after the sale, and you sail 8 weeks a year across their worldwide bases.
Your involvementPut your boat in a TMC partner's charter program for professional management and income, and keep plenty of time aboard. No tax rules to follow.
Your involvementThe same partners and programs, run actively as your own charter business, structured for the tax advantages.
Your involvement| Private | Dream Yacht · Navigare Guarantee / Performance | Charter Management | Boat as a Business | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your role | Owner and skipper | Passive (Guarantee) or active (Performance) | Owner; your operator runs the charter side | Active business owner (500 hrs managed / 100 hrs owner-operator) |
| Owner use | Unlimited | 8 weeks/yr (Guarantee) or reciprocity weeks (Performance) | Generous, agreed with your operator | Personal use must stay under 50%, comfortably 35–40% |
| Income | None | Guaranteed 5–6%/yr, or ≈60% of charter revenue | Revenue share with your operator | Revenue share with your operator |
| Running costs | All yours | Included (Guarantee) / yours (Performance) | Yours, offset by charter income | Yours, offset by income and deductible |
| Tax advantages | No | Guarantee: generally no (passive). Performance: potential bonus depreciation as an active business | Not structured for them | Potential 100% bonus depreciation |
| Rules to follow | None | Program contract (66–84 months) | Your management agreement | IRS participation, business-use and documentation tests |
| Best for | Cruisers who sail often | Hands-off owners who want budget visibility | Owners who want management, income and lots of time aboard | Owners with a significant tax bill to offset |
Answer four quick questions and we'll point you to the program worth a closer look. A charter ownership specialist can then run real numbers for your boat and region.
Bareboat charter suits 38–50 ft catamarans operated from a charter base by qualified guests. Crewed charter suits 50 ft and up, with a professional captain and chef, booked through a clearinghouse and the global charter-broker network.
Base management, guardianage, bookings and owner accounting handled by your operator. See 2026 pro formas for the BVI and Bahamas.
Explore bareboat →
Captain and chef, crew placement, clearinghouse accounting and access to independent charter brokers worldwide, or run her yourself as an owner-operator.
Explore crewed →Every Lagoon model page now carries a Charter Outlook built from our partners' real pro formas. Here's a snapshot from the 2026 BVI season.
Open the pro forma explorerPartner projections for the 2026 season, before financing, depreciation and owner use. Actual results vary and are not guaranteed.
Lagoon 38 / 43 / 47, 3-cabin, with our BVI charter partner (Tortola), 20 charter weeks. Gross charter income vs. net revenue to owner after management share and operating expenses.
When your boat is an asset of an actively run charter business, 100% bonus depreciation can create a first-year business loss that may offset your other income. Anyone can file for it. The IRS can still audit years later.
Simplified illustration only. In 2026, business losses above $256,000 (single) or $512,000 (joint) carry forward to later years, and results depend on participation, compliance and future recapture. See the real math → We are not CPAs; we'll refer you to independent tax advisors who specialize in this.
One TMC broker stays with you from planning through closing and beyond, and brings in the right specialists at each step.
Commissioning, placement in charter, and a resale plan for when you're ready.
Exit plan →Plus our professional network: independent CPAs who specialize in boat-as-a-business, marine lenders, yacht insurance specialists, and documentation and LLC services.
Private vs. charter ownership, passive vs. active programs, how 100% bonus depreciation works, the rules owners miss, and how to plan your exit. Live online every month with recordings for registrants, and in person at boat shows.
Rarely in full, and anyone promising that deserves a second look. A well-placed boat can cover a meaningful share of operating costs; the BVI pro formas above show positive net revenue to owner before financing. Ownership economics improve further for owners who qualify for tax benefits and plan their exit.
In a passive program you buy the boat, collect income and sail. The operator runs the business, and that generally means no tax advantages. In an active program you participate in operating the business and must meet participation tests, which is what can make tax benefits available.
Yes, with planning. In the year you claim bonus depreciation, the boat needs to spend at least half of your ownership period in US waters. Many owners close late in the year, so that requirement shrinks to a couple of months (for example in the USVI) before the boat starts charter in the BVI. Your independent CPA should confirm the plan for your situation.
That's Charter Management. Your boat goes into a TMC partner's program for maintenance, bookings and income, and you agree your own owner time with the operator. You don't follow the participation or business-use tests, and you don't claim the bonus depreciation either.
It depends on the path. Dream Yacht Guarantee owners get 8 weeks a year across the fleet; Charter Management owners agree owner time with their operator; Boat as a Business owners must keep personal use under 50%, and we suggest staying comfortably around 35–40%.
Depreciated boats are subject to recapture when sold or moved to private use. Strategies include trading up, selling in a lower-income year or holding longer. And when it's time to sell, TMC's brokerage team markets the boat worldwide.
Tell us how you'd like to own and where you'd like to sail. We'll come back with program options, partner introductions and pro formas for the models you're considering.
Hear from TMC owners: read client testimonials →
