Nekton boats may come back!!

[BDSC]

what kind of commission do Liveaboards pay to Travel agents? Your boat and/or others?

just curious....

The highest I have heard of is 20% but there may be some higher. That is what was quoted to me on two different liveaboards that do the Raja Ampat area. I know of some caribbean liveaboards that have quoted 10% if you have say 10 people and 15% if that number is like 15 or more. (I am not a travel agent but just a guy who gets friends together to take trips)

The above has been my experience. Would like to know what other folks have been quoted.

 

[daniel1948]

Let me know about the less expensive live aboards. As a solo female diver, the highest priority for me and my land-based husband is safety and comfort, so I don't do land-based trips with dive groups. Nekton provided an outstanding opportunity for me to get the diving out of my system every six months or so for a long time. Now, we vacation on Maui, but it's not quite the same. Aggressor fleet is really expensive and I'm not interested in a sea-based camping trip. Too old.

I don't understand why you don't do land-based trips. A resort would have activities for your non-diving husband, and there are dive operations that take small groups if you find the cattle boats uncomfortable.

The biggest problem I find with live-aboards (other than my seasickness) is the cramped quarters, and the less you pay the less space you'll have. For safety and comfort, I'd think a land-based resort with a good, solid, well-run dive operation would be the best choice. I've never sailed with Aggressor, but I gather they are a first-class operation, and that kind of service and accommodation costs money. Only my seasickness issue keeps me from trying them out. You can have comfort, or you can have cheap. I doubt if you can have both.

As far as Nekton, the thread was about bringing back one of the boats, not reviving the company, so issues about food or how the vessels were run are moot. I thought the set-up was excellent, and I would definitely sign up for another trip on such a boat. (And FWIW, on my trip the food was acceptable and the crew was excellent. I'd want EAN32, but again, that's a management issue, not a boat issue. The boat could easily be equipped for it.)

 

[MeDiveGoddess]

Well, perhaps, but there are very few travel agents willing to work with liveaboards. It's a 2 way street.

I agree with that and I didn't mean anything negative. I've worked with lots of liveaboards but I'm the one that pursued them. I'm just saying in this market as tough as it is when everyone is going belly up left and right I would try to make connections wherever I could and not put all my eggs in one basket.

 

[mike_s]

I don't understand why you don't do land-based trips. A resort would have activities for your non-diving husband, and there are dive operations that take small groups if you find the cattle boats uncomfortable.

Folks do a liveaboards for different reasons. One is to dive spots that you can't get to from "land operators". Others are they like being able to do 5+ dives a day and never having to put up their gear, switch tanks etc.

The biggest problem I find with live-aboards (other than my seasickness) is the cramped quarters, and the less you pay the less space you'll have. )

I guess the trip is what you make of it. If all you see is cramped quarters, that's what you'll remember.

the liveboards I've been on weren't fancy luxury ships. but the quarters were ok and I had no complaints about them, even if they were cramped. I mean the only time I spent any time in my quarters/cabin was when I went to sleep. And after diving all day, trust me you won't lay awake all night. You'll be so tired you'll sleep like a rock.

 

[daniel1948]

Folks do a liveaboards for different reasons. One is to dive spots that you can't get to from "land operators". Others are they like being able to do 5+ dives a day and never having to put up their gear, switch tanks etc.

I guess the trip is what you make of it. If all you see is cramped quarters, that's what you'll remember.

the liveboards I've been on weren't fancy luxury ships. but the quarters were ok and I had no complaints about them, even if they were cramped. I mean the only time I spent any time in my quarters/cabin was when I went to sleep. And after diving all day, trust me you won't lay awake all night. You'll be so tired you'll sleep like a rock.

You've taken my comments completely out of context. I was responding to a poster who complained that live-aboards were either too expensive or not comfortable enough, and whose husband does not dive.

I made it clear that my only problem with them is that I get seasick, and that I quite liked the Nekton Pilot and would sail on a similar boat again.

I was suggesting to that poster that a land-based resort would provide activities for her husband, while providing her with more space and comfort than a low-cost live-aboard could do, given the space restrictions on any boat. I was not complaining about the size of the cabins. That poster was asking for Aggressor-style luxury at a Nekton price range, and I don't think she'll find that. But given the space issues, I thought she might find affordable yet comfortable lodgings on land, combined with a land-based dive operator not running "cattle" boats.

Give me a cure for seasickness (I believe I've tried everything, from ginger to wrist-straps to scopolamine) and I'd be doing live-aboards for all my scuba diving. I love boats. Seasickness is the great curse of my life.

 

[deepdiver4u]

Hello again to all of my fellow divers. I know it has been a long time since I posted, and I apologize. Thanks to all of you who have posted on this thread, providing me with much needed feed back.

After extensive research into the financial requirements of refitting one of the boats, including, but not limited to, the cost of the vessel; the cost of the liens against them; the cost of a first class refit; the current industry supply and demand; and the costs of running the vessel for the first year with no real revenue.

Unfortunately, the cost of getting one of these boats back to sea would be several million dollars. With the current economy and demand for liveaboards, this would be an incredible irresponsible investment and would only harm the other industry providers that are struggling to survive. Quite simply, the Nekton boats will not sail again under my name or my dime.

Again I want to thank all of you for your thoughts on the subject and I look forward to talking to you again on other threads.

Good Diving to all of you and remember, Take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but bubbles!!

Kris Pierce

 

[mike_s]

Well, all I can say is thanks for looking into it. It would have been a nice addition to have if the economy would have supported it (and other boats).

Unfortunately, the cost of getting one of these boats back to sea would be several million dollars.

for that cost, would it have been cheaper to just start out with a new boat instead of trying to refit a 20 year old boat? and get what you want?

or try a different type hull/boat? For example, when the Gulf Stream Eagle was for sale, it was only $400k or $500k. Yeah it needed some upgrades (new generators, better compressors/nitrox systems, etc), but it would have been better suited to run with fewer passengers (20 vs 30) than the larger and slower Nekton boats.

or was the SWATH design that important?

 

[tarponchik]

Quite simply, the Nekton boats will not sail again under my name or my dime.

Quite sad, but this may be the end of the Nektons.

 

[Shasta_man]

Dan, you can't characterize liveaboards overall as cramped. I'm not saying you should be going on one, because you have other reasons I'm lucky enough not to suffer from, but just that characterizing them all as cramped distorts the real picture. That's been pretty far from the truth for most of where I've went. Were they smaller than a resort hotel room? Sure, most were, but I didn't feel cramped.

I was also calculating how much it is per day for a couple to dive on land. It doesn't seem to be that much cheaper unless you can save a lot on hotel. Seems if you pay resort prices for room and food, you are still paying some serious cash.

 

[daniel1948]

... or was the SWATH design that important?

As a diver who gets seasick, the swath design was what drew me to Nekton, and would get me back. One more dive boat like all the other dive boats won't do anything for me or other divers drawn to Nekton precisely for the stability of their boats.

Dan, you can't characterize liveaboards overall as cramped. [...] characterizing them all as cramped distorts the real picture. [...] I was also calculating how much it is per day for a couple to dive on land...

If this is directed at me, everyone keeps taking my comments out of context. Except for my seasickness, I love live-aboards. Aqua Cat was very roomy. And if it was not for the fact that it bounced around like a cork with its shallow draft (necessary in the shallow waters it sailed through) I'd have loved it.

I was responding to a poster who wanted CHEAP and COMFORTABLE together, and whose husband DOES NOT DIVE! So, one diver and one non-diver, and unwilling to pay for an upscale live-aboard. A hotel on land would have activities for the non-diver, and even a small hotel room would be roomier than what they'd get on a CHEAP live-aboard, which is what the poster was looking for.

I am NOT saying that all live-aboards are cramped. I am saying that boats have less room than hotels, and that if you want comfort you have to pay for it. The poster wanted Aggressor comfort at Nekton prices, and I was just saying I didn't think she'd find that.

* * * * *

Back to the OP, I'm sorry to hear it's not going to work out, but I am not surprised. Money is tight and tourism is down and a retro-fit would be expensive.

But if anyone brings a stable boat to the dive business while I'm still able to dive, and if I hear about it, I'm in! (And I won't expect Nekton prices. I'll expect to pay premium prices, and I'll do so gladly for that kind of boat.) Until then, it's live-on-land for me.