SailStarHow a charter deposit works
What the base holds, what it can keep, and how a crew can share it without falling out.
What it is
Every bareboat charter asks for a security deposit, often a few thousand euros. It covers damage and anything lost while you have the boat.
Most bases take it as a hold on a credit card at check-in. Some take cash. A damage waiver or deposit insurance, bought with the charter, lowers what you risk.
What happens at check-out
The base inspects the boat, usually with a diver for the hull and propeller. Anything damaged or missing is deducted, and the rest is released.
A card hold can take days or a few weeks to disappear from the statement after it's released.
Sharing it with the crew
Usually the skipper's card carries the hold, so the skipper carries the risk. Agree before the trip that everyone shares what the base keeps, in equal parts or another way.
Some crews collect everyone's share in advance and give it back after check-out. That makes the agreement real.
Photos are your evidence
Photograph each area of the boat at check-in: hull, propeller, dinghy and outboard, sails, anchor chain and the heads. Note every scratch on the base's form.
In SailStar the check-in photos sit next to the check-out ones, and the part kept becomes a shared cost in the same settle-up as the rest of the week.