AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Ambergris Caye buying a boat seeking advice

We are considering buying a boat for our personal use and for private/tour charters. I've tried to search the Forum for insights and advice, and it appears to be too broad of a topic. Thoughts welcome on obtaining permits, (commercial & personal use), and those with knowledge of independent & licensed boat captains and dive masters. Thank you!

Sissy,
I have had scores of boats here in Belize and will be glad to chat about it.
First headache you might avoid is to not buy a boat that has title problems. A good way to check is to look a the Seaworthiness Certificate (a paper legally required to be present in all boats at all times). Make sure the name on the certificate listed as Owner is the same person your buying the boat from. Sounds simple and logical I know but just wait and see how difficult those are to find :-). A Bill of Sale won't solve that problem and you should immediately reject that sale offer and walk away.

Second piece of advice it to get a boat that is over 20 feet long. You don't want to arrive wet every where you go.
If you going to take passengers you should know the Port authority allows one passenger for every 20 inches of bench seat. However if your doing tours a guide can only legally supervise 8 tourist at a time so more than 10 persons (captain plus one crew) is about what you will haul. A 200 hp Yamaha two stroke engine is the preferred motor around here. A 4 stroke will be an expensive lesson for you.

Elbert is right on target
Being from the southern u.s. I kept looking for charter , pleasure, bass and others designs. Just not conducive for the lay of the land, weather etc.
Panga or equal is preferred, just take a look around
I got a 25 ft center console, Bimini top, bilge, live well, lights. Simple . I did have a gps/ fish finder which after about month I didn't need often. Yamaha is the motor of choice , I had a Honda 90 four stroke. It came with the boat. New. Very dependable for me. You might want to get an extra prop. The bottom isn't soft in places.
Mine was almost new, so I got insurance, don't bother. It was covered when I was there. When I came home it was required to be in a chain link fence. I did keep mine at captain sharks when I was gone.
You will need a captains license. Not a problem. To get a title I had to own some land. I had a unit at grand caribe, but had not secured a strata title so I had one of the developers put it in his name until I choked up the dough and got the strata title. I enjoyed the boat more than a golf cart. Just my two cents

Thank you for taking your times and providing feedback! We greatly appreciate it. Enjoy the day!

do not ever ever touch the coral, bad juju. twin motors are good if you can swing it, bad form to be adrift with no power.

Whatever you buy be very careful of local folks who claim to be experts in engines and the like. I had a 28 foot Mexican skif (panga) and 125 Horsepower Yamaha 4 stroke. The people at Captain Sharks are generally reliable but as in everything in Belize - Trust but Verify. Unfortunately we have some people that will steal anything and everything so where you keep it is very important. Elbert's advice is sound. Two stroke, over 20 feet, and watchout for the paperwork. Good luck. I practically gave my boat away and it would have been perfect for you.