The boat, the deposit and the weather call

A charter sells a boat for a morning, then sells it again that afternoon. A Saturday held on a promise cannot be resold at twelve hours’ notice, and when the captain calls it off for weather that money has to go back to the angler, not quietly stay in the till. QuixChex holds the boat with a deposit, keeps every hull’s paperwork in date, and settles the balance at the dock.

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How a charter runs

One Charter, Start to Finish

A party of four books a reef half day for Saturday morning. The deposit holds the boat that afternoon, and the file shows they are after yellowtail, that there are four of them, and the mobile to ring the night before. Friday evening the forecast turns and the captain moves them to Sunday — not a cancellation, a reschedule, and the deposit travels with them. Sunday they sail at seven and are back by half eleven. The mate fillets and bags the catch, the balance and the cleaning go on one bill at the dock, and the same hull leaves again at one with a different party aboard. The boat earned twice that day, the captain and the mate are each down for half a day on both, and the certificate that expires in a fortnight is already on somebody’s list.

The angler books the boat
The deposit holds it the moment they agree, and the file carries what the office actually needs on the morning: the target species, the party size, and the best number for the weather call.
The captain makes the call
It sails or it does not, and that decision is his. If it sails, the crew is on it at their day rate — a half-day turn is half a day, so the same captain working morning and afternoon is paid for both.
Settle at the fillet table
Balance, cleaning and bagging, anything off the dock store, on one bill while the party is standing over their own fish. The catch photos go out before they have left the parking lot.

Boat sold twice. Crew paid. Photos out.

Deposits, Boats and the Weather Call

A Saturday held by a deposit nobody paid

The deposit holds the boat and the balance is due at the dock. A held date with no deposit against it shows up as exactly that, so it can be released and sold instead of discovered empty on the morning.

The weather call, and where the money goes

When the captain cancels, the angler chooses: the deposit back, or the date moved. That is a different event from an angler backing out inside the notice window, and it is recorded as one — so “we lost six days to weather in July” is a number you can look up rather than a feeling.

Six is the law, not a preference

An uninspected vessel may carry six passengers for hire however big she is; an inspected one carries what her Certificate of Inspection says. Each boat holds its own number, so a party of nine is two boats from the start instead of a problem at the dock.

Paperwork that ends the day it lapses

The COI, the documentation, the reef and pelagic permits, the hull policy. Every one is a date that stops the boat earning, and none of them announce themselves. They sit on one list, worst first.

Day one

Your Prices, Already In

Say you run a fishing charters business and QuixChex sets this up for you before you've typed anything. Every price is editable — they're a starting point, not a rule.

Starting services and prices for a fishing charters business
Service	What it covers	Starting price
Inshore Half Day (4 hrs)	Flats and backcountry, up to 4 anglers.	$550
Inshore Full Day (8 hrs)	A full day inshore, lunch not included.	$850
Reef / Nearshore Half Day (4 hrs)	Snapper, grouper and mackerel on the reef.	$900
Reef / Nearshore 3/4 Day (6 hrs)	Further out, more bottom time.	$1,250
Offshore Full Day (8-10 hrs)	Bluewater — tuna, mahi and wahoo.	$1,950
Far Offshore Run (10-12 hrs)	Long run to the deep. Fuel settled at the dock.	$2,800
Head Boat Seat (walk-on)	One seat on a scheduled departure.	$95
Extra Angler (inspected vessel)	Per person over six, where the COI allows it.	$120
Fish Cleaning & Bagging	Filleted, bagged and iced at the dock.	$35
Rod & Tackle Rental	Where a party brings none of its own.	$45
Premium Live Bait	Pilchards or blue runners, above the bait included.	$85
Extra Ice & Cooler	A second cooler and the ice to fill it.	$25

Second Nature Integrations

FAQ

Questions, Answered

Can it sell the same boat twice in a day?

Yes — that is the shape the trade runs on. A morning and an afternoon charter are two bookings against one hull, and the crew on each is paid half a day rather than the rate being doubled.

What happens to the deposit when the weather cancels?

That is the angler’s choice: refunded, or carried to a new date. It is recorded as a captain’s cancellation, which is deliberately not the same thing as an angler cancelling inside your notice window — the money rule is different and so is what it tells you at the end of the season.

Does it know about the six-passenger limit?

Each boat carries its own number, and an inspected vessel carries the number on her Certificate of Inspection. The certificate is stored with the limit it states, because that figure is issued by an inspector rather than worked out from the length of the hull.

Will it chase my expiring paperwork?

It shows you what runs out next — the vessel documentation, the COI, the federal permits, the hull policy — worst first, with what has already lapsed at the top. It only knows the papers you have recorded, so it will never tell you that you are compliant. That is your call, not software’s.

Do you handle head boats as well as six-packs?

Yes. A private buyout is a booking against the boat; walk-on seats are rung up at the counter. Both land on the same day’s list of departures, because an office needs one answer to what is leaving the dock.

How does the mate get paid?

As crew on the trip, at a day rate, alongside the captain. The gratuity is the party’s and is usually cash at the fillet table, so it is recorded as collected rather than run through the card — and it is kept separate from your revenue, because it is not your money.

See It on Your Business

A short call, on your own services and your own customers. We'll show you what the first week looks like, and talk through what it would take to get you there.