How does a online crew finder website like coboaters work? What is it? One of the best way to answer these questions is to ask people, experienced sailors or beginners what they think about a crew finder?
We put together here below some testimonials and interviews of Coboaters members. They explain how they found crew or boats within the sailing community.
We asked a young sailor how she discovered a crew finder community and how she enjoyed it. Her testimonial is very straight forward and exciting.
What a gem of a website! When I first started sailing, I had zero clue how/where to connect with other sailors, captains, crew, etc. This summer, Coboaters a crew finder website community in North America opened up my life to a whole new community of like-minded people, and I am so excited for more experiences in new places. I’ve met some wonderful people and have gotten to improve my sailing skills from great mentors!
Shannon discovered Coboaters, the crew finder network dedicated to North America at a boat show. She quickly understood the benefits of such crew finder community. Here is what she has to say:
I’m looking forward to being a part of this awesome community! Coboaters fulfills an important need by uniquely providing a safe way for boaters to connect… I’m particularly impressed by Coboater’s verification and detailed profile system that other platforms simply do not offer. Thank you Phil for creating this opportunity for people who love getting out on the water!
Heidi is another great example of female sailor enjoying a crew finder community. She discovered the world of sailing and immediately connected with skippers via coboaters. Here is why she think crew finder is great for female sailors:
“I have been learning to sail this summer and have been able to get 70+ hours out on the water with very generous captains who are open to teaching and sharing their boats. The sailing community I have found is amazing. I am really getting the hang of it. Already can’t wait for next season!
This question is often asked by a lot of boaters all over the country. There are many ways to get a crew for a sailing trip. Most boat owners need more people on their boat at one point. They can get a crew to sail with from several sources:
Family
Friends
Yacht club friends
Social media followers
However, most of the time, people are not available when they are needed. For a lot of skipper, the solution is to go online and connect with motivated people.
Tom lives on his boat for several years. He explains why he uses a crew finder like Coboaters to find the best crew for his extensive sailing program.
A lot of people are experienced sailors but they do not own their boat. They are very qualified and very much appreciated by skippers because they can handle a lot on a boat during a regatta, a crossing, a delivery or a simple day sail.
Slawek lives in Illinois. He sails a lot with others and understood the benefits of a sailing crew finder community.
“As a first time user, I was so surprise, how easy and effective was to arrange sailing trip on Coboaters. Two hours exchange of messages plus phone call and bingo – all is done. In four weeks expect some fresh impressions from the ocean, published on Coboaters.
Happy sailing.”
Rick is another example of experienced sailor without a boat. He knows how to find the right boat for him and often jumps on board with new captains. Here is testimonial posted found on the crew finder website Coboaters.
Enjoyed 12 great days aboard beautiful sailboat in Bahamas and to FL with great owner/Capt and another crew thanks to connections made and personal support from Coboaters. Thank You!
Some boat owners are in between boats. Which mean that they no longer own a boat but they are waiting for the next one. They can sail with others as crew while getting their next boat ready. This is what Bob is doing in Rhode Island. He granted us with a short interview to explain what boat owners always need to reach out the community.
“Thank you for setting up this website. I was able to sail and meet new interesting people. It is always great to find new opportunities.
A crew finder website has a lot to offer. I like checking pictures posted by other members. I also appreciate the blog posts and the Newsletters. Wish you all the best. Fair Winds to all!”.
When you are preparing your boat, you should already have an idea of what you will do during the boating season. It is a great way to connect online with your future crew or if you do not have one, to look for the best passible match. A boat skipper did exactly that and used an online crew finder to get reay:
“I love the app and still trying to learn its full capabilities. It’s working so far, a couple of good contacts and some possible crew members... I don’t have any sailing plans scheduled yet, just working on meeting my splash date…doing the bottom pain and hull waxing and other projects that need attention before a shake down sail. I am planning to do a meet and greet with any potential crew members.”
Most boat owners cannot sail all the time on their boat most of the time because of winter or bad seasons. However they are happy to find boat and become crew with other skippers. It is a great way to meet friends and gain experience.
This is what Fabian said when he joined Coboaters.
“Coboaters has been a great experience for me, allowing me to connect with another boat owner and share the experience of sailing the Bahamas and Eastern US coast.”
Most people on this kind of website are motivated. They are skilled and this is why they created their profile on crew finder network. Some boat owners only use Coboaters when they need crew for offshore passage or long trips.
“We found a crew for our Atlantic crossing. I remove my notice. Great site. We will use it again for our next crew search. Thanks.”
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