Tom Dwyer’s been a boater since he learned to sail while in the Marines. Previously a sailboat owner, Dwyer now owns two Alburys—a 20 and a 23—that he and his wife use for fishing and cruising in their home state of Florida. He also regularly rents out these boats through Cruzin.com, the country’s leading boater-to-boater marketplace, often to repeat renters, who have quickly grown to trust Dwyer and his boats.

Almost two years ago, Dwyer saw an ad in a sailing magazine for Cruzin. After comparing Cruzin with its competitors, he chose to list his boats with Cruzin due to its insurance policy. “I don’t like to rent my boat out without it being protected and they have the insurance I need,” he said. Each Cruzin rental, including any sea trial, is covered by up to $2 million in hull insurance and $1 million in liability insurance, as well as BoatU.S. towing services. “Other companies just didn’t have the same philosophy as Cruzin,” said Dwyer.

Another factor that won him over is that having his boats used regularly helps keep them in top operating condition. “Unless you take them out, they just fall apart. The boats don’t get cleaned. Their motors don’t get run.” Dwyer uses his Cruzin rental income to offset the cost of maintenance and upgrades, keeping his valuable investments in pristine condition.

Dwyer appreciates how simple and straight-forward it is to rent through Cruzin. He knows that Cruzin’s screening process is highly effective and said all the renters he’s dealt with have been excellent, though he knows he can reject a renter if he isn’t comfortable. Cruzin requires a minimum of two years boating experience and runs an Experian background check on every renter.

When talking about an upcoming repeat rental, Dwyer noted, “Every time he gets the boat it’s in perfect shape and he brings it back in the same condition. He respects the boat.” And when Dwyer is renting out an $86,000 boat, that mutual trust between owner and renter means a lot. “You want experienced boaters, they know what they’re doing.”

Murray Rapoport is another repeat Cruzin renter Dwyer has developed a solid relationship with. Rapoport, an avid fisherman and boater since childhood, owns a 27′ Boston Whaler he keeps in New Jersey. While wintering in Islamorada, Florida, Rapoport rented Dwyer’s Albury 20 more than a dozen times for day trips. “Murray’s a snowbird,” said Dwyer. “Murray owns a boat, so it’s a case where someone can use a boat in a place that he can’t easily bring his own boat to.”

Rapoport noted, “It worked out great. I called Tom a couple of times with questions. We took a trial spin—he showed me the ins-and-outs of the boat.” Consistency was important to Rapoport. “It fit my lifestyle,” he said. “It was important to me to have the same boat to use day after day and to not be limited by the 9–4 schedules imposed by other rental companies. It was a good experience, I liked him. I’ll probably try to do it again this year.”

Cruzin has no membership fees. It offers flexible rental periods for all types boats, has listings nationwide, and is committed to bringing boaters together through its online community. Dwyer shares Cruzin’s way of thinking: “You’re bringing people back into boating who can’t or don’t want to afford these boats, but want the experience of taking them out and enjoying them.”

Contact

Martin Flory Group, PO Box 360, Gurnee IL 60031
Phone: 847-662-9070; Fax: 847-336-7126
news@martinflory.com; www.martinflory.com

Image courtesy Cruzin