I am also looking at the option of placing a boat in the VI in a partnership. We are looking at doing something a little different then most partnerships. We would like to purchase a high end monohull around 50 feet with all the bells and whistles. We are steering away from used charter boats and looking at lightly used private yachts. It's a huge buyers market at the moment. We prefer to put the boat in the USVI but because of cost the BVI was looking like the best option. May have to revisit that with the posts on the independent yard.
We also want to limit it to 4 to 5 partners. We have several boats in mind but need 2 more partners. We have found most people interested shy away at a 80k buy in but are fine with the recurring costs. After owning two charter boats I believe the ongoing costs would be much higher on a ex charter boat. The expense of upgrading a charter boat to the standard we want might even make it more expensive then a private boat. We also want a full sized owners cabin.
I think that over a 5 year period the cost would end up comparable to charter ownership but with the advantage of a high end boat. There would also be cost savings in being able to keep gear such as paddle boards and scuba tanks on the boat full time avoiding both the hassles and charges in renting.
The real issue is finding the right partners. If not a charter boat might be back in my future. Really miss the VI's.