How Much Should a Sailing School Cost?

Many sailing school decisions are made on price. Make sure that you know the market before making a purchase decision.

As with any major purchase, a smart shopper is an informed shopper in the sailing course market. Unfortunately, pricing for sailing schools is not simple. Courses vary in price significantly and regularly run special deals and offers that can make comparing schools difficult. Taking advantage of these promotions is often a great way to get lots of instruction for below-market rates. Just be clear about what you are getting for your money.

Know How to Compare Prices Effectively

Taking a smart approach to comparing prices in sailing schools is straightforward:

• First, make sure that you learn a bit about the business so that you aren't surprised by the large price discrepancies between schools. You can start by reading about the economics of sailing schools.
• Second, Compare your potential schools on a cost-per-day basis to make sure that you're getting value for your money.
• Finally, decide what level of service you want (better instructors, smaller class size, etc.), and find yourself a good deal.

When working through this process, you need to keep in mind two very important things. First, check to see that you're not enrolling for more class time than you want simply because you're getting a good deal. Second, make sure that you know what happens to your fees if something goes wrong, such as a cancelled class, an instructor that won't allow you to pass the course, etc.

Example Pricing

The following eight offers were found by sampling schools across the country during the summer of 2004. All attributes and prices are for the Basic Keelboat class only. These can be used as comparison points when looking for your own school and special offer. Keep in mind that lower prices are almost always available for students looking to take both Basic Keelboat and Basic Cruising.

A Discussion of Prices and Value

Various deals and special offers pop up on a regular basis, even from the most exclusive schools. Because of the prevalence of promotional pricing and the extra benefits often included in one course over another, there is no easy formula to determine whether a course is over- or under-priced. That said, there are certainly a few things to look at when choosing a school besides overall price.

The price per hour of instruction can help you to compare longer to shorter courses. On the whole, the first 24 hours of instruction for a Basic Keelboat course are certainly worthwhile, even though some schools teach the course in as few as 12 hours. Thus, a school that costs 50% more but gives twice as many hours of instruction is typically worth more to the student than its less expensive, shorter competitor. In the sampling of schools above, the cost per hour ranged from $18.50 to $31.25, with most schools hovering between $19 and $25 per hour of instruction. If you find that you are about to pay on the high side of that range, make sure that you're receiving higher quality instruction, a smaller class size, or some other benefit that justifies the premium price.

Multiple class bundles can lower the price per hour significantly, but push many students to take more classes than they otherwise would. If you're bargain hunting, look for at least a 20% reduction in total cost when signing up for multiple classes. However, not everyone needs that much class time to reach their sailing goals. Make sure to ask yourself whether you're really committed enough to enjoy the full course length being proposed to you. Students often sign up for more than they later want to take.

Consumer Protection and Hidden Costs

First, be aware of hidden costs. Some sailing schools bundle all expenses together (occasionally including lunch or even a free night's stay on board a boat), while others will break out the cost of books and certification processing, which typically sum to around $60. These added fees aren't much, but they can come as a surprise.

Second, look for protection if things go wrong. Even in the best locations, some sailing classes will face conditions that prevent the course from continuing. Too little or too much wind can leave instructors with no way to teach or test their students. To protect you, some schools will actually guarantee additional class time in order to make sure that their students get a proper amount of sailing time under good conditions. This sort of protection, rescheduling ability, and money-back guarantees actually come into effect with sailing schools more than most people would guess. Don't assume such offers come automatically; inquire into the school's rescheduling and refund policies.

The Economics of Sailing Schools

To find a good deal, you should understand some of the factors that drive up the cost of sailing schools. First, there are the daily costs of paying the instructors (usually on a part-time, pay-per-day arrangement) and chartering the boat. Boat chartering is not cheap -- schools often do not own the boat they use for classes and have to pay the owner a daily chartering fee for use. Even if they do own the boat, they will distribute part of the cost of ownership to each class in order to make sure they cover their expenses.

Second, the school must pay for the land it uses, the privilege of operating in association with a marina, and other fixed costs associated with running a business. It must also earn enough profit to satisfy the owners.

Finally, sailing schools take on a fair amount of operational risk. There are periods when there will not be enough students, and these periods can be very unprofitable. Schools price to cover this risk so that they won't lose money in the long run.

To the student, this all means that a well-managed school that controls its administrative expenses and has a steady stream of customers will not have to charge as much to stay profitable. It also means that the incremental cost of running a class is far less than what the students pay, so there is often room for price negotiation from shrewd students. From the school's perspective, it's still better for the school to have you for a significantly reduced price than not at all, especially when you're the last person to fill a class.

Return to home

A Sailing School Is Only As Good As Its Instructors -- Know how to determine if a school will provide the right instruction, and if a particular instructor is right for you.

Every Body Counts: Class Size in Sailing Schools -- The facts about how a larger or smaller class is going to affect your experience in sailing school.

The Final Decision: There Can Be Only One -- A summary of the most important aspects of a sailing course and thoughts on how to make your choice.