How much do sponsors kick in to get their name plastered across boats? and do they sponsor for a season? single r=ace , such as Tybee? Series? Big letters, small letters etc.?

It's mostly goods and discounts. I hit the streets really hard during my first Tybee 500 and we managed to raise about $1000 through business sponsorships...honestly, I could have made twice the money with the same amount of time with a second job.

On the other hand, we have had some terrific sponsors kick in discounts and goods in the past - which really does ease the pain and you get to play with some cool stuff.

During the Tybee the names on the hulls are race sponsors and the names on the sails are the team sponsors.Race sponsors are from the organizer.
I also agree with what Jake said. I have wasted huge amounts of time in the sponsor hunt, to the point that , it was the stress from that part that made me take 3 years off. Most of the sponsor things come down to a lucky contact( friend or relative) and they can vary accordingly as to rather it is by race or by season.

Jake and Todd are correct from my experience. Also realize that while sponsorship may sound great - its not a one-way street like many people think. Sponsors invest in your team because they think it will benefit them in the marketplace.

Providing sponsors with plugs on websites, marketing photos, product reviews, or anything else that will directly result in sales to their company makes the relationships work. You just don't take their money and be like "gee thanks!"

In short - just be sure that you're willing to do the heavy lifting that's required when you enter into a sponsorship agreement.

I did some research on getting a Sponsor some years ago when I had the I 20. Everyone would love to have some deep pocket sponsor, like Red Bull or Budwieser buy you a new boat and sails, right? Sounds like fun! But I first talked with Alex about it, when he had Tommy Bahamma. Alex said, "It's like having a second job. You have to show up at events, do static displays, do the press reporting for your finishes, lots of time invested off the water and they own you."

So I went to the VP of Marketing at Delta Air Lines, up in "The ATL", and showed him a Sports Illustrated article about the Tommy Bahamma boat, some Sailing World articles, etc. and managed to talk them into allowing me to cover my boat with logos for what was their new, low cost subsidiary, "Song". I even sent my spinnaker out to North Sails in San Diego to get the Song logo hand painted on to it. The "Good News" was the Song CEO agreed to pay for all that crap on my boat, about $1,300 just in decals and spinnaker paint. My 'secret plan' was to hit them up for a new set of sails next year, and a new boat the year after that. But then the phone started ringing...

They wanted the boat set up on the beach in FLL for a weekend Song promotion. Not out sailing mind you, just set up on the beach, near the road, where the cars could see it...and I get to sit there all weekend answering stupid questions from passers by, while looking for more sunblock.

Then they were doing a similar promotion in down town NYC...set up the boat on a SIDEWALK in NYC!! Yeah, that'll happen...on my days off! Yeah, sign me up. "But you get to go to the party afterwards!" Yeah? You mean at midnight after I've taken the boat apart and found a safe place to store it??

Well as luck would have it, the Song CEO, an avid Monohull sailor, who was fully behind me and wanted to crew a regatta on my boat sometime, was caught sticking his pen in the company ink well (he had -relations- with a few Song Flight Attendants, but his Wife didn't think it too funny and went to his boss' wife, and he 'retired') just before my trip to NYC, the whole NYC Song promotion was put on hold so I didn't go up, but it was getting to be a real pain in the butt anyway, I was glad I had my time off back.

Getting free gloves, or a cammel back, or what have you, in exchange for some sticker on your boat is nice, no doubt, but if you want to go the Full Monty, Full Ride, new boat, new sails, like Alex said, it turns into a second job and they Own you, and all your time off from your day job.

And what do you get? A new set of sails? A new boat? Is that worth it? For a single guy maybe, hell if I were 25 again it might be fun, but not if you have a wife and 4 kids and a day job. I figured I could pick up one 4 day trip and make more than they paid for all the stickers. And stickers won't make you any faster.

Try finding volunteers to line up sponsors for a regatta...

I think it might be the most hateful assignment you could draw...

I would be curious how many regattas have people who actively go out and search for sponsors...

My experience is that one the sailors makes a kind gift to the event from their business.

Thanks and congratulations to all of those who can do this kind of thing.

Yeah the guys I talked to at Delta said they would rather sponsor the "Regatta" than a single boat in the regatta, because they could put up a big tent, have a table, all that 'extra' crap, and no matter who wins, they get their name in print as the "Sponsor" just like the "Accura" Key West Race Week. I asked if they would put up two round trip tickets to anywhere for the race winner, or for a raffle...um...no.

I've been on both sides of the fence with this issue.

Its a lot of work to get any type of return on investment for both parties.

Timbo and Tad are both spot on with their observations.

And Mike, we do appreciate all the Zihk stuff given out at regattas, I assume most of that came from you?

Thanks!

Mike a huge thank you from me too. You've ALWAYS been there for us with your support from our local regattas to our national events and the stuff you provide is very cool. You're my only stop of foulies and other keep warm and dry things.

Thank you again Mike.

It's not all doom and gloom, but does require some time (and patience).

I had a full-boat cash sponsor (more or less, got there over a few years) back when I was a newbie. You just need to be creative and give them something they want.

As for them "owning" you, I was warned about that and simply stuck to my guns with that. I made it clear in my meetings and contract (an extremely important document) that the primary value in the relationship was the active participation of the boat/team in regattas and other sailing events. I gave them the full schedule as part of the bid package (another extremely important document, what are you giving them?).

I had a radio station as the primary sponsor, and they had an outdoor concert series where the boat would be displayed (conveniently, on Thursday afternoons). This gave even more value to the co-sponsors.

I had a clause that said additional promotional appearances (for any of the sponsors) would be handled as a separate item (subject to the sailing schedule), and that terms would be negotiated separately. My big cash sponsor (not the radio station) was the only one who even thought about it.

I made them think that I would charge extra money, and they never pushed it. They were more than happy with the entire package, as was I (I sailed every weekend from late April to October for a few years).

My deal was not the "easiest" but was effective. The only downside (and I was not prepared for this) was some intense jealousy of other sailors (not that they would ever admit that, but there's no other way to explain some of their reactions). Probably less of an issue now, as it's becoming more common.

Mike

I've pushed it as selling ad space (like a bilboard) that is sitting on the beach. It works. I just got off the phone with Saltwater Soul this morning. No cash but they're outfitting our team with nice shirts and hats and other beach stuff this week for the GT300.
We do get checks from a few sponsors but that is mostly from knowing someone on the inside.
One big help was getting Chums on board. Sometimes they give us a check and sometimes not. But they allways give us gear to pass out and keep. Having them helps with building momentum for other sponsors. They see that a big name like Chums is on board, and they want to be there right next to them. That angle has helped a little.
Get a website going and load it with pictures and stories and people.

i was going to make a joke about calling BP for new sails.. but i can't bring myself to joke about them with my impending doom

you might as well, since you may not be able to sail on the gulf coast much longer....

Be sure you can get them in either black or brown mylar...you'll blend right into the gulf!

your coast too...

Actually, I think the rich folk on the beach are pouring Evian bottled water in the Gulf to push the oil away.

Correction - they're having their "help" push the oil back by hand... and using their mink stoles as oil booms.

what about delray? they aren't that rich there... and i there is mast up storage on their beach... we might all be sailing with Timbo on the lake soon

Come on Down! It's blowing nice out there today, and not a thunderstorm on the radar...yet. I've got a 200' wide sandy beach, we should be able to line up at least 20 cats there!

You might have to sleep in the back of my truck though, no a/c, but plenty of rum...

;^)

hahah... plenty o' rum is my middle name