I am back on Bonaire for two weeks in September with Jeanie and I am going to convince her that this is where she needs to ‘retire’ to sooner, rather than later. Anyway, we will also be looking for some land to maybe build some small rental apartments. We are looking at 4 – 6 in total as well as a house to live in. I think I will also carry on with my contracting in various other countries at the same time.

The question I have is this. Although I have had many years experience working in the IT and Telecomms industries, I expect the call for these skills on Bonaire will be pretty slim. I have already spoken to Global Crossing and they would like me to go and work in Caracas when they have problems with their optical transmission equipment. I also have a foot in the door with Huawei, the Chinese manufacturer and they need someone to cover part of the Caribbean with regard to Cable & Wireless.

What I would like to do though, is have a small machine shop on the island where I could do repairs and stuff for people, turning, milling, welding etc. In a previous life I was a qualified Plant/Diesel mechanic and have many years experience, especially in the Middle East working on Caterpillar earthmoving equipment as well as a massive Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment plant. I have also spent a few years in the UK working for one of the water authorities on their river based equipment. Basically I am thinking of having a small business running on the side as I can generally repair most things that mankind has manufactured(within reason of course). I have also couple of years working with my brother in Portsmouth in the UK on the marine diesel side of things as well as all the boat electrical repairs.

Is there a call for this type of small business on Bon, or would I be better off in investing in more rental properties?

I am going to speak my two cents since you asked. There is a need for long term rentals for locals and the visiting medical students. I think there are enough short term rental options since many are not filled. Some are for sale as we speak. Email me for details if you wish. The other work I cannot comment on but C and W is all over the Caribbean so that might be a great gig to get into..Antigua perhaps?

Simon, do you have any idea if marine diesel engines can be converted to run on biodiesel fuel? Not just ethanol, but any type of vegetable oil?

We are owners of an inland vessel in Holland and we have 2 marine diesel engines. (Caterpillar)
In theory it is possible to convert such an engine to run on biodiesel.
The problem is, where do you buy the biodiesel!
Here in Europe you can not buy it at the stations were the ships get there fuel.
Maybe in the US it will be different I don't know.

(Message edited by Lilian_M on July 2, 2006)

Your question reminds me of the following rhetorical question: "How do you end up with a small fortune by operating a (you fill in the blank for the business)?

Answer: Start with a large fortune!

Bottom line (as it applies to most any business, besides location, location, location): success occurs when you truly understand the business and the local environment before you enter the field. As an outsider, you are at a significant disadvantage. Suggest doing a lot of investigating before you act. Also suggest reading Herman Wouk's "Don't Stop the Carnival" about a businessman buying a resort on a Caribbean island.

Any diesel engine is capable of running on biodiesel. There can be issues with running 100% biodiesel (B100) in engines because rubber parts can be softened by the biofuel. There are blends such as B5 (5% bio fuel, 95% petrolem), B20, and so forth. For home heating in New England, any blend up to B20 is considered safe without any modifications.

Now as for where you get the stuff... you could make it yourself. This may be a practical answer for a few folks on Bonaire. The fun part is getting restaurants to give you their used fryolator oil, which you input to the process. The output is biodiesel and glycerin. The latter can be made into soap. Seriously, home production of biodiesel is certainly possible, provided you've got a source for used vegetable oil to feed it.

We're hoping to heat our house this coming heating season with bioheat (what biodiesel burned for heating is called).

On Bonaire there are only very few diesel cars. Tax on these diesels are x-times (forgot how much, I think it is 5x) than for normal engines. And as the average person is driving very few miles (I think I come never above 40 miles per week!), even the cheaper price for diesel oil will never make up for the difference in price of tax. Some companies like Kooimans use diesel trucks for deliveries.
Of course tourists drive more miles ... but who is going to sell them biofuel ?

Thanks for all the info that has been offered above.

Anne, I'll be in touch regarding the long term rental stuff.

Dr.Director. I think you have picked up the wrong end of the stick here regarding my enquiries.

Regarding Bio-diesel: As mentioned by Daniel, any diesel engine can run on it, but it is the supply of the fuel that is the problem. There are not too many places on Bonaire that use enough cooking oil to warrant it's collection for fuel purposes.

In the UK, Government also TAX those who produce their own fuel in this way. They are determined to get their pound of flesh one way or the other.

Simon,

Did not mean to offend you; my sincere apologies if I did. Had seemed to me as if your desire to live on Bonaire might have been clouding your judgement, but apparently not. Best wishes for success in whatever you do.

I don't talk about tax on the produced biofuel, I talk about the imported diesel cars and the yearly tax on them. On Bonaire I don't think there are many people having or like to buy a diesel car, because it is soooo much more expensive and than it is no interest for your wallet if you do not drive a lot of miles per week, because you will never earn the money back. Just for the sake of being more eco friendly, there will not be many people doing it.

My diesel engine enquiries were basically aimed at visiting/indigenous boat owners and such ilk!

At the end of the day, it would be as much as a hobby as anything else.

Thank you all.

Is there any other kind of business here?

I'd like to think so.