Even if the weather hasn’t indicated it, summer is just around the corner and it’ll be easier than ever to get yourself out on a boat in Vancouver.
A new service that runs across Canada called Get My Boat is calling itself the Airbnb of boats.
People who own boats can list their vessels on the service for an hourly rate, and some are making a lot of money from it.
Based on a quick search through the service, you could rent a boat for as low as $180 an hour. Most Vancouver boating experiences will be captained charters, meaning you won’t have to worry about a boating licence.
Each listing lets you know if a captain is included or not.
What you can expect
Depending on the location you wish to explore, your options vary, and these are just a few examples.
North Vancouver (Deep Cove)
Starting on the low-budget end, this Maxum 20′ Deck Boat would run you $180 an hour, or $1,200 for eight hours, and it requires a two-hour minimum booking.
GetMyBoat.com
It seats six guests, so you could be paying around $60 each for a two-hour booking.
Granville Island
As your budget increases, so does the size of the boat, as you’ll see with this 38-foot luxury yacht listed on the service.
GetMyBoat.com
This luxury yacht goes for $300 an hour with a three-hour minimum. It seats 12, so if you could find 11 friends, you’d be paying around $75 each for a three-hour boat cruise.
Downtown Vancouver
On the high end of things, you could get yourself a full-fledged party boat. This one seats 150 guests.
GetMyBoat.com
This luxury vessel runs $1,200 per hour with a four-hour minimum. If you could find yourself 150 guests, that would amount to just $32 per person plus service fees. There are services fees both on the renter and host side of things, but there are also discounts for longer bookings.
If you own a boat, a spokesperson for Get My Boat says some owners make over $15,000 annually.
While this post focused on Vancouver rentals, you can also find boats in places like Okanagan Lake or Kelowna.
There are other ways to rent a boat in Vancouver, but most rental companies won’t come with captains, meaning that you or one of your friends may need a boating licence.
You’ve got options to be the king of the world this summer.