I'm on a boat. I'm on a boat. Everybody look at me cause I'm sailin on a boat. Now you can too.
When you buy a boat, they say the best day is the day you buy it and the second best day is the day you sell it. Whether it’s terrifying depreciation, mooring fees, cleaning fees and/or maintenance fees, there’s something to put dread into many buyers of anything larger than a small fishing boat. There’s also the issue that boats need to be used regularly lest the hulls turn into fully-developed, barnacle-fueled ecosystems – but renting and lending them out can be a liability and risk-laden nightmare.
So it’s worth taking a look at GetMyBoat which acts like AirBnB for boats.
It has 62,000 watercraft worldwide with some 2,000 of them being in Australia. It includes cruisers, paddleboards and jet ski rentals which cost $10 to $10,000 – so a more diverse choice than a surf shop.
You can find the app here or make wish lists for boats online here.
In addition to dinghy rental there are experiences like Sea Lion and Shark Cage tours at prices that are lower than regular experience sites. There are also sailing lessons and romantic overnight yachting experiences.
GetMyBoat also now offers insurance plans too.
Being able to rate and review renters and leasers is definitely a boon for what is otherwise a complicated rental market. Regular usage and a good reputation is likely to make leasing even easier over time.
What really impressed us was that you can use the app to hire the legendary, “I’m On A Boat” boat from the Lonely Island video (warning sweary), albeit for $2275 per hour.
It’s worth remembering that boat licenses vary from State to State in Australia and the rules of the big blue watery road are slightly different.
