Boat Rentals by Owners.

Boat Rentals by Owners: What to Expect

Written by Kim Kavin
November 30, 2022

The hard truth about boat ownership is that we can’t go boating all the time. Boats just sit unused at the dock for days. Thanks to boat-sharing apps, today you can turn those no-boating days into money-making days by listing and renting them out.

This new and hot concept (thanks to the sharing economy) is still unknown to many longtime boat owners. Take Airbnb, which was able to make a stay in DJ Khaled’s closet a hot ticket item, for example: people rent out their space to travelers looking for a place to rest their heads. Some rent for the experience of the space itself like mansions, beach houses, and even castles!

Boatsetter’s model is similar, except instead of offering a place on land, we offer boat trips with half-day, full-day, or multi-day options, as well as a captained or uncaptained option.

Getting started with boat rentals by owners is as simple as visiting Boatsetter and providing basic boat information first:

  • Boat address
  • Year
  • Make/Model

Instantly you should see an estimated monthly earning (based on eight full-day rentals per month).

Continue, and next, you’ll have to upload four pictures of your boat and provide boat insurance documents (this may include boat registration, survey information, and other proofs).

Boat Paperwork.

READ MORE: How to Take the Best Boat Listing Pictures

Boats that DON’T qualify for Boatsetter are:

  • Boats more than 40 years old
  • Boats with a value exceeding $2.5M
  • Home-built boats

If you’ve received a message qualifying for expedited approval, it may be because your boat is newer than 15 years and smaller than 30 feet in length. Get excited if you get this message; it means your boat is in high demand.

Once approved, we’ll help you to enhance your boat’s listing to make it a go-to selection for renters in your area. Here are just a few resources from our arsenal:

At this point, your boat is well on its way to joining more than 50,000 boats in 700 locations worldwide on the Boatsetter platform.

Boats at the Marina.

Boat rentals by owners are a great solution to the longtime problem of boats going unused. Don’t let your boat sit idly by; join more than 50,000 boats in 700 locations worldwide.

List, Rent, Earn— Only at Boatsetter

About us

Boatsetter is a unique boat-sharing platform that gives everyone — whether you own a boat or you’re just renting — the chance to experience life on the water. You can list a boat, book a boat, or make money as a captain.


Browse by experience


Explore articles