Boatsetter and Getmyboat release their first joint owner earnings report with data from 2025-2026, and the numbers challenge decades of conventional wisdom.
For as long as anyone can remember, boats have had a reputation problem in personal finance. The jokes write themselves. “The two happiest days of a boat owner’s life are the day they buy it and the day they sell it.” “A boat is a hole in the water you throw money into.” The financial advice has been consistent: boats are a luxury, not an asset.
That narrative is no longer supported by the data.
Today, Boatsetter and Getmyboat are releasing Why a Boat Can Be a Great Investment in 2026. This is the first joint owner earnings report from two of the largest peer-to-peer boat rental platforms in the world. The report covers the trailing twelve months from May 2025 through May 2026, and the findings make a substantive case that the economics of boat ownership have changed and that a boat can become a lucrative asset.
What the Data Shows
Across both platforms, boat owners generated $66.7 million in gross rental income over the past year, putting more than one million passengers on the water in the process.
Many of these are not commercial fleet operators, either. On Boatsetter, 81% of earning owners list a single vessel. On Getmyboat, that figure is 70%. The income in this report is predominantly generated by individual asset owners: people who bought a boat, listed it on a platform, and built a revenue stream from an asset they were already paying to maintain.
The Market Opportunity
The report breaks down earnings by geography, vessel type, and rental structure and the findings challenge several assumptions about where and what to own.
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Browse ChartersMiami leads both platforms by earnings volume, which surprises no one. What is more instructive is Chicago’s consistent second-place ranking: a seasonal Great Lakes market generating a significant share of national earnings despite a boating window that runs roughly May through September. Compressed seasonality, it turns out, drives compressed demand — and concentrated demand supports higher daily rates.
Austin and Nashville are emerging as strong inland markets on Getmyboat, reflecting a broader trend: boating income is no longer dependent on coastal access.
On vessel type, motor yachts generate the largest share of gross earnings on both platforms. But for owners entering the market, pontoons and center consoles are the most accessible entry point. They have a broad demand, lower acquisition cost, and consistent booking activity across most U.S. markets.
A New Investment Framework
The report introduces ROAP, Return of Asset Purchase. This is a metric that measures the number of rental periods required to fully recover an asset’s purchase price from rental revenue.
The comparison is stark. An 18-foot bowrider purchased for $35,000 and listed at $580 per four-hour session in Miami carries a ROAP of 60 — meaning an owner could theoretically recover the full purchase price within 30 booking days. By comparison, a $780,000 Miami condo used as a short-term rental has a ROAP of 2,438.
No single metric tells the whole story of an investment. But ROAP illustrates something the report’s broader data confirms: when rental income enters the picture, the financial case for boat ownership is stronger than the conventional wisdom suggests.
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Find a BoatThe Cultural Tailwind
The financial case doesn’t exist in isolation. Consumer demand for on-water experiences is being shaped by structural shifts that extend beyond recreational boating.
Interest in outdoor recreation, digital detox travel, and nature-oriented family experiences has grown consistently across demographic groups since 2020. Renters on both platforms increasingly cite family connection and nature access as their primary booking motivations, not just recreation. Families booking half-day and full-day charters represent one of the fastest-growing renter segments on both platforms.
Download the Full Report
Why a Boat Can Be a Great Investment in 2026 includes complete earnings data by market and vessel type, modeled P&L statements for three common vessel categories, the full ROAP analysis, methodology notes, and data from both Boatsetter and Getmyboat’s transaction databases covering the May 2025–May 2026 period.
This report was produced jointly by Boatsetter Inc. and Getmyboat. All figures represent gross owner payouts before taxes. Earnings vary by market, vessel type, pricing strategy, and operator engagement. This report is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice.
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