Boat enthusiasts can now get their motor running without the full-time hassle of owning, thanks to a new maritime take on the Airbnb model: Boatbound.
Boasting over 13,000 boats in more than 2,100 cities, the site allows users either to rent out their own boat temporarily, or rent one if they are away from home.
Boatbound founder Aaron Hall started the business in 2013 out of San Francisco, according to the Orange County Register.
Steps to rent are listed simply: sign up, search and book. Ideas for outings include fishing, celebrating, sailing, waterspouts and cruising. According to the site, renting out your boat includes insurance for your vessel — and the boat owner can decide to whom he or she rents the boat.
A quick search for boats near this author that included captains for one to six people this coming Friday produced 11 results ranging in cost from $250 per day for a “fun and intimate cruising yacht,” to $3,000 a day for an 80 foot luxury yacht.
Royal Hunter keeps his boat in Newport Beach, and according to the Register, decided to rent out his 23-foot fishing boat to help pay off the $25,000 debt. He bought the boat to catch fish himself; since signing up to rent it out, he has made back $6,500 in just two years’ time. Hunter’s five-passenger boat rents between $400 and 450.
The site makes use of the fact that many boat owners do not use their vessels full time and have the opportunity to make a profit on their boat that would otherwise just be sitting idle.
Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana