Platform work · starts at $0 – $15,000,000

Rent out your Boat

List a boat you already own on peer-to-peer rental marketplaces so paying renters cover part of its running costs.

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The numbers

Each one links to its source and the day it was checked.

Startup cost

$0 – $15,000,000

Source: boatzon.com · checked 2026-10-23

Time to first dollar

Days to a few weeks in season — a listing goes live the same day, and the payout lands 1–2 business days after the first completed trip. Out of season it can be months, since roughly 70% of demand falls May–September (f11).

Source: boatsetter.com · checked 2026-10-23

Earnings

Low

Under $10,000 a year on a short-season or inland market — the European equivalent for a weaker coast is €8,000–18,000 (f9)

Typical

About $20,000 a year gross, before costs, for a single boat

High

$93,000–$150,000 in platform lifetime earnings for standout single owners, and over $1 million a year for multi-boat operators — these are selected outliers, not a target (f15)

Source: powerandmotoryacht.com · checked 2026-10-23
Corroborated by oria-marine.com

What it is

Peer-to-peer boat rental works like Airbnb for boats: you list your vessel with photos, rates and availability, and the platform handles bookings, payments and a rental insurance policy. You can rent it bareboat to qualified operators, or require a captain, in which case the renter pays the captain separately. The two biggest US players, Boatsetter and Getmyboat, announced a merger in December 2025 and now run as one company while keeping both apps live.

How it works

Check your insurance first

A personal recreational policy does not cover paid rentals. Platforms require either your own commercial/charter policy or enrolment in their peer-to-peer policy, which is added on top of your recreational policy for a fee.
Check your state's livery rules

Renting your boat out can make you a 'livery' operator. Florida, for example, requires a free annual Livery Operator Permit, minimum liability cover, signed pre-rental attestation forms and an instructor who has passed an approved boating safety course.
Build the listing

Listing is free and Boatsetter says it takes under 15 minutes: describe the boat, upload photos, set hourly or half-day pricing, and choose whether you, a hired captain, or the renter operates it.
List on more than one marketplace

Nothing stops you listing the same boat on Boatsetter, Getmyboat, Click&Boat and Sailo at once. Keep one master calendar so you do not double-book.
Decide captained or bareboat

Captained trips open you to renters with no boating experience and reduce damage risk, but the captain takes a cut — Boatsetter publishes a captain payout of $50 to $100 per hour depending on boat length.
Handle each trip and get reviewed

Meet the renter, run a safety briefing, take a security deposit, and photograph the boat before and after. Early reviews are what make later bookings arrive.
Get paid and net out your costs

Payouts are processed 1 to 2 business days after a trip ends. Subtract the platform's cut, fuel, slip or storage, insurance and maintenance before calling anything profit.

What you need

A boat you own, in good, clean, well-maintained condition
A rental-appropriate insurance policy — your own commercial/charter policy, or the platform's peer-to-peer policy on top of a personal recreational policy
Any state or local livery permit and the record-keeping it demands
Full USCG-required safety equipment aboard: PFDs for every passenger, a throwable device, visual distress signals, fire extinguisher, sound-producing device
Somewhere to keep the boat that a renter can actually get to — slip, mooring or ramp access
A cash buffer for the insurance deductible, which on Boatsetter's policy is $7,500
Time on turnaround days: roughly 2 to 4 hours of handling per rental
A captain's arrangement, or a USCG licence of your own, if you want to run captained charters

The gear

USCG-approved life jackets, one wearable per passenger plus child sizes

Legally required aboard, and renters bring more people than you expect — short-counting PFDs is the fastest way to fail a check or a livery inspection

Type IV throwable cushion or ring buoy

Required on boats 16 feet and over

Fire extinguisher and a sound-producing device (horn or whistle)

Both are on the required federal list for most recreational boats

Visual distress signals (flares or an electronic eVDSD)

Required and date-sensitive — pyrotechnic flares expire, so they need replacing on a schedule

Fenders, dock lines and an anchor with adequate rode

Renters dock badly; fenders and spare lines are the cheapest damage prevention you can buy

A good fitted boat cover

Protects upholstery between rentals — replacement runs $600–$1,200, and sun-wrecked seats cost $2,000–$10,000 to redo

First aid kit, VHF radio and a manual bail pump

Recommended rather than required, but a VHF is what a renter uses when a phone has no signal offshore

Fishing rods, tackle and a fillet board, or towable tubes and snorkel gear

Only if you list the boat for fishing or watersports — the right add-ons let you charge more and win bookings against bare boats

The catch

The $20,000 average is gross, and the costs that come out of it are brutal: the platform keeps 10% if you carry your own commercial policy but 20–35% if you use its insurance, and then fuel, slip fees, insurance, and maintenance running 8–12% of the boat's value a year land on you. You are also handing a depreciating, expensive asset to strangers with a $7,500 deductible sitting behind it, against a $500 security deposit — one bad grounding or lower-unit strike wipes out a season. And because roughly 70% of demand is crammed into May–September, you pay slip and insurance for twelve months to earn in four, which is why this works as a way to offset the cost of a boat you already wanted, not as a reason to buy one.

Where the work is

Boatsetter

Getmyboat

Click&Boat

Sailo

Every number on this page

16 facts, each with its source and the day it was checked.

Used pontoon boat purchase price, by age

$6,000–$15,000 for a 15–20-year-old boat; $18,000–$40,000 for one 5–10 years old; $30,000–$90,000 new

confidence: high

Source: boatzon.com · checked 2026-10-23

How fast an owner is paid after a completed trip

Payouts processed 1–2 business days after the trip ends, plus about 24 hours for the bank; weekend trips 4–5 business days

confidence: high

Source: boatsetter.com · checked 2026-10-23

Average annual gross earnings for a boat owner on the platform

about $20,000 a year

confidence: medium

Source: powerandmotoryacht.com · checked 2026-10-23

Share of the rental price the owner keeps

90% if the owner carries their own commercial insurance; 65–80% on Boatsetter's peer-to-peer (GEICO) policy, depending on the trip's premium

confidence: high

Source: boatsetter.com · checked 2026-10-23

Total gross rental income earned by owners across Boatsetter and Getmyboat, May 2025 – May 2026

$66.7 million gross, before taxes; 81% of earning Boatsetter owners list a single vessel

confidence: high

Source: boatsetter.com · checked 2026-10-23

Cost and effort to create a listing

Free; under 15 minutes; commission charged only on completed rentals; owners paid within three days of each completed booking

confidence: high

Source: boatsetter.com · checked 2026-10-23

Florida livery (boat rental) legal requirements

Livery Operator Permit is free and valid one year; liability cover of at least $500,000 per person and $1 million per event; renter agreements kept 1 year, attestation forms 90 days; no motorised rentals to under-18s

confidence: high

Source: myfwc.com · checked 2026-10-23

Owner's downside exposure per rental on Boatsetter

$7,500 insurance deductible; minimum $500 security deposit held per rental; $100 fine if the owner cancels, no-shows, or supplies a boat in poor condition

confidence: medium

Source: sidehusl.com · checked 2026-10-23

Annual rental income for a comparable small boat in Europe

€15,000–25,000 for a well-located 7–8 m motorboat; €12,000–25,000 for a 6–8 m boat in the Mediterranean; €8,000–18,000 on the Atlantic coast

confidence: medium

Source: oria-marine.com · checked 2026-10-23

Recurring ownership costs that eat the rental income

Insurance €800–2,500/yr; mooring €1,500/yr in a secondary port to over €8,000 on the Riviera, often 15–25% of rental income; preventive maintenance 8–12% of boat value per year plus 3–8% unplanned repairs; platform commission 15–25%; delegated management 25–40% of rental income

confidence: medium

Source: oria-marine.com · checked 2026-10-23

Seasonality of boat rental demand

About 70% of activity falls between May and September; July and August alone are 45% of annual turnover; a Cannes case-study boat hit 65% occupancy in high season

confidence: medium

Source: oria-marine.com · checked 2026-10-23

Worked example of a rentable boat and its rate

An 18-foot bowrider bought for $35,000, listed at $580 per four-hour session in Miami

confidence: high

Source: boatsetter.com · checked 2026-10-23

Boatsetter and Getmyboat merger

Announced 18 December 2025; combined company cites more than half a billion dollars in bookings across 50 countries; both platforms and apps stay active with no immediate changes for owners

confidence: high

Source: prnewswire.com · checked 2026-10-23

Captain pay rate published by Boatsetter

$50–$100 per hour, based on boat length; captains pay no site fees

confidence: medium

Source: sidehusl.com · checked 2026-10-23

Top-end owner earnings cited by the platforms

Owner testimonials of $93,000 and $150,000 in earnings; Getmyboat says some owners exceed $1 million in annual platform revenue

confidence: low

Source: boatsetter.com · checked 2026-10-23

Replacement cost of common boat kit

Worn cover $600–$1,200; trailer $3,000–$5,000; full pontoon reupholstery $2,000–$10,000; repowering a 150 hp outboard $15,000–$18,000 installed

confidence: high

Source: boatzon.com · checked 2026-10-23

Researched 2026-10-23. Back to every hustle