Airbnb- Anyone here rent their boat out for "hotel" purposes ?

I notice some with lesser boats than mine in locations and views no better, getting $500 a night for such ! Could be quite a profit center....except like most of you I'd be afraid the guests would screw up something.... wonder if there is a way to lower that possibility....lock the engine room for one...but still one worries about scratches and other issues.

And if the Airbnb price is 500 bucks, how much does the boat owner get ?

Thoughts ?

Dune; said:

Thoughts ?

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I would have a hard time putting my boat in a reputable charter pool. Nightly flop house...never!

Hawgwash said:

I would have a hard time putting my boat in a reputable charter pool. Nightly flop house...never!

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I don't know of any flop houses that charge $500 a night....you would tend to get a more "upscale" clientele. I may call some of the folks "hoteling" their yachts to see what they say about it. All sorts of potential issues, like effects on your liability insurance....but apparently it is being done successfully.

Dune said:

I don't know of any flop houses that charge $500 a night....you would tend to get a more "upscale" clientele. I may call some of the folks "hoteling" their yachts to see what they say about it. All sorts of potential issues, like effects on your liability insurance....but apparently it is being done successfully.

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The only difference is the quality of the wine in the carpet. They are one-nighters.

There was a thread a while back about letting your slip to strangers while you are away. Consensus was; not likely.

very funny, we living on our trawler and we have some friends call us AIRBNB because we all time have some guest onboard and very often for some nights...

but is all time free

Back in the 60's I would anchor stern too in Charlotte Harbor on St Thomas and could easily rent a cabin to folks that had no hotel reservations , and the hotels were full.

EZ cash

We just got back from a 10 day vacation in Europe, stayed at 4 different AIRBNB. The Host gets to write reviews of guests so you may be able to do a little screening before renting.

I have a niece who rents her RV through AIRBNB parked at a campground in the Smokies, she has very few issues and makes some good side money.

As I have said before on this and other forums, almost all recreational boat insurance excludes commercial use and renting even for one night is commercial use. I wouldn't do it without seeing the insurance policy or having a contract that absolves me of liability for damages to the boat.


David

djmarchand said:

As I have said before on this and other forums, almost all recreational boat insurance excludes commercial use and renting even for one night is commercial use. I wouldn't do it without seeing the insurance policy or having a contract that absolves me of liability for damages to the boat.


David

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Yes, all sorts of potential problems with the idea....and I imagine our marina owners wouldn't be too thrilled about it either if it happened more than a couple nights a month...especially if the "tenants" were loud and obnoxious. And yet people do it somehow, so there must be a way to make it work.

Airbnb- Anyone here rent their boat out for "hotel" purposes ?

I spent the weekend at Marina del Rey on a 40 ft sailboat thru airBnB last summer. That was when I decided that I wanted to retire on a boat. My son was in town on business and we thought it would be something different. I'll throw this out there.....

In the future I would love to rent a weekend on different boats to check out the layouts and sizes. It would be a great way to help my decision process for retirement time. Just at the slip, chilling and checking things out.

airBnB somewhat resembles Angie's List with reviews on both sides. I have used it a few times across the country last summer.

Try this link https://boatbound.co/safety I did a google search for boat rental insurance. Now does this void your current policy, likely. You would need a different one to protect you. There is peer to peer boat rental insurance as well. You could require this as part of the nightly rate fees for added coverage (assuming both chosen policies work together).

djmarchand; said:

I wouldn't do it without seeing the insurance policy or having a contract that absolves me of liability for damages to the boat.

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And the marina, neighbouring boats and guests.

During the Olympics anything that could fit a bed into it was rented. Yaletown had upscale condos renting to upscale clientele for $500.
An hour.

We have used VRBO for many years as a place to find lodging when vacationing. About 6 years ago we rented a boat tied to the dock for a couple nights in San Diego harbor. It was a good experience but one that did not have a future in my opinion.

Not-for-profit time swaps between individual boat owners has some appeal for us. But the same marina/insurance problems are obstacles. And we'd have to use this web site to set up a procedural framework. Heh, heh...

Think about the lawsuit when someone falls off your boat and drowns.

Hawgwash said:

And the marina, neighbouring boats and guests.

During the Olympics anything that could fit a bed into it was rented. Yaletown had upscale condos renting to upscale clientele for $500.
An hour.

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Hawgwash, that's the "with escort" price.

A friend has a house, on the west coast of Florida, he rents out. People usually take it for a month at a time. It's usually rented all winter. He has at least one regular who has taken it for several years in a row. None of the renters have been a problem.

He won't rent it for less than a week, $1000. He gets $3000 for a month.

If you're going to rent out the boat, I wouldn't rent it on a nightly basis. There is some work involved in getting it ready, collecting the money, showing it to the guest, cleaning up after.

If the water pump, toilet or stove breaks while the guest is aboard, you can't wait until the weekend to fix it. They'll need it fixed right away.

WesK said:

Think about the lawsuit when someone falls off your boat and drowns.

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Or, on that family vacation into Canada or Mexico and a black lab attached to a uniform kicks up a fuss going by your boat. Explain to the mother in-law how that coke residue got on the settee.

WesK said:

Think about the lawsuit when someone falls off your boat and drowns.

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Agreed, that is why I suggested an alternative insurance venue. We have only used registered charters for staying more than a day, Licensed and insured folks for booking a day trip out to investigate our likes and dislikes. This venture requires different insurance protection, which is out there.

The same could be said of land rentals, renters cause damage. In a condo environment, other owners are weary of rentals: irritating renters to dangerous ones, threatening others homes.

However in a marina, different rules come into play. Finding a marina that allows this transaction, even with appropriate insurance coverage will be quite the challenge! Unless you have an incredibly large marina base, where few know anyone. Doing this rental under the radar is likely to have you removed.

Seems wiser to simply put it in charter status, get insured and choose a marina that allows it. Be up and up, it protects everyone in the end. Food for thought. (not suggesting the OP was suggesting anything otherwise)

WesK said:

Think about the lawsuit when someone falls off your boat and drowns.

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Think about the lawsuit when someone falls down your home stairs and breaks their neck. Obviously theses are non issues with the right insurance....and very rare events in the first place. (boat staying in slip anyway)

HopCar; said:

A friend has a house, on the west coast of Florida, he rents out.

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Lots of successful VRBO stories. Just look at Abaco.
A house and a boat is apples and pomegranates.

Hawgwash said:

The only difference is the quality of the wine in the carpet. They are one-nighters.

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There is some truth to this statement although, in my personal experience, to a very small degree.

I've been a landlord since I was a pup, first renting a condo then several houses and now a four-plex, a Mexican beach bungalow and my home, a villa also in Mexico. I rent my villa (Quinta Alegria in Huatulco) to tourist for $1000 USD per night and in my experience, over the last ten + years in renting it out, the "upscale" clientele are much more respectful of the property as compared to the beach bungalow that rents for around $35 USD per night.

What I've also experienced over the years is that if you deliver a clean quality product (property rental) people are more inclined to treat it well as opposed to if you delivered a not so clean and low quality rental property. I believe the same would hold true for someone renting their boat through outlets like Airbnb.

I'll assume I won't be renting a stay on any of your boats which is cool. We have rented nights aboard a few times now and have enjoyed the experience. Most charter operators do it and am glad Airbnb is in the game too now. Let the old women what if themselves to death. Y'all may not be able to figure it out but thankfully many others have.

Just saw DD's post above mine. Excellent post sir.

Dune said:

Think about the lawsuit when someone falls down your home stairs and breaks their neck. Obviously theses are non issues with the right insurance....and very rare events in the first place. (boat staying in slip anyway)

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I have no stairs in my home.

Seriously though, having guests in your home (or boat) is quite different than renting either one to strangers. Your home or boat insurance should cover guests but not renters.

There are a lot of good reasons not to rent either and only one reason to rent ($$). You weigh the good against the bad and make your choice.

WesK; said:

There are a lot of good reasons not to rent either and only one reason to rent ($$). You weigh the good against the bad and make your choice.

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I was invited to board a Fleming on Saturday by a really nice down to earth gent. His boat is in a charter pool because; "I didn't get the right uncle, so couldn't otherwise afford to own a boat."

CPseudonym said:

I'll assume I won't be renting a stay on any of your boats which is cool. We have rented nights aboard a few times now and have enjoyed the experience. Most charter operators do it and am glad Airbnb is in the game too now. Let the old women what if themselves to death. Y'all may not be able to figure it out but thankfully many others have.

Just saw DD's post above mine. Excellent post sir.

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Amen. We rented our home for two summers on VRBO (lived on the boat) with no problems. As said above price it right and you will weed out the problems.

Rob
(on Ustica Island, italy)

Dune said:

I notice some with lesser boats than mine in locations and views no better, getting $500 a night for such ! Could be quite a profit center....except like most of you I'd be afraid the guests would screw up something.... wonder if there is a way to lower that possibility....lock the engine room for one...but still one worries about scratches and other issues.

And if the Airbnb price is 500 bucks, how much does the boat owner get ?

Thoughts ?

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You comment on "getting $500 a night." Well, you don't know what if anything they are getting. "They're asking for $500 a night." There are some who just put a boat or house up as available at a price that people aren't likely to pay, but if they do, then great.

Talk insurance, liability, contracts with marinas, upsetting other boat owners, not the way for me. A legitimate charter company route just far more appealing.

The B&B aspect will void just about every private pleasure policy on the market (hotel exposure). If the policy is a charter policy with a bareboat endorsement, it MAY cover that exposure- but the rub is that it's darn near impossible for an individual to get bareboat coverage.

Tread carefully in this arena....