Airbnb your boat?

Does anyone do this? I don't mean chartering, but just renting your boat out as a hotel? I wonder if a marina would allow that type of activity? It would be an interesting way to defray some of the ownership costs, but I can only imagine the type of damage someone could do that wasn't knowledgeable of boats/rvs.

Also consider the insurance angle. Airbnb has some sort of secondary coverage if your homeowners won't cover a renter's damage. I don't know if that would work on a boat. I am sure that your boat insurance would deny coverage if damage occurred. Any commercial use is typically excluded from marine recreational insurance.

David

I wouldn’t do it because most people who would want to use my boat as a hotel are probably not familiar with boats and boat systems (eg holding tanks). Too much risk.

I'm with Drake.. I have far too much invested in my boat to trust it to someone who knows nothing about how things on a boat work. Maybe for a rental fee of $200,000 a night I'd feel a lot better.

GFC said:

Maybe for a rental fee of $200,000 a night I'd feel a lot better.

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I may having spoken too soon. If that’s the rental rate, I might reconsider.

It is being considered at my marina. Haven't asked if they get a cut.
I'm not interested in the idea, seems like a hassle and a risk I don't need.

In the 70's folks would fly to St Thomas with no hotel reservations , and get surprised to find out about slim pickings , way out in the woods.

Had a 45 ft Try that I would tie stern to at the sea wall, and could hotel with ease.

Today it would be really EZ with cell phones.

The concept already exists, has for a very long time - dock side chartering. Or try a different name, boat and breakfast as was started in San Francisco a few decades ago. Same idea, different name and phone or Internet access to fit with the times.

I always wondered, who fixes the head when normal on shore flushes occur with a Sealand

I was on a 53 Carver in San Diego this year for $225 per night. A lady in the area has four separate boats where she is the agent for the owners. She does the advertising,meets the clients, takes the payments and cleans up the boats afterward for a percentage of the revenue. The owner makes enough in a year to pay moorage, insurance, normal maintenance and sometimes has a little left over.
I'm sure there are versions of this set up everywhere

A buddy of mine tried it with his 42' trawler. The marina caught on and made him stop. So he quit Airbnb and did it on the sly.

The marina booted him out a few months ago.

Go to the AirBnB site and search Key West. Lots of boats there in ABnB, one guy even has a tent camping setup on a Catamaran on the hook

AirBnB is very popular in Europe. With a good security deposit you mitigate some of the risk. Be selective who you accept. Good money stream for those that always say they are going to us their boats but never do. Good way to keep the systems working. [emoji106]

It's a great idea that has been becoming more popular. For you it depends if your boat is a personal thing that's one of the family, or just a recreational toy, or perhaps you have a background running charters and consider it a business.

No way. Im not letting a stranger on my boat. I dont need the money that bad.

Our insurance guru Pau Hana had something to say not too long ago about insuring Boats for Air BB....

Didnt look good for just a one boat setup.

It was tried in my marina using the forgiveness and permission principal. Was not a success, the forgiveness card was issued. Slip holders and the live aboards have a stake in the marina and their neighbors. The slip holders, if not vetted are at least somewhat committed to their “neighborhood”. That is not true for a B.B. renter. Here today, then gone. The Marina office has quite a bit of information on “us”. None on a B&B renter.

We had kids raising hell in the pool at late hours, more than one drunken party that went on too late. These instances and the aforementioned logic when pointed out to the surprised Marina Management of the practice, put an end to the practice post haste with the forgiveness card.....or bye. Our marina 300+ slips is full with a waiting list.

You can rent trawler type boats per night in Boston, Mass and Annapolis, Md.

TJM said:

You can rent trawler type boats per night in Boston, Mass and Annapolis, Md.

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and in Copenhagen, DK

Here we go again a $300000 boat and get a return of $300 a night on a occasional rental basis +cleaning +Airbnb cut +damage + insurance issues you must be joking

gaston said:

Here we go again a $300000 boat and get a return of $300 a night on a occasional rental basis +cleaning +Airbnb cut +damage + insurance issues you must be joking

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I agree, but at least in Europe, the Airbnb boats are more like <$100k. And with high taxes, etc, to earn $20k to $30k a year is not chump change.

I had some friends who needed a helping hand for a couple of weeks holiday on our other boat before it was sold, then spent my time fixing lights the kids unscrewed, toilets blocked, shower pump out left on and burnt out the impeller, washing down the boat, water in the bilges (no one knew why ?) curtains pulled off hooks etc.
Never again.