When it comes to renting boats there’re a lot of options. It all depends on size, costs, certifications needed, and more.
As a general rule, the average cost to charter a sailboat for a full day will be $553.10. This estimate is based on a 30-foot sailboat in Texas (Gulf Coast). The total cost depends on the size, location, and age of the vessel.
There are a lot of different factors that you have to take into effect when renting a sailboat. This article will go into depth on those factors to help you make the best decision.
Sailboat Rental/Charter Cost
The table below is an estimate. I looked at rentals around compiled a table to show the different ranges of cost.
| BOATS | YEAR | SIZE (FT) | HALF-DAY | FULL DAY | WEEKEND |
| Beneteau 423 | 2003 | 42 | 570$ | 770$ | 1540$ |
| Hunter 42 | 1993 | 42 | 650$ | 705$ | 1410$ |
| Beneteau 39 | Not Listed | 39 | 399$ | 482$ | 970$ |
| Endeavor 37 | Not Listed | 37 | 399$ | 482$ | 970$ |
| ODay 34 | Not Listed | 34 | 350$ | 392$ | 800$ |
| Beneteau First | 2016 | 22 | 201$ | 300$ | Not Available |
| J-105 | 1998 | 34 | 318$ | 475$ | Additional Fee |
| Beneteau 343 | 2011 | 34 | 385$ | 575$ | Additional Fee |
| Beneteau 35 | 2016 | 35 | 452$ | 675$ | Additional Fee |
| Beneteau 373 | 2007 | 37 | 452$ | 675$ | Additional Fee |
The stats from the table above were gathered from different companies in southern Texas. You can see from the information that it varies on a lot of factors such as size, year, and timeframe.
What Do I Need To Charter A Sailboat?
There are multiple certifications you can acquire that will allow you to charter a boat. The American Sailing Association(ASA) and NautiEd have certifications that will meet the requirement of boat chartering.
When it comes to renting a sailboat you will need some type of certification. ASA offers a lot of different courses at different levels.
- ASA 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing – This is for beginners and will teach you all the basics of sailing and cover 20′-27′ boats.
- ASA 103 Basic Coastal Cruising – The next step up from 101, this is a great course to improve your sailing skill. This course will certify you on a 25′-35′ boat. This course will also go into navigation and anchoring.
- ASA 104 Bareboat Cruising – The size of the boat for this course is 30′-45′. This course is about multi-day travel.
- ASA 105 Coastal Navigation – This course goes into depth about navigating your vessel. This is a key course for those multi-week trips.
To bareboat charter, you will usually need the ASA 104 certification. This will give the chartering companies confidence that you know what you are doing. I have seen some places accept the ASA 103 as enough education, but the larger companies and bigger boats will want the ASA 104.
NautiEd is another type of sailing certification. I am not going to say one is better than the other, but I personally use ASA. There are just more sailing schools of ASA around me. Take a look at the NautiEd courses below.
- Skipper Small Keelboat – This course will teach you the essentials of manning a small keelboat up to 25′.
- Skipper – This course will help with your skipper skills on a 25′ or larger boat.
- Maneuvering Under Power – This course is part of the Skipper Rank bundle. This will prepare you for docking and managing those busy ports.
NautiEd has a lot of online courses like the ones listed above. After completing those courses online, you will need to find a training facility that provides the actual hands-on training.
How Much Time Can You Rent A Sailboat For?
There are multiple options for the time when renting a sailboat. You can rent boats for half days, full days, multiple-day blocks, weekends, and weeks. The longer the time frame, the more it will cost.
As a general rule, days are 8 hours. I have rented a sailboat a few times and it is a very easy process. As long as you have some sort of certification or experience, the sailing school will usually let you rent from them.
Sometimes the school may ask to sail with you just to confirm your skills. This shouldn’t scare you at all. It may make you a little nervous, but they are just making sure you know the basic skills.
Where Can I Rent A Boat?
There are multiple ways to rent a boat in your location. You can rent a boat from sailing schools, boat owners, apps, and local marinas. Boats can be delivered to a local lake, or you may find a rental on the lake you prefer.
GetMyBoat, Boatsetter, and Click&Boat are great apps to use for renting from an owner. When it comes to using apps, the process couldn’t be any easier. Simply download one of the apps listed above, enter your location, and start seeing boats to rent.
You can also google marinas in your area and see if they offer any types of boat rental. Marinas are a great way to get information about the local area and see if any rentals are available. I have learned a lot from marina owners.
Sailing Schools will probably be your best bet for chartering a sailboat. Every sailing school I have looked into has offered some type of boat rental.
If you do your sailing lessons with them and complete certification, it will usually come with a discounted boat rental at the end. That way you can get out there and test what you just learned.
If you are not in a very popular sailing area, it may be difficult to find a sailboat for rental. If you are on a coastline, then you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a local sailing school that has charters.
Is Boat Share A Good Idea?
Boat shares are a way of owning a boat without having to cover the entire cost. This can be a legal agreement where you own part of the boat with others or you can set it up where you just own usage rights of the boat.
Boat shares are a great idea for anyone with or without a boat. It helps boat owners cover maintenance costs while it helps non-boat owners have access to a boat.
I have been part of a usage agreement for a Catalina 22 on Lake Travis. It was very simple to do. There was a very small monthly fee that I paid the owners and that allowed me to sail it whenever it was available.
We had a simple scheduling program and when you wanted to sail, you would simply block out that time frame and go sailing. We had probably 6 people that were in this agreement, but it seemed like the boat was always open.
The owners would ask us from time to time if we wanted to help work on the boat but it was not required. Some owners will not want you to do any maintenance while sharing their boat. That is sometimes a perk because you can use the boat all you want and not do any of the work associated with actually owning a boat.
I think we should all do more boat sharing in this world!
How Do You Sail Without A Boat? – For Free
GO SAILING is a great app for sailing without a boat. This app allows you to see other sailors in your area that are asking for crew help. Some people will ask for payment but others will allow you to sail with them for free.
I have used this app for a couple of years here in central Texas. I have never had to pay for anything. I simply found a few sailing events in the area where people had open slots on their boats. I requested to join their crew and they accepted.
The boats and events will vary on this app, but if you live in a popular sailing area you should be able to find a ton of options.
This app is the best for getting some sailing experience without having to pay a bunch of money for a boat or long-term sailing school.
This is not the only way to sail without a boat though. I have personally put out an ad on craigslist before. Now, I don’t know how reliable this is because I have only done it once.
When I moved to Florida I did not have the funds to go out and buy a boat. I wish I did, but I didn’t plan ahead.
“Not planning, is planning to fail.”
I saw a bunch of good deals for boats on craigslist, but I still didn’t have the funds. That’s when it hit me, why not put an ad out for sailing help. I know putting an ad on craigslist can seem dangerous but it wasn’t one of those types of ads.
I put out an ad asking if anyone would be willing to give me sailing lessons on their boat for a small fee or if anyone was doing work on their boat and needed help.
Working on a boat is one the best parts of owning it, in my opinion. I love learning new things about boats and working on one is the best way to do that.
I got a call from a lady with a 30′ Hunter and she said I could sail with her anytime. It didn’t cost me a thing, I just donated some money here and there to help with any costs. I also helped paint her deck which was a great learning experience.
Final Thouhgts
I highly recommend renting a sailboat before purchasing. This will allow you to see what it is really like. Chartering boats is a huge business and you should have no trouble finding a rental near by. Renting makes it very easy to get out on the water without any of the hassle of boat ownership.
If you do want to purchase a sailboat click here!
Cheers!
