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Boat Hire


samhol

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Hi.

 

Anyone considered hiring-out your own boat.

 

I'm working over most of the summer and will not be able to use the boat as much as I'd like (maybe a few weekends), but it costs all the same whether I do or don't. I'm thus looking at the possibility of hiring-out my boat when I'm not using it. I've seen someone advertised to cover the costs of insurance, licence etc and operate the boat for hire - paying me a proportion of the income. This looks promising as I may not be available to tend to the boat for weeks at a time.

 

What are your thoughts?

 

Cheers

 

Alert from a Mod: This was drawn to my attention by Grace and Favour. I thank him for this and his suggestion that the topic is pinned. I would draw your attention to post number 17, if you don't have time to read the rest of the topic, do read that post.

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The price to do this legally and ensure both you and your hirers are legal with BW, insurance, liability etc. usually makes people think it's not worth bothering with.

I vaguely recall that some people hire their boats to a hire company at some points, to gain a little income while being covered by the hire company taking care of the changes of use paperwork and legal stuff. Though I have no more info on this (ie, what companies) and may even have imagined it.

Edited by Starcoaster
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Hi.

 

Anyone considered hiring-out your own boat.

 

I'm working over most of the summer and will not be able to use the boat as much as I'd like (maybe a few weekends), but it costs all the same whether I do or don't. I'm thus looking at the possibility of hiring-out my boat when I'm not using it. I've seen someone advertised to cover the costs of insurance, licence etc and operate the boat for hire - paying me a proportion of the income. This looks promising as I may not be available to tend to the boat for weeks at a time.

 

What are your thoughts?

 

Cheers

 

Sponsored boats (where the boat owner is not involved in the hiring operation, but receives a fee from the hire company) were very common once upon a time and there are still quite a few around. Most of these are built to the specific requirements of a hire business and sometimes are/were touted as investments. Some even made money for the owners, generally when depreciation, wear and tear and cost of the capital were ignored.

 

There are many pitfalls to hiring out your boat, even if it is done through an agent. It will need various landlord's safety certificates and has to meet the most stringent parts (no advisory items)of the BSS for a start. It will need to have the hirer's name and telephone number on the side. CART have a raft of additional things that the Hire Operator has to have/provide. Your insurance company WILL be interested. You (or more accurately your fitout and machinery) are at the mercy of the hirers. What happens if they blow up your engine/sink the boat? You will not be able to use your boat except by prior arrangement (or someone will have it on hire when you want it) and usually at some additional cost ( the hire business is losing that period as a hire opportunity).

 

If all these issues, and the ones I've not remembered, can be solved to your satisfaction then yes, it can be done (though I wouldn't). Don't expect to make a load of money though.

 

N

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I remember looking into this several years ago.

 

After about an hour of investigation it became blatantly obvious it was going to cost a lot more to implement all the things you need to, to legally hire a boat, than we would ever receive in return for hiring it out.

 

Trust me, forget it :wacko:

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Welcome to the forum.

 

Short answer, it is not worth it, to do it legally.

 

Longer answer and not all the hoops needed to jump through.

 

Paragraph 10 of thisPDF gives the requirements if you do it yourself (assuming your boat is on C&RT waters)

 

The licence is more expensive, insurance will be more expensive and the boat has to comply with a more strict BSS (Boat Safety Scheme)

 

Finally your boat will be used and abused, not by every hirer but by some, are you willing to take the chance.

 

Edit: to add link :(

Edited by bottle
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I used to lend my boat out to friends, and once or twice to friends of friends, for a moderate fee (pretty cheap in fact). This was quite a few years back before the regulations got to where they are now. As it's a fairly old boat, I made sure that the people who borrowed/hired it knew about engines and a certain amount about boating. And just about every single time it came back with something damaged - from a whacking great dent in the front to a broken fridge, busted deck planks and once they left the portapotti overflowing because they couldn't be bothered to empty it as they were leaving it for me to pick up. No-one ever told me about the damage and no-one ever offered to pay for it.

In short, don't do it!

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I used to lend my boat out to friends, and once or twice to friends of friends, for a moderate fee (pretty cheap in fact). This was quite a few years back before the regulations got to where they are now. As it's a fairly old boat, I made sure that the people who borrowed/hired it knew about engines and a certain amount about boating. And just about every single time it came back with something damaged - from a whacking great dent in the front to a broken fridge, busted deck planks and once they left the portapotti overflowing because they couldn't be bothered to empty it as they were leaving it for me to pick up. No-one ever told me about the damage and no-one ever offered to pay for it.

In short, don't do it!

If that's what your friends did to it, thank goodness you didn't lend it to your enemies.

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Hi and welcome to the forum.

 

You have already gained some excellent advice from experienced boaters on here and probably saved yourself some unnecessary expense and angst.

 

We would never consider hiring our boat out as it houses many of our hard earned possessions, not to mention the actual cost of the boat. As mentioned previously, some hirers respect other people's property, some even treat it as their own, but sadly there are others who care very little for their own belongings let alone those of others.

 

You only have to see the condition of hire boats near the end of a busy season to see the effect of this negligence. Where we used to moor on a marina, there was a small fleet of hire boats and I used to be amazed at the damage sustained to the bow plates. You would have to be pretty dumb to cause such damage to 6mm steel that is tapered at this end of the vessel. The other consideration is the potential damage that can be inflicted on other people's boats by this negligence. The cost of repairs is very high and if you fail to adequately cover for such events you could end up seriously out of pocket.

 

We once met an extended family who had saved up all year to hire a boat and do the four counties ring from a private boater. They only covered several miles from their collection point, before realising that the waste tank was full to bursting and had a blockage at the pump-out connection or further down the line. They had to return the boat and cancel their long awaited holiday. What a shambles!

 

Mike

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If that's what your friends did to it, thank goodness you didn't lend it to your enemies.

At one time I thought I had! Actually, it was mostly just thoughtlessness or the usual human tendency not to admit (or just being ashamed of) having made a pigs ear of something. As I said, mine was an old boat even then, so things could go wrong whoever was on it. And everyone hits the odd bridge with a wallop every now and then, especially if you're not too experienced. Mostly, it just added character and a few simple repairs, bu there was always something. Last time, it sprang a leak where the stern tube goes through the hull, the automatic bilge pump decided not to be auto any more and it nearly sank the boat before they noticed. Luckily they did before it wrecked the engine, but they came halfway round the 4 counties with the bilge pump permamently on. Didn't tell me till they got back, so the boat could have sunk at any time. Never, never again...

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Boating friends of ours very kindly used to lend us their boat a few times to give us a break while we fitted out ours. One day when cruising with it we got too near an overhanging tree and when we checked their paintwork there was the evidence, a very long scratch which we then spent ages removing with Tcut the best we could. When we handed the boat back we could see our friend looking closely at the point where the scratch had been and held our breath. "I'm sure there used to be a scratch there" he said in a puzzled voice....

Edited by wandering snail
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Boating friends of ours very kindly used to lend us their boat a few times to give us a break while we fitted out ours. One day when cruising with it we got too near an overhanging tree and when we checked their paintwork there was the evidence, a very long scratch which we then spent ages removing with Tcut the best we could. When we handed the boat back we could see our friend looking closely at the point where the scratch had been and held our breath. "I'm sure there used to be a scratch there" he said in a puzzled voice....

I love that really made me laugh

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Boating friends of ours very kindly used to lend us their boat a few times to give us a break while we fitted out ours. One day when cruising with it we got too near an overhanging tree and when we checked their paintwork there was the evidence, a very long scratch which we then spent ages removing with Tcut the best we could. When we handed the boat back we could see our friend looking closely at the point where the scratch had been and held our breath. "I'm sure there used to be a scratch there" he said in a puzzled voice....

It's a shame more 'friends' are not like you guys!I too have deen first hand what other peole can do to your pride and joy!

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I was speaking to a professional hire company owner a while ago, she said that they were forced to buy the cheapest cutlery, utensils etc. as on many occasions the hirers nicked these. It even included the theft of bog roll holders.

 

It is not only damage that is caused.

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Boating friends of ours very kindly used to lend us their boat a few times to give us a break while we fitted out ours. One day when cruising with it we got too near an overhanging tree and when we checked their paintwork there was the evidence, a very long scratch which we then spent ages removing with Tcut the best we could. When we handed the boat back we could see our friend looking closely at the point where the scratch had been and held our breath. "I'm sure there used to be a scratch there" he said in a puzzled voice....

Do you want to borrow mine, I will supply the T cut and polish :cheers:

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Anyone considered hiring-out your own boat.

 

I'm working over most of the summer and will not be able to use the boat as much as I'd like (maybe a few weekends), but it costs all the same whether I do or don't. I'm thus looking at the possibility of hiring-out my boat when I'm not using it. I've seen someone advertised to cover the costs of insurance, licence etc and operate the boat for hire - paying me a proportion of the income. This looks promising as I may not be available to tend to the boat for weeks at a time.

 

What are your thoughts?

 

My thoughts; having taken a call last about a multiple injury incident on a hire boat, and knowing what the impact in terms of the immediate investigation and the potential longer term consequences may be; I would say a it takes a strong organisation with spot on processes and systems to survive such an incident and keep operating.

 

For example how would you deal with facing the potential idea that people on your boat have been injured, possibly in the long term, by something that may have gone wrong on your boat.

 

You may be aware that a different boating activty operator is facing corporate manslaughter charges in regard to a child dying when using his facilities. Whether the parties charged are guilty or not, you have to consider would you be strong enough to deal with such issues.

 

It is not a light decision to take. Putting aside any dealings with CRT or the BSS about the change of use, what cannot be escaped are the duties of care as a landlord, especially in regard to the 1998 Gas Act. Whether someone hiring their boat makes it official or not, the landlord's duties of care are not escapable and failing to live up these, carry potentially criminal prosecution impacts.

 

On the other hand people doing things well and not taking short-cuts have much less to be nervous about.

 

I hope this help crystallize your thoughts

Kind regards

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It would be interesting to see the end of year accounts for many hire boat companies, just to compare who has the highest losses incurred through either lack of caution in vetting potential hirers, or plain disregard by their clients for both the hire fleet and other boats on the system.

 

When renting out property, I have been very careful who I would let through the doors, even then you can be conned into believing that your potential tenant is all above board. Anyone else on here who has been involved as a landlord will probably be able to recount instances where fixtures and fittings have either been stolen or damaged beyond repair.

 

Some folk are beyond belief!

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Add to that two sinkings, a fire and a gas explosion that I've heard of in the London area recently. If you're thinking of renting a canal boat in London or thinking of renting out your canal boat or a narrowboat, the advice we always give on this forum is the same.

 

We get to hear of the horror stories when it all goes wrong. People can and have lost their homes, their boats, their belongings and almost lost their lives. You will more than likely not be covered by any insurance if the boat sets on fire or sinks. It will be invalidated. So, anyone thinking of or wanting to rent a canal boat or narrowboat to live on in London, anyone thinking of renting their boat out, landlording their canalboat, anyone searching the internet for narrowboat rentals in London, please read this thread and the other information on this forum. Any adverts you see for rented boats online, they may not be legit either. There are companies with flashy websites advertising online, that aren't even correctly licensed and are under investigation from CRT, because they have the wrong type of license, boat safety certificate and no hire base.

So everytime we get a thread like this, we will say, 'don't do it!'

Likewise, if you're doing a rent to buy, that can go wrong as well and you will have no legal protection if it does. It is really nothing like renting or buying a property on the bankside, so please don't assume that it is.

The laws that govern property are different to the laws that govern boats - boats are considered chattels, not property. They come under different legislation - boating legislation, not property legislation. A land based tenancy agreement for a boat is worthless, it will not protect you. And boats can sink. They can be moved - i.e. stolen, they can be quickly altered by the new owner making them trickier to recover (do a search for stolen boat Que Sera Sera). There are many more risks.

If you want to try it out, it's a better idea to rent from a holiday hire firm (try a couple of weeks out of season in the winter) , or buy a small cheap boat to see if you like it. It's cheaper and safer to buy a boat outright then sell it a few months later if you've decided it's not for you.

Edited by Lady Muck
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  • 1 year later...

Hi.

 

Anyone considered hiring-out your own boat.

 

I'm working over most of the summer and will not be able to use the boat as much as I'd like (maybe a few weekends), but it costs all the same whether I do or don't. I'm thus looking at the possibility of hiring-out my boat when I'm not using it. I've seen someone advertised to cover the costs of insurance, licence etc and operate the boat for hire - paying me a proportion of the income. This looks promising as I may not be available to tend to the boat for weeks at a time.

 

What are your thoughts?

 

Cheers

 

Alert from a Mod: This was drawn to my attention by Grace and Favour. I thank him for this and his suggestion that the topic is pinned. I would draw your attention to post number 17, if you don't have time to read the rest of the topic, do read that post.

Hi - I am interested in renting a boat for about a week in August as I have visitors from abroad. I live in a house directly on the Leeds Liverpool canal. All I want is a boat moored, we wouldn't actually want to move it. Are you still thinking of trying to get some income from your boat, obviously it would depend where you are based.

 

Josie

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It would also depend on whether it would be 'legal', unless you and he are willing to do it illegally.

 

I am sure you have been informed via the forum of the requirements, it's up to you but I would not broadcast it on a forum.

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What about a long lease - i.e. for the season? I am an experienced boater. I skipper a community boat when I have time. My wife works full-time still [late children in family] - so we haven't bought even a boat share - but she has agreed to 'cruise the network' when she retires in a few years. Other than trying to 'borrow' friend's boat - does anyone have any suggestions? I fully understand all the pitfalls listed by others in this thread [i am a landlord too!!]

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What about a long lease - i.e. for the season? I am an experienced boater. I skipper a community boat when I have time. My wife works full-time still [late children in family] - so we haven't bought even a boat share - but she has agreed to 'cruise the network' when she retires in a few years. Other than trying to 'borrow' friend's boat - does anyone have any suggestions? I fully understand all the pitfalls listed by others in this thread [i am a landlord too!!]

Unless someone can come up with a compelling reason why it's different the length of the lease makes no difference what so ever.

 

I am not actually sure you understand the pitfalls at all.

 

Subject to insurance company stipulations you can 'loan' a boat to someone, but the key word is 'loan'. When money changes hands that changes the nature of things significantly.

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  • 3 months later...

I am not convinced that the title of this topic is helpful for a novice wondering whether to hire from ABC or Anglo Welsh.

 

I appreciate that there is a Waterways Holidays section, but I suggest that this one is renamed as 'Hiring-out your boat' or something similar.

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