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August 7, 2014

Boatbound – Boating Without the Hassles

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What Airbnb is to apartments and RelayRides is to cars, Boatbound is to watercraft. The peer-to-peer boat rental marketplace enables users to find boats with or without captains, which they can rent for hours, days, or weeks at a time.

Unless you live on the water, it may not make sense for you to purchase a boat that you’ll only use on an occasional basis. Instead, you can log-on to Boatbound to take advantage of the boats that other users are interested in renting out. Enter the name of your location, along with the date when you’re hoping to rent a boat. Boatbound will provide you with a complete list of options, complete with photos, descriptions, and reviews from previous renters. Make your booking directly through the Boatbound website, and pay for the rental securely online. Both liability coverage and on-water support are included by Boatbound for a flat price.

Boat owners can make extra money by renting their watercraft on days when they wouldn’t be using them anyway. Boatbound pre-screens and pre-qualifies renters, to help decrease the fear associated with renting such an expensive piece of equipment to an unknown party. Boat owners are also provided with up to $1 million in liability protection and up to $2 million in hull damage protection with every rental through Boatbound.

Practical Uses:

  • Rent a ski boat for an upcoming lake trip
  • Charter a sailing boat for a romantic night with your spouse
  • Make extra money by renting your boat when you’re not using it
  • Impress your friends by showing up to a party in a yacht

Insider Tips:

  • Boatbound can send photographers to take photos of its users’ boats
  • Owners are provided with up to $1 million in liability protection and up to $2 million in hull damage protection
  • Users can manage multiple boat listings
  • Boatbound works with Google to drive traffic to individual listings

What we liked:

  • Renting a boat through Boatbound is cheaper than renting a vessel through a traditional rental company
  • Boatbound offers insurance to help renters and owners feel more secure
  • All financial transactions are handled through the online interface
  • Renters have the option to rent boats with or without captains

What we didn’t like:

  • Some boat owners may still be concerned about the liability implications of renting their vessels to unknown individuals

Alternatives:

Company Info:

  • Launched: June 2013
  • Privately Held
  • Headquarters: San Francisco, California
  • Founded by: Aaron Hall and Matt Johnston
  • Web site: https://boatbound.co

Costs:

  • Variable

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