Editor’s Note: Thinking about renting a boat for the summer, may for the kid’s birthday? During the age of coronavirus, boating is one of the best forms of a safe. An outdoor recreational activity you can do with close friends and family and do it safely. But when renting a boat or joining a boat club, there are some new factors to keep in mind to ensure your experience is fun and safe. What to Know During COVID-19?

What you don’t know:

Maybe you haven’t decided what type of boat to buy despite spending hours on the web. Maybe the cost of boat ownership is forcing you to wait before buying, or maybe you’re just don’t have the storage for your own boat yet and you want to rent one to save time and hassle of the boating lifestyle. Whatever the reason may be, a boat rental will allow you to enjoy the life-changing things that happen on the water, without taking on the burdens that come with owning a boat.

Fortunately, boat rentals are becoming more and more popular, you can find boat rental services near any body of water. Whether you’re thinking about a fishing boat rental, a pontoon boat rental, or anything in-between, you’ll help you find the boat and navigate that process with our experience through our FAQ section below.

This is decided state by state, in almost all cases you’ll need to be at least 18 years old to consider a boat rental. In some others you may need to be 21 or even 25; the rental companies set their own policies and they may vary a bit from one to the next. Age requirements may be more flexible for a fishing charter boat rental since charters generally come with a captain who’s responsible for running the boat (other than “bareboat” charters).

Boat rental pricing varies from one end of the spectrum to the other. A motorboat rental tends to cost more than a non-motorized boat. The larger the boat, the more they rent for; fishing boat rentals cost less than renting luxury cruisers. You’ll find that vacation boat rentals in popular tourist destinations cost significantly less than in less-traveled waterways.

You can save a bit on hourly rates by renting over a longer period of time. Renting by the hour is the most expensive option when you look at the per-hour cost. Full day rates bring that down, weekend boat rentals result paying even more per hour because of prime days of the week. When you look at the big picture, on an hourly basis, comparatively it is much cheaper than owning your own boat.

• Food & Drinks
• Water Toys
• Fishing Rods
• Fuel

When it comes to food and drink, remember that more is better. Especially when it comes to hydrating fluids, if you don’t pack enough it can ruin a day on the water. And of course, you’ll want to bring along whatever extra equipment you want whether that means hauling a wakeboard along for that pontoon boat rental or taking fishing rods to go with your bass boat rental.

Fortunately, fuel is one thing you don’t have to worry about since rental services generally supply the boat fully tanked up and ready to go. You may, however, need to be prepared to refuel the boat at the end of the rental period. Some outfits consider refills (and paying for them) to be part of the renter’s responsibility.