If you’re looking for a way to make some extra cash and have a boat that’s waiting to set sail, why not charter? Chartering your boat can be a fun and easy way to make sure your boat doesn’t sit idle whilst paying off maintenance and mooring fees.
The sad truth is that many boat owners only use their vessels for a few weeks during the summer, leaving their boats sitting idle for the rest of the year. This is where Click&Boat comes in. With Click&Boat you can register your boat for free and gain access to their leading boat rental platform with thousands of boat renters at your fingertips.
What is Click&Boat?
Click&Boat is a French-born initiative that began in 2013 with two contractors, Jeremy Bismuth and Edouard Gorioux. During their frequent visits to French ports, the pair noticed that very few boats were used for more than 10 days a year and yet, the cost of owning a boat was nothing to sneeze at.
This gave them the idea to create Click&Boat: a collaborative platform based on sharing that allows boat owners to earn money chartering their boats. Dubbed by The Times newspaper as “the Uber of the boating world”, Click&Boat’s platform now harbours more than 40,000 yachts for charter in ports across the globe.
Click&Boat’s has more than 40,000 yachts for charter in ports across the globe. Photo: Click&Boat
How Does It Work?
Create an Account
The process is relatively simple; you start by filling out the registration form on their website, selecting type, length and location. From there you will have to fill out your details to create an account and choose whether or not you want to charter your boat with a captain. You can choose to charter your boat with a professional skipper or act as a skipper yourself, you can also let renters sail by themselves, providing they have a license for your boat type.
Once you register your boat, one of the company’s fleet managers will get in contact with you and provide you with more information. You will also be assigned to an account manager who will help you along the way.
Create Your Listing
Once you have registered, you can add a description to your listing. Make sure to add all the amenities and equipment that are included for renters, the boat’s capacity, bathrooms, cabins and berths. For a personal touch, you can write about places you have visited with your boat or any special perks that your boat has.
The last step is to add photos to your listing. As with selling a boat online, photos are crucial to making your listing stand out on the platform. In order to help you get the perfect photos, we have prepared some useful tips:
- Clean your boat thoroughly and remove any personal belongings and leave only decorative items such as cushions or towels on the bed.
- Get photos of every angle of your boat and make sure you have a range or both inside and outside of the boat.
- Get your boat on the water for pictures. Photos of boats sailing are more dynamic and attractive.
- Don’t forget to also take a photo of yourself to fill out your personal profile and reassure renters. You want your photo to look professional, but make sure you look friendly and approachable at the same time.
Photos are crucial to making your listing stand out against other boats.
Bookings
You can manage your booking on their website or download their mobile application for ease of access. The platform allows you to update your schedule to suit your availability as well as adjust prices and chat online with prospective renters.
The platform also allows you to specify your own booking conditions such as a minimum number of days for rental and a cancellation policy. You can also configure your bookings hourly, daily or weekly, according to your preference.
Since Click&Boat is a collaborative platform at its core, both owners and renters are encouraged to leave reviews of each other. Inevitably owners with good reviews will get more clients, that’s why it’s important to make sure that you give every client the best experience possible- this also includes communication before setting sail.
On the Click&Boat website, renters can rate you on a variety of points such as: compliance of the boat, comfort, standard of maintenance, cleanliness, welcome and communication and value for money. To help provide the best service to your clientes, think about your own experiences in hotels or Airbnbs and anything that made the experience particularly enjoyable or overtly negative. Having an idea of the dos and don’t will help you become a great host.
Since Click&Boat is a collaborative platform at its core, both owners and renters are encouraged to leave reviews of each other.
Meeting the Hirers
Once a booking has been confirmed, you will receive the renter’s details to arrange handing over the keys and the signing of the hire contract. After each booking your money will be transferred directly to your bank account with Click&Boat’s partner bank Caisse d'Epargne.
Licences and Registration
In the UK, if your boat will be used in waters controlled by the Canal and River Trust (CRT), you will have to apply for a business boat licence that will allow you to use your boat for passenger trips, day hire and holiday hire. In all other UK waters, you must register with your council for a Pleasure Boats Licence. You will need to have an insurance policy that includes public liability (coverage of up to £1 million for CRT or depending on council policy), home moorings and make sure that your boat meets construction, maintenance and safety standards.
Depending on your situation, you may also have to register yourself as a boat hiring company which you can do on the UK government website. If your boat is located outside of the UK, please check with the local authorities for their policies on boat rental.
Main image: Click&Boat
