Boats are like children — great to play with, fun to spend time with, but a hassle to keep up with 24/7. But now, boat owners and boat enthusiasts alike can do what parents cannot — split the burden, at least a bit. Thanks to GetMyBoat, the world’s largest boat rental marketplace, you can now either rent out your boat to individuals (or families) looking to get out on the water, or better yet, simply provide your watercraft as a floating hotel. It’s basically the floating version of AirBnB.
The latest feature of GetMyBoat, called “Sleep Aboard,” allows guests to be lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking motion of the waves beneath. As described by the company’s latest press release, “Sleep Aboard is a boat-and-breakfast-type experience where travelers can stay aboard owners’ boats without leaving the dock.” While most owners aren’t allowing their renters to take these babies out for a spin, some do provide excursions for an additional cost. This certainly takes much of the stress out of renting out a watercraft — while there’s always some danger of damage when out in the open waters, it seems that the opportunity for disaster is significantly reduced when the boat never leaves the marina. It is, as GetMyBoat says, a “controlled environment.”
Sleep Aboard is already a worldwide endeavor, with opportunities for a houseboat stay available across the United States and Europe as well. Already, the Sleep Aboard feature has attracted the influx of 1,000 new boats to the GetMyBoat marketplace, as boat owners are now seeing this relatively low risk situation as an easy source of secondary income. In a statement, Bryan Petro, CIO at GetMyBoat noted, “There are boating bed and breakfasts in Newport, Miami, and San Francisco; houseboats on landlocked lakes where people want to stop and enjoy some fresh air. In Amsterdam, houseboats are popular, while in the United Kingdom, canal boats are the norm.”
Today, the entire GetMyBoat fleet boasts some 35,000 watercraft across 143 countries, and is making a once exclusive activity more accessible to the masses. As Petro stated, “…there is a [boat] for every budget,” and these floating accommodations are now being seen as alternative to traditional housing options. As per their press release, “GetMyBoat aims to provide additional accommodations during events like the World Cup or the Olympics, or even concerts and festivals that take over cities and result in over-booked, outrageously priced hotel rooms.” Of course, prices do vary quite drastically — while most Sleep Aboard participants seem to be charging around $200, some are asking for over $4,000 a day.
Petro concluded, “We are committed to growing boating worldwide at GetMyBoat. Sleep Aboard is yet another way to reach new boaters and ensure the growth of an activity everybody should have the opportunity to experience. We’re happy to introduce the feature and excited to see its impact on how the world goes boating.”
So while you can’t rent out your baby for the evening, you can definitely rent out your boat, and from the looks of it, you may make yourself a pretty sweet deal in the process.
