How to Rent Liveaboard Boats: Tips and Rules!

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Renting a boat before ownership is the best way to see if a type of boat will suit your needs. However, rental processes are tough to figure out, so how do you find a liveaboard boat rental?

Liveaboard boats are for rent on rental platforms like AirBnb, Vrbo, and Live Aboard. With these rental services, you’ll be able to spend between one night and several months on a boat. However, your rental boat will probably have to stay docked because of regulations and licensing.

In this article, I’ll go in-depth on the different available liveaboard boat rental platforms. I’ll also dive into related topics, including what it’s like to live on a boat and the process of renting your boat.

Table of Contents

Renting a Liveaboard Boat Services

When it comes to rental services for liveaboard boats, you have plenty to choose from. Here are some popular services to use:

AirBnb: AirBnb is a fantastic service to start with because of the brand recognition. I’ve certainly had lots of experience with AirBnb, and you may have, too. AirBnb has over 7 million listings in 220 regions worldwide, so there is plenty to pick from!

Vrbo: Vrbo is a vacation rental service like AirBnb, but Vrbo came 13 years before AirBnb in 1995. Vrbo being in service for over 25 years makes me comfortable trusting their platform. If you’re looking for an AirBnb alternative, Vrbo is an excellent choice. Plus, Vrbo is chock-full of liveaboard boat rentals.
Live Aboard: I like Live Aboard as a boat rental service because Liveaboard filters for boat rentals specifically. There isn’t an easy method to find liveaboard boat rentals on general rental sites like AirBnb and Vrbo. The inability to filter by liveaboard boat stays can make finding the perfect star on AirBnb or Vrbo a long and arduous process. However, with Live Aboard, your searching process is more streamlined.
Get My Boat: Get My Boat is a service similar to Live Aboard. The only drawback with Get My Boat over Live Aboard is that Get My Boat specializes more in hourly rentals rather than nightly. However, you can easily toggle the search function to filter for nightly stays with Get My Boat!

Types of Liveaboard Boats for Rent

You’ll find both luxury and… not so luxury.

The beauty of rent by owner sites is the variety of boats offered. You’ll find any type of boat you can imagine, including small yachts and catamarans, liveaboard cruise ships you can rent a room on, and even some neat older Ketchs that will remind you of the Mayflower.

What Countries Can I Rent a Liveaboard Boat In?

You can rent a liveaboard boat in over 180 countries, so you’ll have no trouble finding a solid rental anywhere you desire. Rent by owner services offer a range of boats and a range of locations. For example, Get My Boat offers over 150,000 rental units in 184 countries!

Here are the best marinas for liveaboard in Florida

What’s It Like To Live on a Boat?

Living on a boat is more similar to living in an RV than living in a home. When you’re on a boat, centralized water and electric grids aren’t an option, so you have to be prepared to monitor your resource consumption, especially when it comes to electricity, food, fuel, and water.

Tips and Tricks for Living on a Boat

Living on a boat is an adventure, and no adventure would be complete without some obstacles along the way! Here are a few tips and tricks to help reduce some obstacles and make living on a boat easier:

Meticulousl plan the little things. When you live in a home, small questions like where to keep your food should have easy answers. You have to thoroughly plan for the simple challenges you’ll face on a boat.

Look for boat-specific flea markets. If you’re looking for the boating essentials and want to save a buck, look for boat-specific flea markets. Most beachside towns will have a boat-oriented flea market, and you’ll appreciate the low price of boating essentials.
Learn some maintenance skills. Among the top costs of boat ownership are maintenance costs. Hiring someone to work on these maintenance projects could increase your annual maintenance cost three to five times! Invest in yourself, and learn to maintain your boat solo.
Monitor your consumption. The most difficult part of living on a boat is the finite resources. However, it doesn’t have to be a major barrier to living on a boat with proper organization. Stick with the general rule of thumb for energy consumption; your battery capacity should be three to four times your daily energy expenditure.

Can I Buy a Boat To Rent Out?

Anyone can list a boat on any rent by owner service. However, renting out a boat isn’t easy work. You need to purchase a livable boat, which costs you time or money, then find a good location to moor your boat, which can also be challenging.

You can buy a boat to rent out if you have the capital to invest in a rental boat. The initial investment can cost tens of thousands of dollars or hundreds of hours of renovation work. Still, some liveaboard boats rent for hundreds of dollars per night, so there’s potential to make your money back.

It can be a great investment, yet the high initial investment turns tons of potential boat renters away.

However, if you’re willing to put in the time researching and refurbishing a boat, buying a rental boat is a sound plan! Plus, I can help you get started with your research. Check out Towers 4 Boats article titled Earn Money Renting Your Boat for more info.

Final Thoughts

There are thousands of boats for you to choose to live on board. Plus, these thousands of boats are spread over one hundred countries and thousands of destinations!

We live in a golden age of liveaboard boat rentals, so take advantage! Whether that means renting a boat for a fun weekend with your friends, using rental services to see if you’d like to buy your own boat, or even renting out your own boat, there’s never been a better time to get in the boat rental space!

Sources

West Marine: Sizing Your House Battery Bank