1. What the boat books in a typical in-season week
2. The water, the weather and your time
3. Dock, insurance and the boat
4. Marketplace listing and captained charter
Enter your numbers or load the example, then click Work out the boat.
Result
Each offer
| Offer | Price | Cost | Profit per rental | Margin | Per boat hour | Price for target |
|---|
The week at different volumes: what the boat nets three ways
| Volume | Booked | Boat hours | Boat used | Rent direct, after your dock time | List on a marketplace | Captained charter |
|---|
The arithmetic, and what it leaves out
- Only rentals that happen earn money or burn fuel. A weather cancellation empties the slot, so its margin is lost, and the boat's fixed cost is paid regardless.
- The dock, insurance, other fixed cost and the boat spread over the years you keep it are paid all year, but only the weeks you can rent earn, so they are divided by your season weeks. A rental costs its fuel and wear for the hours on the water, your dock time to turn the boat round, and its share of that weekly fixed cost.
- A marketplace takes its commission on every rental and is assumed to bring the extra bookings you type. A captained charter sells the same trips at a premium and pays a captain for every hour on the water, with the captain handling the turnaround.
- Not modelled: tips and fuel surcharges, sales and rental taxes, card fees, damage and deductibles, winter storage and haul-out, any pay to you beyond the hourly figure, advertising, captain licensing and charter permits, seasonality inside the season, and income tax.
Common questions
How much should I charge to rent out a boat, jet ski or pontoon?
Add the fuel and wear for the hours on the water, your own dock time to hand the boat over and clean it, and the rental's share of the boat's dock, insurance and purchase cost, then divide by one minus the margin you want. The fixed cost is the part most owners miss: it falls on only the weeks you can rent, not the fifty-two you pay for. Type your own numbers and read the price off.
Is it worth listing my boat on a rental marketplace?
A marketplace takes a commission on every rental and, if it works, brings bookings you would not get on your own. The calculator prints what the boat nets per week renting direct and listed, and the lift in bookings at which the two are equal. If you expect fewer extra bookings than that, rent direct; if you expect more, list.
Is a captained charter more profitable than renting the boat out self-drive?
A charter sells the same hours at a higher price but you pay a captain for every hour on the water. The calculator prints the weekly net of both and the premium over your self-drive prices at which a captain pays for himself. Licensing, charter insurance and whether you may charter at all depend on your jurisdiction and are not modelled.
How many rentals a week does a rental boat need to break even?
The boat's weekly fixed cost during the season divided by what each rental that happens leaves after fuel, wear and your dock time. The result is shown as rentals that happen and rentals you would have to book at your own weather and cancellation rate.
What do weather cancellations cost a rental business?
Each lost rental loses its margin unless you can rebook the hours. The calculator multiplies your cancellation rate by the week's bookings and shows the cost per week and per season, so you can compare it with a rebooking credit or a kept deposit.
What does this leave out?
Tips and fuel surcharges, sales and rental taxes, card fees, damage and deductibles, winter storage and haul-out, your own pay beyond the hourly figure, advertising, captain licensing, seasonality inside the season, and income tax. It is a planning aid, not an estimate of record.
Is my data uploaded?
No. Everything runs in your browser tab and nothing is sent anywhere. There are no accounts. The share link keeps your numbers in the link itself, which you choose whether to send.