Author
Iwan de Ploeg
Founder of Let's Book, and a boat rental business owner for twenty years, in Utrecht and Amsterdam. The articles are about starting and running a rental, tour or charter business.
Twenty years in boat rental
It started in 2006 with Sloep Huren Utrecht, organized boat trips in Utrecht. Sloepdelen came in 2009, with boats in Amsterdam, Utrecht, Haarlem and Leiden, and Adam's Boats in Amsterdam in 2019. Since 2025 Utrecht Canal Cruises also sells tickets for canal cruises. All those boats are maintained by The Boat Constructors in Aalsmeer, another company of mine. And with Nord Boats we're trying to build the ideal rental boat.
So hourly rental, group trips and tickets: I sell all three myself. How they differ, I know from practice.
Let's Book started in 2015, because at our docks the keys kept ending up in the water. The Let's Book team built a system that unlocks the boat from the booking. Other operators wanted that too, and it grew into software that rental companies, tour operators and charters all over the world run on.
At Let's Book I do business development. So I talk with a lot of rental companies, tour operators and charters, all over the world, and what I hear from them, the team uses to make Let's Book better.
I studied management and organizational science in Utrecht, but what I write here, as a boat baron, about pricing, planning and growth comes from practice: from those companies and from the operators I talk with.
Articles by Iwan de Ploeg
20 articles on starting a rental business and getting more from the boats you have.
FareHarbor pricing and fees, worked out for boat rentals
What FareHarbor costs a boat rental: the booking fee your customer pays, card processing, refunds and the contract, worked out on pontoon and charter prices.
Best boat club software in 2026: six tools compared
The best boat club software in 2026, compared on what each vendor publishes: booking rules, membership dues, guests on the same boats and price.
Best boat rental software in 2026: prices and fees compared
Twelve boat rental tools side by side: monthly prices, booking fees and who pays them, free and pay-as-you-go plans, deposits and waivers.
How to start a private boat charter business
Start a private boat charter business, a party boat or a boat tour for groups: Coast Guard rules, what one cruise earns, down payments, gratuity and weather.
More direct bookings for your yacht charter, less commission
How a charter with one to five boats in Greece or elsewhere in the Med gets more guests to book direct, and keeps the commission a broker would take.
How to price a day charter in Greece and the Mediterranean
How to price a skippered day charter in Greece and the Med: half day, full day or sunset, the boat, fuel, extras, the season and the meltemi.
Charter management for 1 to 5 boats, from message to payment
How a charter company with one to five boats in the Mediterranean runs the season: one calendar, the down payment, the contract, the galley and the wind.
How to start a boat club
How to start a boat club in eight steps, from the first plan to your first members: the money, the boats, the location, the membership and the rules.
Santos and Let's Book launch a starter kit for boat rentals
A starter kit for a new boat rental: the Santos One electric boat, ready to connect to Let's Book, and bookings that start before the boat arrives.
Trends in boat rentals for the 2027 season
Eight boat rental trends for 2027 with sources: travel close to home, offline and late bookings, OTAs, phone payments, electric boats, clubs and AI search.
How to schedule boat rentals with buffer time
How to plan buffer time between boat rentals: room to clean, to check the boat, to absorb a late return and to welcome the next customer at the dock.
How to connect an electric boat fleet
In a connected fleet, a hardware module in each boat lets the customer start it from their phone at the booked time. You see every trip from one screen.
9 marketing ideas to rent out the same boat more often
Boat rental marketing ideas: nine groups of customers for the same boat, from locals on Saturday to companies on Tuesday, and how to reach each one.
What to look for when you switch to electric boats
Electric boats are quiet, need no fuel runs and suit keyless rental. What they mean for your neighbors, your customers and your day at the dock.
The boat rental customer journey, from search to rebooking
Every step a customer takes to rent a boat, from the first search to the next booking, and what you can do at each step to win them and bring them back.
Membership ideas for your boat rental
Membership ideas for your boat rental: a member rate, ride packages, a season pass, loyalty rewards or a boat club. Who each one suits, and how to set it up.
Pros and cons of asking for a security deposit
The pros and cons of a security deposit for boat rental, and the ways in between: a deposit per boat, per add-on or per customer type.
How to choose the right boats for your boat rental business
Rowboats, sailboats, motorboats or electric boats: what each one asks of you and your customers, and how to pick the boats for your first fleet.
How to start a boat rental business: a first-season guide
Start a boat rental business with one to three boats: the rules in the US and the Netherlands, what one boat must earn, insurance and your first season.
A step-by-step guide to your boat rental website
How to build a boat rental website that takes bookings: pick a builder, plan the pages, show good photos, get found on Google and let customers pay online.
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