Agreement template
A boat rental agreement template, clause by clause.
A rental agreement sets the terms of a boat rental: what your customer rents, when it comes back, what it costs and who pays for damage. Here's what goes in one, and how to set it up so every customer gets it filled in from their booking.
Not legal advice. Rules differ per state and per country.
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What goes in a boat rental agreement.
Most boat rental agreements cover these ten things, in the order your customer runs into them. Each one settles a question before it comes up at the dock.
The parties
Your business name, and the name of the person who rents. That's the one who pays and answers for the boat, not everyone on board.
The boat and the time
Which boat or which type, when it goes out and when it comes back, and where. Say what a late return costs: a fee per 15 minutes or per hour leaves less to discuss than "at our discretion".
The price
The rental price, the taxes, and anything added at the dock. And when it's due: in full when they book, or a down payment now and the rest before they leave.
Fuel
Included, or charged after the trip by what the gauge shows. For an electric boat: is it fully charged when they leave, and what happens when the battery runs low?
The security deposit
Do you take one? Then say how much, how you take it (a hold on the card, or a payment you return), and when it comes back. List what you may keep it for.
Who drives
The minimum age, and any boating license or boater education card your state asks for. Only the renter, or others too once they have signed?
The rules on board
How many people, life jackets, alcohol and where they may go. No towing or racing, unless you allow it.
Damage and loss
Who pays for damage, lost gear and a tow back, and up to what amount. Whether your insurance covers part of it, and what the renter pays first.
Weather and cancellation
Who decides a trip can't go out, and what the customer gets back then. Next to that, your normal cancellation terms, by how many days before the trip they cancel.
Signature and date
One signature from the renter. Want every adult on board to sign for the risks? That's the waiver.
Set up your rental agreement once, properly.
Skip the paper on a clipboard. Put your agreement in WaiverForever, the waiver software we work with, and link it to Let's Book. Then every customer gets the right agreement with their booking, already filled in.
01Start from a template
WaiverForever has a free one for boating, among more than a thousand. Already have an agreement as a PDF? That works too.
02Add your terms
The ten parts above, filled in for your business: your times, prices, fuel, your rules on board, and the security deposit if you take one.
03Have it checked
We're not lawyers, so have a lawyer or your insurer read it before you use it.
04Link it to your bookings
In Let's Book you pick which rentals and trips need it. From then on, every customer gets it with their booking.
Your rental terms, with every booking.
Let's Book is booking software for boat rentals, tours and charters. The agreement comes with the booking, so there's less to sign and settle at the dock.
Already filled in
The booking and customer details are already in it: the name, the date, the boat and the dock. Nobody types anything twice.
Signed at home
Your customer signs on their phone before they arrive. Forgot? One filter shows who hasn't signed, and they scan a QR code at the dock.
Your terms in the booking form
Your terms and conditions are part of the booking form too, in each customer's own language.
Work with a security deposit?
Your customer pays it with the booking. After the trip you keep back what you need, each cost on its own line, and return the rest from the booking.
Read more about waivers in Let's Book and security deposits. You'll need your own WaiverForever account, which you pay them for.
Questions about boat rental agreements.
What's the difference between a boat rental agreement and a waiver?
The agreement sets the terms: the time, the price, the security deposit, fuel, damage and cancellation. The waiver is your customer accepting the risks of boating and releasing you from certain claims. Many operators put the two in one document. Our page about boat rental waivers says what goes in a waiver.
Do I need a boat rental agreement if I have a waiver?
Yes, because a waiver doesn't say what the rental costs, when the boat comes back or what you may keep from a deposit. Without written terms, those turn into a discussion at the dock.
Can customers sign a boat rental agreement online?
Usually, yes. Whether an online signature holds where you rent out boats is a question for your lawyer, or for WaiverForever. In Let's Book your customers sign at home, through WaiverForever, with the booking details already filled in.
Can I use the agreement I already have?
Yes. Put it in WaiverForever, for example as a PDF. Let's Book fills in the details from the booking, so your customer only completes the rest.
How much security deposit should I ask for a boat rental?
If you take one, a simple way to set it is to make it the deductible on your insurance. Then the deposit covers the part of a claim you'd pay yourself. Our article on asking for a deposit weighs up both sides.
Who is allowed to drive a rental boat?
That depends on your state or country, and on your insurer. In the US, the rules for who may drive a boat differ per state, and often depend on age. Put your rule in the agreement, and check it at pick-up.
Is a template enough?
A template is a good start, not the whole job. Make it fit your boats, your rules and your state, and have a lawyer or your insurer check it.
Iwan, Berend and Robbe, our support team
Put your agreement in every booking.
In a half-hour video call, we show you Let's Book with your own boats already in it, if you send us your website. No strings attached.
No setup fee, no minimum term.