BoatDay has joined the boat-sharing party, launching recently in the sizzling hot and increasingly crowded Miami market. However, this Miami-based company says it has a new take on the concept: per-person pricing.
While other services make it easy to rent a boat or even a yacht for a day of fun in the sun, the BoatDay app connect potential passengers with boat owners, what it calls “Hosts,” who are willing to take guests out for a "BoatDay" for such activities as cruising, fishing, sailing or water sports. “We created BoatDay to provide all those interested in boating experiences with a more convenient, reliable, and affordable way to enjoy a day on the water,” said BoatDay founder Kimon Korres, who practiced corporate law at White & Case before launching BoatDay.
According to BoatDay, here’s how it works: Users download the iOS app and can choose from boating activities to partake in. Filters will match users with BoatDays meeting their criteria, including the hosts willing take them out on the water. Boat owners essentially get paid to take out their boats rather than handing over the keys to strangers, BoatDay says.
BoatDay, which is only available in South Florida so far, says its hosts are fully screened, including criminal background checks. Like other boat-sharing services, hosts and guests provide ratings and reviews. BoatDay requires its hosts have their own private boat insurance, and BoatDay provides $500,000 in liability coverage, less than some of its competitors. Emergency on-water assistance is accessible through the app. More info: boatdayapp.com.
As of now there are just 10 listings on the BoatDay site, which include $35 for four hours of fishing or paddle-boarding to $66 for sailing and $136 person on a 50-foot yacht. There are no user reviews so far for the current version of the app or the hosts.
Which of the boat-sharing companies will make the biggest splash? We'll have to wait and see. But I guess my high school friend and his "brother with a boat" were ahead of their time when they would charge us $5 or $10 to sign up for one of their weekend "short or long" boat trips. They made a killing -- long before the Internet.