The Airbnb of boats: This app lets you cruise to a boat rental on your phone
For water-lovers interested in renting jet skis, pontoon boats, fishing charters and yachts, the GetMyBoat app is available in Alberta.
Launched in 2013 in San Francisco, the boat rental app has expanded across North America -- with significant growth in Canada in 2020.
Through the app, renters can choose their water experience and location. An inquiry is then sent directly to the boat owner who responds with availability and pricing. Bookings and payments are done online.
“With an app you are going to see lots of price transparency, lots of different options. Sometimes you travel to a marina and they tell you they have one pontoon and its going to be a $1,000,” said GetMyBoat marketing manager Val Streif.
Josh Frick, a local boat owner, uses the GetMyBoat app to rent his wake-surf boat which can cost anywhere from $100,000 to $200,000.
“We’ve rented our boat out probably six or seven times now through GetMyBoat and it’s worked quite well,” said Frick.
His boat is rented with a captain who launches and drives the boat. Frick’s boat is supplied with water-sport equipment such as tubes and wakeboards and rents for $300 an hour. The minimum to rent the boat is three hours. Boat owners set their own prices for rentals and a service fee of 8.5 per cent is included in the fee.
He says the app allows for him to break-even on his boat costs while providing summer fun for a family or group of friends.
“Other people may not get the opportunity to own a boat like this so we will rent it to them at a reduced cost of actual cost to run a boat,” he said.
More on the boat rentals can be found online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.
DEVELOPING Israel says Hamas deal is 'far' from meeting its demands as Rafah offensive looms
Israel said the terms of a ceasefire deal Hamas accepted on Monday remained 'far from' meeting its demands and warned its military operations in Rafah would continue, even as it sent negotiators to talk to mediators.
2024 Met Gala: Everything to know about fashion's annual soiree
Fashion's biggest night out — hosted at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York each year on the first Monday of May — is both a forever-evolving spectacle and a carefully crafted event.