Lake and Bay Boat Rentals / Guides / Before you rent
Guide
Before you rent a boat
A calm rental day is usually one where the agreement, the weather and the boat’s own limits were checked on shore. The points below are prompts, not a legal summary.
Documents and who may drive
Bring a photo ID. Whether you need a boating licence, a card, an online test certificate or nothing at all is set by the place you are on the water, and sometimes by the operator’s insurer. This page does not state those rules. Ask the rental desk what they will accept, and if a licence is required, confirm it with the official issuing body for that water, not with a blog.
The agreement
- The start and end time, and what a late return costs.
- Whether fuel is included, and whether the boat must come back full.
- The deposit and what it is held against.
- What you are responsible for if the hull, the prop or the canopy is damaged.
- The area you are allowed to go, and any marked shallows they want you to avoid.
Use the rental cost calculator with the hire rate on that agreement, not with a figure guessed from this site. Place pages have coordinates and a 2024 weather snapshot; check a forecast as well.
The boat itself
Read the capacity plate and compare it with your group using the capacity-plate check. Count lifejackets against the number of people, including children, and ask for a size that fits before you leave the dock. Confirm a working whistle or horn, a bailer or pump, a torch if you could be out late, and a way to call the desk. If anything on that list is missing, say so on shore.
Weather and a plan to turn back
Agree, before you start, that you will come in if the wind or the visibility changes. Tell someone on shore when you expect to be back. A printed checklist and a cost worksheet are in the Day on the Water Planner, $5 (KSh 650).