Providing a boat??

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KathyG
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Joined: Sat Jan 28, 2006 9:31 am
Location: Le Faou, Brittany
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Providing a boat??

Post by KathyG »

Hi all,

This is our first year in the holiday rental business and it would have been a complete nightmare without this site. Thank you so much all of you for your input and ideas on just about every subject - very much appreciated!!

We're buying a boat initially for our own use, we have an estuary at the bottom of the garden, and we were wondering how we'd stand insurance-wise if we were to allow guests to use it too. I'd like it to be available but would it cause lots of potential problems?

Does anyone have any experience of this or similar, also could we have problems letting them use the bikes?

Kathy
la vache!
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Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 7:22 pm

Post by la vache! »

I have quite a few bikes that I lend out to guests and I have never had any problems. I do let them know that any accidents or injuries are down to them, although my public liability insurance does actually cover this. What sort of boat are you getting? Is it a little rowing boat or a motor boat? If it is the former, then I'm sure it would be the same thing, just check with your insurers. If it is a motor boat of over 6CV, then you need a licence, so I wouldn't lend it out. Even if it is less than 6CV and a licence isn't required, you may have to pay excess insurance. I know when we hired a little motor boat from St Malo we had to pay a fortune as a deposit in case of an accident and the hire wasn't cheap either.
KathyG
Posts: 3274
Joined: Sat Jan 28, 2006 9:31 am
Location: Le Faou, Brittany
Contact:

Post by KathyG »

Thank you Susan. We haven't planned whether it'll be a rowing boat or something with an engine yet, I was just anticipating problems........! Is it difficult to get a licence should we go for something more than 6CV? Does CV stand for cheval?!

kathy
A-two
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Location: USA

Post by A-two »

If you give them a boat and they have a couple of drinks before taking it out for a spin, then run over a swimmer, or run aground and sheer the prop, or overload the boat with people, capsize and drown, do you think that you might be in trouble?

Our view is that we are not in the business of renting boats or any kind of sports equipment and would rather leave that to the professionals who do it all day long every day for a living and are fully licensed and insured.

I only know of one person who keeps a couple of kayaks at their house and allows tenants to use them, but they had an attorney draw up a separate contract for use of water sports equipment that must be signed.
la vache!
Posts: 11065
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 7:22 pm

Post by la vache! »

I agree with Joanna - if it is going to be anything over a rowing boat, you will have problems. To get a licence, you need to do a theory exam and a practical exam - I know they run courses in St Malo but they take a number of days to do and it is unlikely that any of your guests will have the relevant licence. Even for a 6CV (horsepower) boat it could be dangerous as Joanna rightly said - they could easily overload it, take it out when they have been drinking, run it over rocks or not moor it properly. Even 6CV boats are not cheap and although we have considered it for the future, it would be on the basis that my other half would get the licence and take people out, I don't think I would ever trust complete novices to do it themselves.
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