The answer is yes, with some caveats.
“If you have a boat, you can rent it out,” says Sgt. David Moffat, the provincial marine and ATV coordinator with the OPP.
Under the Canada Shipping Act, any operator of a motorized vessel needs to carry some proof of competency. This could be a pleasure craft operator card (obtained from a boating course), a boating license earned prior to 1999, or a rental boat safety checklist provided by the owner. As long as your renter carries one of these three forms of documentation, they’re legally allowed to be out on the water in your vessel.
Here’s where it gets tricky. If your boat rental includes services such as crew or a captain—be it yourself or an outsourced operator—then it becomes a commercial vessel. Moffat says the OPP and other boat safety organizations are working with Transport Canada on the legal logistics of using a pleasure craft for commercial purposes. Currently, any boat where people on board are paying for a service are considered to be commercial crafts, meaning the operator is required to follow non-pleasure craft rules under the Canada Shipping Act.
As for insurance, similar principles apply. Renting a personal vessel—with or without included services—requires a commercial policy.
Jared Chartrand, a boat insurance broker and the president of Northstar Marine Insurance, says that personal policies typically have clauses that prevent boaters from using the boat for commercial activity. If you’re looking to get into the watercraft rental game, it’s a bit of a long-haul decision that requires swapping your personal policy for a commercial one.
“In effect, you’re running a business and you need to protect yourself,” says Chartrand. Without a commercial policy, the boat owner would be held personally liable if an accident occurred on the water.
It’s a move that is likely not worth the efforts for owners considering occasional rentals. “There isn’t anything that a one-off rental situation would allow you to purchase,” says Chartrand. “We don’t recommend it.”
Additionally, Transport Canada requires that all boats with motors of 10 horsepower or more have liability insurance and a pleasure craft license.
But if you’re ready to take on a new insurance policy and safely work with renters, then go forth! Rent your boat privately, or use rental companies to connect with renters.
For a service like Getmyboat, rental requirements are largely based on local laws and the owner is required to purchase their own insurance.
“It’s the owner’s responsibility to verify that the renter has the correct qualifications,” says Val Streif, a marketing manager with Getmyboat. The organization recommends providing renters with safety checklists, but it’s not mandatory.
All in all? Renting out your boat can be a great option to get your money’s worth from your vessel. But with any rental comes potential liability, so make sure you’re abiding by boating laws and insurance requirements.
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