MISSOULA — You can rent a house, a car, a pool, and now a boat.
Get My Boat is a national company that started in 2012, when the founders looked around their local marina and saw boats just sitting there, so they decided to do something about it that would benefit both the boat owner and boaters.
It is no secret that boating is an expensive activity but Get My Boat allows boat owners to rent out their boats to those who want to get out on the water for some fun.
“Bring accessibility to water experiences and the joys of boating to more people and also help people who own boats offset the costs of ownership,” said Val Streif, Get My Boat marketing manager.
In Missoula, there are currently four listings for boats to rent, including guided fishing trips. In order to rent a boat, you head online and search for the area you want to rent in.
You can filter by dates, group size, or budget. Each situation differs, sometimes owners tow boats to the water or they have a slip at the marina. From the booking page, you can communicate directly with the boat owner to figure out those details.
“Click on that one of the boat options, you can send a booking inquiry to the owner or captain, you say, I want this for this many hours, you know, leaving at this time this many people and you can add any notes for your itinerary, and then the captain or owner will respond with an offer,” said Streif.
The process is quick and easy and issues do arise, there's a 24/7 customer service team ready to help.
"Owners, you know they are required to follow the rules of their insurance," said Streif. "We do have insurance offerings for both bare boat and charter coverage through a partner if people are interested in going with us but we, you know, we allow people to go with whatever plan works for them.”
There is also an option for those unfamiliar with operating a boat to have a captain, both on big and small vessels. Get My Boat also has listings for paddle boards and kayaks.
Rental prices vary, but one thing is for sure, there is fun to be had, in whatever way you decide to get out on the water.
