Alex Warner of Delray Beach is a director of Boatsetter, which makes privately owned boats
available for rent. He’s standing on the bridge of the 65-foot Floating Price, one of the largest boats
listed on Boatsetter.com, at Marina Delray.
Willie Howard/The Coastal Star
By Willie Howard
A South Florida company with offices in Delray Beach and Hypoluxo is competing with other boat-sharing companies to make a variety of privately owned boats available to people who want to explore the water.
Boatsetter.com is something like Airbnb for boaters. It is a platform for boat owners to rent out their boats when they’re not using them, often with licensed captains at the helm.
Collaborative Boating Inc., based in Aventura, launched the Boatsetter concept in 2013.
The company’s website, Boatsetter.com, has been live for about a year and, as of early September, had about 220 boats listed — most of them between Jupiter and Key West.
On Sept. 15, Boatsetter announced its merger with Cruzin. The combined company uses the Boatsetter name, has more than 3,000 boats listed in locations throughout the country, and claims to have the largest network of licensed captains in the boat-sharing business.
“We are jumping on the burgeoning collaborative- consumption movement by bringing great on-the-water experiences to the more than 80 million millennials who are looking for new and exciting experiences,” said Jaclyn Baumgarten, the founder of Cruzin who now serves as Boatsetter’s chief executive officer.
Boatsetter also has partnerships with marinas, such as Palm Beach Yacht Center in Hypoluxo and the Loggerhead group of marinas, which includes a Lantana location, to help promote and deliver private boat chartering services to consumers.
Participating marinas facilitate the check-in, check-out process, as do Boatsetter affiliates — boating wonks who book rentals and handle the details for owners who prefer not to be bothered.
A marketing campaign is planned this fall to promote Boatsetter’s system to renters, boat owners and captains, said Alex Warner of Delray Beach, a Boatsetter director and investor who also owns Gulfstream Boat Club, a boat-rental business based at Marina Delray.
“It’s a cross between Uber and Airbnb,” Warner said, referring to the company’s role of using technology to connect end users to private owners.
Why would someone charter a private boat through a website such as Boatsetter instead of simply renting a boat?
It’s partly about choices.
Rental boats tend to be limited in size, style and location, while a variety of privately owned boats in many locations are available through peer-to-peer boat chartering companies such as Boatsetter and Boatbound.
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Boatsetter boats are available with licensed captains, and many owners require the use of a captain. That adds to the cost, but also offers the advantage of local knowledge for renters who are new to boating or visiting from out of town.
Warner said boat-sharing companies have the potential to boost the marine industry by helping boat owners cover their costs, introducing more people to boating and enabling captains to find more work on the water.
Chris Shaffner, owner of TowBoatUS Palm Beach, invested in Boatsetter and became the company’s general manager after being introduced to the concept.
“I’ve been looking for a way to reinvigorate boating, and this is the best thing I’ve seen come along in 25 years,” said Shaffner, who is a member of Florida’s Boating Advisory Council.
Most boats are not heavily used by their owners. According to the National Marine Manufacturers Association, about 12 million boats are registered in the United States. On average, owners use their boats 28 days a year.
Shaffner says Boatsetter’s emphasis on the use of licensed captains is a good thing.
“I see a lot of people with more boat than they can operate,” he said. “It turns into a bad experience for them, and they get out of boating.”
In addition to facilitating the connection between boat owner to boat user, Boatsetter screens captains and renters and provides insurance that covers the period of the charter along with BoatUS towing insurance in case of problems.
Boatsetter charges a 30 percent commission and passes along the costs of captains (if used), charter insurance and towing insurance. Renters pay for fuel in addition to the charter fee. A $500 security deposit is held in case the boat is returned dirty or low on fuel.
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