Renting a vessel is an excellent option for spending a holiday. Rental prices have decreased in recent years and become accessible to a wider audience. However, be cautious. Attractive rental prices can turn into an exceptionally expensive and stressful holiday.
Most renters rent a vessel through intermediaries who market charter company vessels. The intermediaries have little influence on the quality of the vessel and services you will receive, but they can help you choose a verified charter company that will offer you a quality vessel and, in case of any issues, resolve them fairly.
Problems with the rental can arise at three points: upon vessel pickup, after departure, and during the rental period, and the most unpleasant part is the vessel return. For any damages discovered during the vessel return, you will be responsible, and the charter company will charge you for the repair costs.
It is difficult to avoid all problems. They also depend on the honesty of the charter company. The best option you have is to secure the deposit insurance.
Take your time during the vessel pickup. Mistakes that you don’t find on the vessel will be your cost. Therefore, thoroughly inspect the vessel and check all elements of the pickup protocol. Count the inventory and record the number of each item listed on the protocol. If any equipment is damaged, note it in the protocol. Inspect the hull and any damage. Mark damages, scratches, or marks on a picture, and if possible, take photos with your camera. Do the same for any visible equipment damage. Take additional pictures of different parts of the vessel where you may have missed something, which will help when returning the vessel. Write all your observations in the handover protocol. Before taking over the vessel, discuss with the charter company any parts that you cannot inspect easily in the marina, such as the underwater part of the vessel and its damages. The hull, keel, rudder, and propeller are especially important. Damage to these parts will be the most expensive. Therefore, ask the charter company to confirm that the vessel has been issued in undamaged condition.
Once you have signed the pickup protocol, you have confirmed that you accepted the vessel in the condition specified in the protocol. During the use of the vessel, it may turn out that you missed some defects before taking it over and recording them. When you notice a problem, immediately notify the charter company and describe the conditions under which the damage was discovered. Based on this, it will be possible to determine whether the damage occurred due to your usage or if the damage is of such a nature that you could not have caused it. One such problem is strong vibrations when using the engine at normal cruising speed. The propeller might be bent, the bearings on the shaft might be damaged, or the engine could be malfunctioning. The problem did not appear in the marina when you started the engine because it was running unloaded in idle. Similar issues can arise with the autopilot, anchor winch, electronics, water pumps, bilge pumps, auxiliary engine, and more.
After your holiday, the vessel return awaits you. A stressful moment when it will be determined whether you caused any damage to the vessel or not. All the damages that you did not find during the vessel pickup or report during use might have been caused during your use. If the charter company finds them upon vessel return, they will charge you for the repair costs and retain the deposit. The repair cost will typically be roughly estimated, and you will usually pay more than the actual repair costs.
Deposit insurance has recently become a popular way to protect yourself from the potential withholding of the deposit and the costs of repairing damages caused to the vessel. It is insurance, so the amount will not be refunded to you even if you return the vessel undamaged.
Example of deposit insurance cost for vessel rental:
| Amount of deposit in EUR | Amount of deposit insurance with deductible in EUR | Deductible | Amount of deposit insurance without deductible in EUR |
| 500 | 67 | 50 | 88 |
| 600 | 80 | 50 | 104 |
| 1.000 | 131 | 50 | 171 |
| 1.300 | 151 | 50 | 196 |
| 1.500 | 168 | 75 | 219 |
| 1.600 | 176 | 75 | 229 |
| 1.800 | 192 | 75 | 249 |
| 2.000 | 215 | 75 | 279 |
| 2.500 | 267 | 100 | 348 |
| 3.000 | 319 | 100 | 415 |
| 3.500 | 377 | 150 | 490 |
| 4.000 | 429 | 150 | 558 |
| 4.500 | 522 | 200 | 678 |
| 5.000 | 582 | 200 | 758 |
Source: enavtika.si
