The three steps
The same spine as the home page, with what actually happens underneath each one.
Pick your day
Search by date, trip type and group size. The date filter is real: a boat that is already booked or blacked out on the day you chose does not appear at all, so you are never picking from boats that cannot take you. Every listing shows its dock location on the map before you book, not just a city.
Book it or request it
Listings work one of two ways, and the listing page tells you which before you commit. Either way you see the full price before anything happens.
Confirmed on the spot
- Your slot is locked before your card is charged, so if two people go for the same time, the one who loses is never charged
- Captains can require a lead time of 24 or 48 hours
- You still get a full refund for the first 60 minutes
Captain confirms
- Nothing is charged when you request. No hold, no authorization
- The captain has 24 hours. We nudge them with 6 hours left
- If they do not answer, the request expires on its own and you were never charged
Meet your captain
The exact dock address unlocks the moment you are confirmed, along with a direct message thread with your captain. You get a reminder before the trip. After it, you can leave a review, and only guests who actually completed a trip can.
When your money moves
The single most common question, answered in order. Payments and payouts run through Stripe.
You send a request
Nothing happens to your card. No charge, no hold.
The captain accepts
This is the moment you are charged. On instant book, this and the step above are the same moment.
The captain declines, or lets it expire
Nothing to refund, because nothing was ever taken.
You cancel
How much comes back depends on how far out the trip is. The table below is the whole policy.
The captain cancels
You are refunded in full, always, whatever the timing.
Cancellations
The clock runs to the real departure time in the boat's own time zone, not to midnight.
Questions people ask
The answers people usually want before they choose a boat.
Who is actually driving the boat?
A licensed captain. It might be the owner or someone they hire, and either way that person's license is checked separately from the boat.
See what we check →Is the trip insured?
BoatDay does not insure trips. Every captain must either carry their own liability insurance or have passengers sign a waiver, and we check which one before they can list.
The full detail is on Trust and safety →What if the weather is bad?
Your captain makes that call and will message you. A captain cancellation is always a full refund.
Do I need experience?
No. You are a guest on a crewed trip, not renting a boat to drive yourself.
Where exactly do we meet?
The listing shows the dock on a map before you book. The street address is shared once you are confirmed.
Got a boat?
A flat 13%, and your first 3 trips are just 5%. We bring you the customers.
List your boat