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Step 1
Decide what time of year you want to charter a motorboat and what location you want to charter from. Next, figure out how many people will be aboard.
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Step 2
Decide on how many days you want to charter the boat on your vacation. Small sport and fishing boats under about 24-feet long can be chartered on a daily basis, or for up to 4 weeks, typically. Larger motorboats and yachts may have a minimum of 3 days for bareboat charters.
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Step 3
Figure out what size boat you want, depending on the number of people in your group and how much you want to pay. Small boats can be rented on a daily basis for fees ranging from $200 to $600 per day, depending type of boat and location. Larger boats and motor yachts (30 feet to more than 200 feet in length) can be chartered for as little as $550 per day to more than $500,000 per day.
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Step 4
Determine whether you or somebody else in your charter group has the qualifications for being the "captain" of the boat. If nobody in your group is experienced, you will have to stick to small boats, or pay a licensed captain’s daily fee.
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Step 5
Find a boat charter or rental company on the internet by running a search on "boat rentals" plus the name of the location you want. For example "boat rentals Abacos" should give you a good list of boat rental companies in the Abacos islands of the Bahamas. Compare boats, terms and prices, and choose a rental that fits your needs
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Step 6
Find out what all the terms of the charter are, including charter deposit, security deposit, cancellation terms, hours for boarding and return, and taxes. If all the terms aren’t agreeable, look for another company. Before you make the reservation, try to get a deposit from everybody in your group, so they can’t cancel and leave you responsible for the entire deposit.
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Step 7
Make your reservation after confirming the dates with your party and getting deposits. Use your credit card to make the required deposit, and keep printed records of the transaction.
