Renting or chartering a yacht in South Florida can be a very simple and enjoyable process if you are dealing with an established and professional yacht charter or boat rental company. Do not let a website fool you, take the time to visit the operators and speak to them first hand and if distance or time does not allow you this option at least ask questions and ask for referrals. The luxury yacht charter & boat rental companies who own and operate their own fleet of vessels have more control over decisions on pricing and special request packaging for custom charters. You may be dealing with a broker at first and unfortunately not all brokers are equal and although we work with some of the finest in South Florida , there are still some operators that are not keeping up with standards and honesty. Do not be afraid to ask questions and shop around because renting or chartering a boat or yacht is a simple experience. I hope the following terms and explanations will serve to make the chartering experience easier and more transparent for our readers.

Yacht Charters & Yacht Rentals are the same thing just being described with different words. There are two types of charter & rental options:

Bareboat Yacht Charters & Boat Rentals:

Bareboat Charters or Bareboating give you the ultimate freedom, by being your own skipper or Captain. Choose a vessel to suit your personal requirements and experience level, plan your own itinerary and enjoy independent holidays with your family or close friends to a schedule or itinerary of your own choosing. Skippers must qualify first to charter one of our select vessels and although a Coast Guard Captain’s License or Certificate is not required, you must be 21 years of age and demonstrate you have previous experience on vessel of similar or greater size and power. The Captains Resume must be completely filled out and faxed or emailed to our office for review and approval by our bareboat fleet coordinator.

You can also bareboat a vessel and hire a Captain for hire who is working directly for the charterer or renter and not the management company or vessel owner. This is not allowed by all companies but as long as hired skipper is also qualified and approved by the fleet coordinator there usually are no restrictions. Bareboats usually have a minimum rental period of 8 hours for vessels under 28′ and most yachts over 30′ have a 3 day minimum rental requirement.

Visit our Bareboat Yacht Section for more detailed information on bareboating and vessel options in South Florida at: http://www.miamicharters.com/bareboat-charters.asp

Professionally Crewed Luxury Yacht Charters:

This option is the most popular because it leaves no worries to the guest. The vessel you choose based on size and budget will include the services of a U.S.C.G. licensed Master Captain and experienced crew and food servers. after boarding vessel the Captain will introduce himself & the crew and proceed in a friendly manner to go over a safety lecture as well as operation of heads and any specific information pertaining to vessel or charter. Afterwards, a good skipper will discuss or explain the menu selections, beverages and itinerary for the charter. When working with a professional and experienced company there really is nothing to worry about because every detail has been addressed already and the expectations are clear. A crewed charter is usually offered for a minimum period of 4 hours (half-day), 8 hours (full-day) or term charters (overnight or multi-day rentals).

Visit our Professionally Crewed Yacht Section for detailed information and vessel options in S. Florida & Bahamas at:
http://www.miamicharters.com/crewed-charters.asp

Choose Your Destinations: Miami and Miami Beach are excellent points of embarkation for luxury yacht charters and boat rentals in South Florida with further destinations as far south as the Florida Keys & Key West and as far east as the beautiful islands of the Bahamas. For more information on popular destinations visit our destinations page at: http://www.miamicharters.com/2002/destinations/destinations.asp

Choose Your Menu & Bar Selection or Bring Your Own: The charterer has the option of ordering from our award winning catering menus and refreshments or providing their own selection.

Equipment on Vessels: Most crewed vessels will provide guest with over sized towels and choice of tanning lotions and sunblock. Most luxury yachts in our fleet will be equipped with at least one waverunner or jet ski, water noodles and snorkel gear and with anticipation you can request vessel be equipped with ocean kayaks and light fishing gear.

So there you have it, the 411 on how to rent a boat or yacht in South Florida. Please visit our website at www.miamicharters.com and speak to one of our yacht charter specialist about any charter or rental questions. We look forward to : “Providing you with the best boats & the best times” when visiting South Florida on the water.

The phones are ringing off the hook again becuase it’s almost that time of the year here in beautiful South Florida. It’s almost time for our annual sailing regatta held in Biscayne Bay but more infamous is the spin off giant boat and yacht raft off party which has become known throughout the world as the largest and most exotic party on the water in South Florida. For those readers not aware of this annual event; it is three days of non-stop music, drinking and more than often a flash of nudity and no Columbus Day Regatta is complete without the ever present visits and onboard inspections by our law enforcement finest on the water. Yes folks although it’s the one weekend locals and guest from all over the  world raft up together in this protected and calm area, the local law enforcement and US Coast Guard makes their presence well known. Our company has been attending and providing private luxury yacht charters for groups of all sizes, ages and nationalities since 1998. This year the yachts are getting reserved quickly and if I had to gage from the amount of enthusiasm we are encountering from our clients and guests, I would guess this year is going to be a memorable Columbus Day Regatta with rcord numbers in attendance. There is still time to reserve a boat or yacht for event but remeber we will only be renting or chartering vessels with proffessionally licensed Captains and crew who are expierenced in this event and who are trained to handle any emergency if it arises and to make sure our guest can enjoy this memorable event in a safe boating environement. Good luck to all in attendance this year and be sure to return to our Blog to read about all the post Reggatta fun!