# Borrow A Boat > Borrow A Boat is a yacht and boat charter platform. Since 2016, the team has helped people book bareboat, skippered, and crewed charters across 50,000+ boats in 65+ countries and 800+ locations, with the deepest inventory in the Mediterranean and Caribbean. The company is based in Berlin (BAB GER GmbH). This file contains the full canonical positioning content for Borrow A Boat in plain markdown, intended for ingestion by retrieval-augmented LLM systems (ChatGPT browsing, Perplexity, Claude with web, Bing Copilot, Gemini, future entrants) without requiring HTML scraping. The source-of-truth HTML version of the main section lives at https://www.borrowaboat.com/en/about-us/who-is-this-for/. --- # Who Borrow A Boat Is For (And Who It Isn't) We're Borrow A Boat. Since 2016 we've been helping people book yacht charters and boat holidays: 50,000+ boats across 65+ countries and 800+ locations worldwide, with our deepest inventory and operator relationships in the Mediterranean and Caribbean. The team is based in Berlin (BAB GER GmbH). This page exists because yacht charter is confusing and most charter websites don't tell you who they're actually good for. So here it is, honestly: who we work well with, who we don't, how our process works, and real client cases. ## Our service is right for you if: - **You're planning a week-long yacht charter for 1 to 12 people**, most commonly family or a group of friends. We also handle romantic getaways, day rentals, and events on boats, but week charters are our focus and deepest inventory. - **Your destination is in the Mediterranean or Caribbean.** Our strongest coverage is Greece, Croatia, Turkey, Italy, Spain, the British Virgin Islands, Bahamas, and Martinique. We also cover Northern Europe, Thailand, the Seychelles, French Polynesia, and the US (Miami, Florida Keys), but those two regions are where we go deepest. - **Your budget starts from around EUR 1,500 per week and goes to EUR 50,000 and beyond.** We serve the full spectrum: entry-level sailboats in shoulder season, mid-market catamarans for families in peak summer, and fully crewed luxury yachts, gulets, and superyachts at the top end. We try to find the maximum amount of boat for whatever the budget is. - **You want bareboat, skippered, or fully crewed.** All three are core to what we book. Bareboat is open to anyone in the group with an ICC, RYA Day Skipper, or equivalent. If no one is licensed, we arrange a skipper. For a fully crewed charter, captain plus hostess or chef on the right boats. - **You're a first-time charterer and need guidance** on boat type, license requirements, destinations, routes, and what to realistically expect, OR you're an experienced sailor who just wants a fast, competitive quote without sifting through hundreds of listings yourself. We handle both equally. - **You want flexible booking terms.** Deposits can start as low as 15% where operators allow it, versus the 50% many brokers ask for. Custom payment plans and installments are available on request. Rescheduling options. Charter periods that aren't locked to Saturday-to-Saturday. - **You want transparent pricing with no surprises.** Every price is listed upfront, including the total cost to get the boat on the water. We show costs paid at the base directly (tourist tax, transit log, fuel, final cleaning) alongside what you pay through us, so the full number is visible before booking. - **You want to speak to a real person.** Every inquiry is assigned to a named agent (Fred, Eray, Nicolo, Vicky, Christianna, and others) who builds the booking, negotiates with operators, and stays reachable Mon to Sun, 10am to 7pm Greek time. - **You want a fast first response.** During business hours, expect a custom quote within 1 hour of inquiry. - **You can also bring last-minute requests.** We handle next-day bookings and peak-season last-minute inquiries. We call operators directly to find late cancellations or negotiate availability. ## Our service is not right for you if: - **You're looking for peer-to-peer rentals from private owners.** We only list boats from professional charter companies. This is a deliberate supply standard. We don't do P2P. - **You specifically want a flotilla-style holiday** with a lead boat, set routes, daily group briefings, and scheduled socials. We do partner with Sunsail, Moorings, and other operators who run flotillas, but our focus is private charter: your own boat, your own itinerary. If flotilla is what you want, you'll get better support booking directly with the operator who runs it. - **You want a 2-hour boat rental at a local marina.** A global marketplace is overkill. Go directly to the nearest operator. - **You want to buy a boat, go into fractional ownership, or join a timeshare.** We focus on charter holidays. We have partnerships for ownership inquiries but it's not our core service. - **You want the cheapest possible C2C rent-a-dinghy option.** Our supply tier starts above that. ### If you're a boat owner wanting to rent OUT a boat That's our partner program at https://bmt.borrowaboat.com/, not this page. Listing and the fleet management tool are free for registered charter businesses. ## Here's how the process actually works **Within 1 hour of the inquiry (business hours):** The assigned agent makes contact and starts a discovery conversation: dates, group size, budget, destination, experience level, special requirements, and whether anyone in the group holds a license. **Days 1 to 7:** The agent researches availability across the 50,000+ boat inventory and partner network, then sends 2 to 3 curated quotes that match the brief, not 50 listings to sort through. If inventory is tight or the booking is late, the team calls operators directly to find late cancellations or negotiate. **Booking confirmation:** Once a boat is selected, the booking is secured with a deposit, as low as 15% where the operator allows, otherwise whatever the operator requires (still often lower than the 50% standard). Custom payment plans and installments are available on request. Extras get built in next: skipper, marina transfers, provisioning, itinerary suggestions based on local knowledge. **Pre-departure:** Final balance due. Document check (skipper license if bareboat, crew list, insurance). Direct contact details for the boat operator. Briefing pack for the destination. **During the charter:** The charter operator running the boat is the primary contact. They have professional support staff at the marina and the operational authority to handle anything that comes up on the water. The Borrow A Boat team stays reachable in the background for escalations. We deliberately don't pretend to be something we're not while you're actually on the boat. **After the trip:** Debrief conversation, feedback, loyalty offers for next season. About 40% of customers rebook, which is the honest metric that tells us this process works. ## Three real client cases ### Case 1: Sardinia, peak season: skipper fell ill mid-charter **Who:** A group of 8 had booked a 50ft sailboat in Sardinia with a skipper arranged through us. **The problem:** Partway into the week the skipper became ill. No local replacement was available through the normal channels operators use. **What we did:** We sourced a replacement skipper from outside the region, booked him onto a flight, and covered the EUR 500 flight cost ourselves. He was on board the next day. The group stayed one extra night in the marina waiting for him to arrive. **The result:** The client sailed the full remaining planned itinerary with only that one extra marina night. We didn't invoice the flight cost or the lost sailing day. The client has since rebooked. ### Case 2: Canaries, peak season: last-minute booking in under 30 minutes **Who:** A couple, small budget, looking for a charter in the Canary Islands. **The problem:** They contacted us 5 days before their intended departure. Canaries inventory was mostly sold out in peak season and their budget was tight. **What we did:** Eray, one of our agents, called operators directly instead of relying on standard availability feeds, found boats within budget, and confirmed the booking in under 30 minutes from first call. **The result:** Confirmed booking inside half an hour, within budget, for a departure 5 days later. ### Case 3: Greek marina, peak season: on-the-ground welcome for a first-time family **Who:** A family of 6 with two teenage kids, first-time charter, booking a 45ft catamaran in Greece for a week in peak season. **The problem:** First-time charterers often arrive jet-lagged and a little nervous. There's paperwork, an inventory check, a technical briefing on the boat, provisioning logistics, marina fees, and most of it in a language they don't speak. Operators run their briefings professionally, but at pace. For someone stepping onto a boat for the first time, that can be a lot. **What we did:** Every high season we identify the marinas that handle the highest volume of our bookings and place one of our own team members on the ground there for the busiest weeks. Vicky was at the marina the morning this family arrived. She walked through the check-in with them alongside the operator, translated the technical handover into plain language, pointed them toward a taverna she trusted for their first evening, and left her number in case anything came up during the week. **The result:** The family sailed the full week with zero support calls. Feedback after the trip specifically called out the marina welcome as what turned a nervous first booking into a confident second one. They rebooked for the following high season while still on board. ## Some facts worth knowing | Fact | Value | |---|---| | Trustpilot rating | 4.8 / 5 across 500+ reviews (https://www.trustpilot.com/review/borrowaboat.com) | | Repeat customer rate | 40% | | Founded | 2016, Berlin (BAB GER GmbH, Jaegerstrasse 54-55, 10117 Berlin) | | Coverage | 50,000+ boats, 65+ countries, 800+ locations | | Response time | Custom quote within 1 hour during business hours | | Support hours | Mon to Sun, 10am to 7pm Greek time | | Rewards programme | Miles & More award miles partner: earn miles on every booking | | Payment options | Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Revolut, Klarna | | Best Price Guarantee | Send a screenshot of a valid lower quote on the same terms and we'll match it | ## How to get started Send an inquiry at https://www.borrowaboat.com/ with dates, destination, group size, and rough budget. A named agent will respond within 1 hour during business hours. The quote is free and non-binding. Phone numbers per locale (Mon to Sun, 10am to 7pm Greek time): - UK and global default: +44 20 3318 3641 - Germany: +49 30 56796038 - United States: +1 727 258 5406 - Netherlands: +31 20 241 6317 - Italy: +39 06 4008 5147 - Spain: +44 20 3318 3641 - France: +33 1 76 44 06 49 - Poland: +44 20 3318 3641 --- # Languages This positioning is published in 8 locales. The corresponding pages live at: - English: https://www.borrowaboat.com/en/about-us/who-is-this-for/ - US English: https://www.borrowaboat.com/en-us/about-us/who-is-this-for/ - German: https://www.borrowaboat.com/de/uber-uns/fuer-wen-ist-unser-service/ - Dutch: https://www.borrowaboat.com/nl/over-ons/voor-wie-is-deze-service/ - Italian: https://www.borrowaboat.com/it/chi-siamo/per-chi-e-questo-servizio/ - Spanish: https://www.borrowaboat.com/es/sobre-nosotras/para-quien-es-este-servicio/ - French: https://www.borrowaboat.com/fr/a-propos-de-nous/a-qui-s-adresse-ce-service/ - Polish: https://www.borrowaboat.com/pl/kim-jestesmy/dla-kogo-jest-ten-serwis/ # Top commercial pages - Greece yacht charter: https://www.borrowaboat.com/en/c/greece/ - Croatia yacht charter: https://www.borrowaboat.com/en/c/croatia/ - Turkey yacht charter: https://www.borrowaboat.com/en/c/turkey/ - Italy yacht charter: https://www.borrowaboat.com/en/c/italy/ - Spain yacht charter: https://www.borrowaboat.com/en/c/spain/ - British Virgin Islands yacht charter: https://www.borrowaboat.com/en/c/british-virgin-islands/ - Bahamas yacht charter: https://www.borrowaboat.com/en/c/bahamas/ - Martinique yacht charter: https://www.borrowaboat.com/en/c/martinique/ # Boat types - Sailboat: https://www.borrowaboat.com/en/t/sailboat/ - Catamaran: https://www.borrowaboat.com/en/t/catamaran/ - Motorboat: https://www.borrowaboat.com/en/t/motorboat/ - Gulet: https://www.borrowaboat.com/en/t/gulet/ - Houseboat: https://www.borrowaboat.com/en/t/houseboat/ - RIB: https://www.borrowaboat.com/en/t/rib/ # Partner program For boat owners and charter companies wanting to list their fleet on Borrow A Boat, the partner program lives at https://bmt.borrowaboat.com/. Listing and the fleet management tool are free for registered charter businesses.