BOAT-COMPARATOR Guide
The pre-departure checklist (and the one for the return)
Handover inspection, safety, fuel, weather: the complete checklist for taking over a rental boat, point by point, to leave relaxed and get your deposit back.
The twenty minutes of the handover shape the whole rental: that is where the day's safety is decided, and the full return of your deposit. Here is the list serious operators follow — and that you can run through yourself.
Before leaving home
License and ID of whoever helms, a bank card with enough headroom for the deposit (a €1,500 pre-authorisation fails on some immediate-debit cards), the day's marine forecast checked, and the booking confirmation downloaded — harbour wifi is temperamental.
The inspection: photograph everything
Walk the full boat, phone in hand: hull and rubbing strake (existing pontoon scuffs), propeller and drive, dinghy and its outboard, bimini, upholstery, bathing ladder. Flag every mark BEFORE signing — a time-stamped photo beats any argument at the return.
Safety, station by station
Lifejackets (one per person, children's sizes included), kill-cord on the helm's wrist on fast units, extinguisher and horn located, VHF tested if fitted (channel 16), the permitted navigation area and re-entry point understood — and the return deadline, written down.
Engine and fuel
Departure level noted together (photo of the gauge), the fuel rule — 'full-to-full' most often, otherwise a flat fee —, cold start demonstrated by the operator, economical cruising revs indicated. On a RIB, ask for the realistic hourly consumption: it is half the day's budget.
At the return
Come back with 30 minutes to spare, redo the photo tour in the same order, have the condition and fuel level acknowledged, and insist on the deposit release in your presence (or the confirmation email). A clean, documented return means a deposit refunded within the week — and an operator who will greet you with a smile next time.