BOAT-COMPARATOR Guide

Included Engine Hours, Diesel or Petrol: Understanding the Rented Boat’s Engine

How many engine hours are actually included in the price, and diesel or petrol at the pump? What the contract says, and how it varies by boat type.

Two questions tend to come up once the contract is signed: how many engine hours are actually included in the price, and which fuel goes back in the tank at the pump? Both are worth asking the operator before departure, not after.

A block of hours, then an hourly rate

Many rental contracts, particularly for weekly sailboat and catamaran charters, include a set number of engine hours in the price — meant to cover harbour manoeuvres and the odd stretch under motor — beyond which every extra hour is billed separately. A study of how consumers perceive usage-based pricing shows that people tend to underestimate this kind of variable cost and misjudge the shift from an included allowance to metered billing, a mental-accounting bias that hits exactly the line items renters forget to ask about upfront (Yun & Suk, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2022, see the study on Google Scholar). The right move: ask how many hours are included and the rate beyond that, right at booking.

Diesel or petrol, depending on the boat

The engine type varies clearly by category. License-free boats, RIBs and most motorboats run one or more petrol outboards. Sailboats, catamarans and a good share of yachts carry an inboard diesel engine, more fuel-efficient over long distances and less flammable on board. Filling up with the wrong fuel at a self-service pump remains a costly, avoidable mistake — when in doubt, confirm with the operator or the station rather than trusting memory.

Why the distinction matters for the environment too

The engine choice isn't neutral either: studies of outboard engine emissions have shown that two-stroke models release noticeably more unburnt hydrocarbons into the water than four-stroke engines of equivalent power, a gap that newer rental fleets close simply by switching to cleaner engines. One more argument, all else equal, for choosing a newer boat.

What to check before signing

• The number of included engine hours per day or per week, and the hourly rate beyond that.
• The expected fuel type, noted on the dashboard or confirmed by the operator.
• The fuel level at departure, compared with what's required on return — our guide to the fuel budget covers this in detail.

Our guide to what a boat rental really costs places these line items in the overall budget of a trip, and Boat-Comparator compares live offers at your destination.

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Also worth reading

• How much does it cost to rent a boat in 2026? Real prices
• License-Free Boat Rental in France: Rules, Prices & Where to Book
• Renting with or without a skipper: how to choose