Boat Rentals

[GreyGhost]

If you want to stay close to home, you can check out rentals at Harbourfront Centre for Lake Ontario.

Rentals/Charters - Harbourfront Centre

Toronto Harbour Nautical Centre (formerly Harbourfront Centre Sailing & Powerboating) has a fleet of sailboats, powerboats and yachts to suit your needs. We offer bareboat rental opportunities to the public with recognized credentials or equivalent boating experience. Our smaller powerboats are...

harbourfrontcentre.com

Those prices are better than I expected. When wife and I wanted to rent kayaks years ago we found it was cheaper to drive to hamilton and rent there (although you are then in the hamilton harbor so don't capsize). I'm not sure if you can rent power boats in hamilton. Lake ontario is a far different boating experience than cottage lakes.

 

[crankcall]

Was running my FIL's boat last weekend. He hit a few rocks on the way to trailer it in the fall (path is treacherous especially with low water). Apparently my four blade was on (I must have put it on as he'd never switch it). Ugh. No big missing chunks but he bent a blade. Doesn't hook as well now, can't take as much trim and vibrates a bit more. I'm not sure I'm annoyed enough to try to straighten it next time I go up. The three blade that came on the boat was stupid and propped for top speed which is stupid for a cottage boat. With the four blade, you can cruise at just under 2000 rpm (when the prop was healthy a little under 1900), with the stock three blade drop under 2200 and it sinks back in.

Take the bent prop off sooner than later , small vibrations you can’t feel are messing bearings and seals, there is a price way beyond the prop to pay if you keep running it . My two cents ( because I have spent thousands )


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[GreyGhost]

Take the bent prop off sooner than later , small vibrations you can’t feel are messing bearings and seals, there is a price way beyond the prop to pay if you keep running it . My two cents ( because I have spent thousands )


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ugh. Message received. I'll swap for the three blade next time I am up and bring the four blade home to fix it. My BIL is up there now but I have faith that if he swapped props, the good one would be on the bottom of the lake in short order.

 

[nobbie48]

The first time I went camping I didn't know if I'd like it so went with the cheapest gear possible and I hated it. A few years later I went with the right stuff and enjoyed it. Boating will be similar.

Re your picks

Grew had it's good and bad years, showing in longevity. Old ones go cheap but rebuilding them isn't cheap. I spent $5K on new stringers and a ton of time polishing and tinkering to get it right. Canvas and upholstery isn't cheap either. Some surveys aren't worth the paper they are written on.

The 24 footer won't be an easy tow. Marina fees can be more than the cost of the boat.

Bow riders are for small lakes. Big lake waves can swamp them over the bow. OK for a short tow but expect idiots on the highway to make your life hell. The listing says "No trailer" Trailers are stupid expensive. Marina docking prices makes you want to buy a trailer.

The boat looks big on a trailer but shrinks 50% when it's in the water. Five people, PFD's, toys, safety gear, picnic cooler fills it up fast. With the top up, if the weather changes, you'll have to take turns breathing.

I don't know much about jets. Size matters similarly. Just because it fits in it doesn't mean it's fun digging it out or tripping over it in an emergency.

Boating is a lifestyle thing not unlike motorcycles. Similarly with both, you either need multiples or be committed to a specific use.

The most heroic thing I've done in my life was educating a guy into not buying a boat. We got chatting at a used boat auction just south of Barrie. It was a good place to see what a boat looked like after 20 years of neglect.

Fiberglass boats, particularly older ones have a lot of internal wood structural parts. They rot out. Gas and holding tanks corrode.

He was from much further north and not used to the variety of craft and awed at the selection until I pointed out the pitfalls. Mainly, you are bidding on a package number and it is up to you to determine the condition of the boat, motor and accessories. The trailer isn't included with the boat and is auctioned off after. The boat buyer is on the hook for numerous surcharges if they don't buy the trailer, which won't be cheap.

The next day he came up to me and told me they had decided to not buy a boat. I had noticed his wife nibbling carrots the previous day. She had terminal cancer and this would be her last summer. They wanted a summer to remember.

They would have likely over spent on a boat and spent more on fixing it up over the summer, never getting to enjoy it. I think they bought a trailer instead.

 

[crankcall]

Not sure who’s doing boat rental these days, insurance is the crusher . I really look at charter rides to get the feel of a few boats , how they sit in the water , how they ride . Cottage boats you can get away with a lot , bigger lakes like Georgian Bay or Simcoe and you’ll want to pick weather windows .


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[backmarkerducati]

Boat threads.... now my FBMP is full of used boats.

 

[nobbie48]

Not sure who’s doing boat rental these days, insurance is the crusher . I really look at charter rides to get the feel of a few boats , how they sit in the water , how they ride . Cottage boats you can get away with a lot , bigger lakes like Georgian Bay or Simcoe and you’ll want to pick weather windows .


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You have the experience to make those judgments. A novice doesn't.

At the boat show one year I watched a pair of midlife couples looking at a 20 foot sailboat that they could use together. "It has a little fridge (Icebox). It has a little stove (A glorified can of Sterno). It has a little toilet (Molded in bucket with 2 gallon capacity). It sleeps four (That are under 5 feet tall)"

It has key ignition and a steering wheel. It's like driving a car. There's a reason rental boats are called Harvey Wallbangers.

 

[Xhumeka]

I was flipping through an old cottage life magazine and saw an article on "boat clubs"... never heard of them before. The article mentions "Club Yolo" and Freedom Boat Club:

If you don’t want to wait for a new boat, you may want to look into boat clubs, such as Freedom Boat Club and Club Yolo, where members pay an upfront fee to join and then a monthly fee to access a fleet of boats that are stored and maintained by the club. NMMA Canada’s Jim Wielgosz says he signed up this year. “It’s a good model for me,” he says. “I have three locations that are within close driving distance. I get there, the boat is in the water. It’s fueled, its clean, and ready to go.”

Is 2023 a good year to buy a boat? Here's what our industry experts had to say

Industry experts weigh in on new and used boat pricing, waitlists,and whether 2023 is a good year to buy.

cottagelife.com

Seems like a small niche market, but maybe I'm wrong...

 

[Priller]

There's a company called Skipperi that offers boat usage, but it ain't cheap. $980/mo if you want weekend access to a fleet of small to midsize deckboats, and I have no idea how far ahead you have to book to ensure you get one.

Still, not having to fuss with storage (winter and summer), engine servicing, towing, launch lineups, etc is definitely appealing...

 

[MacDoc]

Sailplane clubs use a similar model with a fleet of club purchased planes and hourly fees for use varying by expense of the model.
Of course there is is high amount of instruction as well but that's all volunteer.
There is a yearly membership and all members have to put in a certain amount of club days for ground support ( and instruction ) if qualified.
I'd guess sailboat clubs more amenable to this sort of model.

 

[nobbie48]

There's a company called Skipperi that offers boat usage, but it ain't cheap. $980/mo if you want weekend access to a fleet of small to midsize deckboats, and I have no idea how far ahead you have to book to ensure you get one.

Still, not having to fuss with storage (winter and summer), engine servicing, towing, launch lineups, etc is definitely appealing...

Ooops I didn't know that. I clicked on the link and found out I was off base.

Apparently one needs a harbour licence to operate a power boat in Toronto harbour. I thought that was superseded by the operator's card. Not so. You need both.

 

[bigguy1]

Used to go to lake Dalrymple a lot. We’d get a pontoon boat. Great for a bunch of guys fishing and drinking. Can’t drink on a boat anymore unless it has certain features, being one, but given the amount of people you’re looking at a pontoon boat would be great. Not really part of the boater lifestyle, but they are pretty cool.

 

[crankcall]

Most don’t realize a Toronto Harbour license is required for not just a power boat , but any boat under power( sail) , and the harbour extends west to the Humber river , so almost a mile out past the western gap. And your not insured without it .
Hamilton Harbour had licenses but dropped it years ago , Toronto license is mostly so you know ferries have right of way , and cargo ships regardless of the port/starboard thing .



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[nobbie48]

Most don’t realize a Toronto Harbour license is required for not just a power boat , but any boat under power( sail) , and the harbour extends west to the Humber river , so almost a mile out past the western gap. And your not insured without it .
Hamilton Harbour had licenses but dropped it years ago , Toronto license is mostly so you know ferries have right of way , and cargo ships regardless of the port/starboard thing .



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Interesting. 50+ years ago I took a sailing course at the harbourfront, pre condo days, Albacores and Sharks. I assume the person at the helm would need the licence.

More recently I cut through the harbour in a 20 foot I/O on route to Port Credit from the Murray and Trent Canals.

 

[Priller]

It's also a way for the hilariously overfunded and underbusy Ports Toronto (formerly Toronto Harbour Commission) to justify their ongoing existence in a port that's mostly no longer a port (bar Redpath and a few rebar ships). My favourite is that there's HOPA on both sides and Ports Toronto (who have a very flashy website and have clearly spent a bundle on marketing). Hamilton and Oshawa probably handle 1000x the actual port traffic, but there's Toronto in the middle, doing up PR campaigns and mostly fussing about an airport.

 

[mimico_polak]

Since starting this thread I have been bombarded with 50% off Boat Courses....'Today Only' ... every day of the week.

 

[ReSTored]

Boaters I know say a boat is a hole in the water that you pour money into.

If you have a marginal tow vehicle I'd be inclined to rent a boat in the water at a marina. You arrive, load the fueled boat at the dock, have your fun over the course of the day, then return the boat and walk away. Probably the cheapest way of doing it.

 

[GreyGhost]

Boaters I know say a boat is a hole in the water that you pour money into.

If you have a marginal tow vehicle I'd be inclined to rent a boat in the water at a marina. You arrive, load the fueled boat at the dock, have your fun over the course of the day, then return the boat and walk away. Probably the cheapest way of doing it.

Like most toys, renting looks expensive but if you are only doing it a few times a year, it will be far cheaper. If you are at 10+ days a year (or have specific location/timing restraints that are hard to satisfy by renting), you may come out ahead by buying.

 

[oioioi]

Since starting this thread I have been bombarded with 50% off Boat Courses....'Today Only' ... every day of the week.

Anyone have any good resources for some online courses.
Material that is Free.
Something like the drivers handbook but for boats.

 

[GreyGhost]

Anyone have any good resources for some online courses.
Material that is Free.
Something like the drivers handbook but for boats.

My wife did the course online. Huge ball breaker. The course has a lesson and then a test for each section. If you know your stuff, you can flip quickly through the lesson but it won't let you take the test until you have spent sufficient time learning. She didn't know boats but is smart and pretty much every section had her wasting more than 15 minutes before she could take the test. I would recommend doing it in person at a stand outside a grocery store or sportsman show or . . . That will get you licensed in 15 minutes instead of many hours.

FWIW, I think the boat operators card test is ridiculous. It includes semaphore, sailing specific questions and questions about equipment required offshore. 99.999999% of boaters will never use semaphore or be offshore. Those that do need those things need a hell of a lot more training than a stupid test. The test should be related to safety/avoiding collisions in typical ontario scenarios where the shore is always in sight.