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Fort Lauderdale · Venice of America

Boat rental Fort Lauderdale, captain included

Captained pontoons and sport boats through the canals of the Venice of America, from $140/hr all-in. No license, no fuel surprises — you bring the cooler contents, we handle everything else.

Check availability See transparent prices
from $140/hrcaptained pontoon
up to 12guests per boat
USD · card · cryptopayment

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No prepayment online. We reply within 1 hour, 9am–9pm ET.

⚓ USCG-licensed captains🧾 Transparent all-in pricing₿ Crypto accepted (BTC · ETH · SOL · USDT)🌤 Free weather reschedule

Answer first

Boat rental in Fort Lauderdale, made simple

A boat rental in Fort Lauderdale costs from $140 per hour for a captained pontoon (2-hour minimum) and from $190 per hour for a sport boat — captain, fuel, ice, water, and a cooler included. You don't need a boating license or any experience: every boat comes with a USCG-licensed captain who knows every bridge, no-wake zone, and shortcut in the city's canal network.

Fort Lauderdale earned the "Venice of America" nickname for a reason — the city is laced with miles of navigable canals connecting the New River, the Las Olas Isles, and the Intracoastal Waterway. That geography is why small boats rule here. A pontoon that would feel modest offshore is the perfect tool for idling past waterfront mansions with drinks in hand and nobody worrying about the helm. If you'd rather start from Biscayne Bay, our boat rental in Miami runs the same pricing 30 miles south.

Booking works the same as the rest of our fleet: tell us your date, group size, and hours, we confirm a boat and captain within the hour, and a 30% deposit holds the date. Pay the rest by card, or pay with crypto if that's your thing. Weather turns? Free reschedule on the captain's call.

Tell us your day

Date, headcount, hours, and the vibe — canal cruise, swim stop, or a waterfront lunch run. Two minutes by form, email, or phone.

Get an exact quote

We reply within the hour, 9am–9pm ET, with the boat, the meeting dock, and one all-in number. No fuel surcharge, no hidden fees.

Show up with a cooler

A 30% deposit locks the date. On the day you walk down the dock, hand the captain your playlist, and the boat does the rest.

The fleet

Boat rentals in Fort Lauderdale, FL — pick your boat

Three boats cover almost every Fort Lauderdale day: a pontoon for the canals, a sport boat for range, a 40-footer when you want the day to feel like an event. Full lineup on our fleet page.

Pontoon boat rental cruising a Fort Lauderdale canalUP TO 10 GUESTS

Pontoon / deck boat

👥 10🛋 lounge seating🔊 sound

The Fort Lauderdale classic: flat, stable, shaded — built for canal cruising and swim stops.

$140/hr 2h min
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Sport boat rental on the Intracoastal Waterway in Fort LauderdaleUP TO 10 GUESTS

Sport boat 24–29 ft

👥 10⚡ faster hull🔊 sound

More speed and more range — canals, the Intracoastal, and the beachfront when seas allow.

$190/hr 3h min
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40 ft yacht rental docked in Fort LauderdaleUP TO 12 GUESTS

Yacht 40–49 ft

👥 12🛏 cabin🔊 sound

The upgrade: air-conditioned cabin, real bathroom, and presence at the sandbar.

$330/hr 4h min
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Pricing

Boat and pontoon rental prices — 2h, 4h, 8h

A 2-hour pontoon rental in Fort Lauderdale is $280 all-in; most groups book 4 hours. Every price below includes the captain, fuel, ice, water, bluetooth sound, and a cooler — compare line by line on our prices page.

Boat2 hours4 hours8 hours
Pontoon / deck boat (up to 10)$280$560$1,120
Sport boat 24–29 ft (up to 10)— (3h min · $570)$760$1,520
Yacht 40–49 ft (up to 12)— (4h min)$1,320$2,640

Not included: gratuity for the captain (15–20% is customary), catering, and jet ski add-ons from $120/hr per ski. A 30% deposit holds your date; the balance is due on the day. There is no fuel surcharge — the number you're quoted is the number you pay.

The 12-passenger rule: under USCG regulations, an uninspected vessel may carry a maximum of 12 passengers for hire — which is why nearly every private boat rental in Fort Lauderdale tops out at 12 guests, no matter how big the boat looks. Groups of 13 or more need an inspected vessel; we run inspected party catamarans for up to 65 guests out of Miami.

Where you can go

Canals or ocean: what each boat can do

Waterfront mansions along a Fort Lauderdale canal seen from a rental boat

Pontoons: the Intracoastal and canals

Pontoons stay on protected water — the Intracoastal Waterway, the New River, and the residential canals. That's not a limitation, it's the point: this is where Fort Lauderdale's famous scenery actually is, and the flat water means nobody spills a drink. Long stretches are no-wake anyway, so a slow, stable boat with lounge seating beats a fast one here. Ten guests, a full cooler, and three hours of mansion-gawking is the single most-booked trip we run in the city.

Sport boats: add the beachfront

Sport boats do everything the pontoon does and can also run out through the Port Everglades inlet along the beachfront on calm days — always the captain's call on the morning of your trip, based on wind and sea state. If the ocean is lumpy, you'll have a better day inside anyway. Want guaranteed open water and a raft-up scene? Book a sandbar trip from Miami, where Haulover and Nixon sandbars sit on protected Biscayne Bay.

Sample route

The 3-hour canal cruise, hour by hour

The route every first-timer should do: Las Olas Isles, the New River through downtown, and the Intracoastal mansion mile. Your captain adjusts on the fly for bridges and traffic.

  1. 1:00 PM — MARINA

    Board and briefing

    Meet your captain near Las Olas or the 17th Street Causeway, load the cooler, quick safety rundown, and cast off. Ice and water are already on board.

  2. 1:15 PM — LAS OLAS ISLES

    Finger canals at idle speed

    Slow cruise through the finger-island canals off Las Olas Boulevard — tight water lined with mansions and megayachts moored in backyards. This is the postcard Fort Lauderdale.

  3. 2:00 PM — NEW RIVER

    Downtown by water

    Turn up the New River, winding past the Riverwalk, downtown towers, and the working boatyards that make this a yachting capital. Drawbridges open on schedule; your captain times it so you glide through.

  4. 2:45 PM — INTRACOASTAL

    Millionaire's Row

    Back out to the Intracoastal for the mansion mile — the biggest estates and the biggest boats in the city, best photographed from the water with the afternoon sun behind you.

  5. 3:40 PM — DOCK

    Last song, easy landing

    Cruise back with time to spare. Want a swim stop or a waterfront lunch dock-up instead of one leg? Tell the captain at the start and he'll re-cut the route.

Do the math

Split the cost with your crew

A 4-hour sport boat runs $760 total. With a full boat of 10, that's less than a night out per person — drag the slider for your group.

Split the bill

Total → per person

🌤 Fort Lauderdale water right now

Live data · Open-Meteo marine forecast · score = our captains' go/no-go heuristic

Fort Lauderdale is a year-round boating town. Peak demand runs January through April — book 2–3 weeks ahead for weekend pontoons — while November and December bring the flattest water of the year. Summer means brief afternoon showers that usually pass in 30 minutes, and hurricane-season reschedules are always free. Bigger plans? Step up to a yacht rental or browse everything we run from the Fort Lauderdale hub.

FAQ

Boat rental with captain in Fort Lauderdale — FAQ

How much does a boat rental in Fort Lauderdale cost?

Pontoons start at $140 per hour with a 2-hour minimum, so a short canal cruise runs $280 all-in. Sport boats are from $190/hr (3-hour minimum) and 40-ft yachts from $330/hr (4-hour minimum). Captain, fuel, ice, water, and a cooler are included — no fuel surcharges added later.

Do I need a boating license to rent a boat in Fort Lauderdale?

No. Every charter comes with a USCG-licensed captain, so no license, boating course, or experience is required from you. You board with your group and your cooler; the captain handles the boat, the docking, and the no-wake zones.

What route do you take through the canals?

The classic 3-hour loop runs the Las Olas Isles finger canals, up the New River past downtown and the Riverwalk, then along the Intracoastal mansions. Your captain adjusts for bridge openings and boat traffic, and you can swap any leg for a swim stop or a waterfront lunch dock-up.

How many people fit on a rental boat?

Pontoons and sport boats take up to 10 guests; our 40–49 ft yachts take up to 12. Under USCG rules an uninspected vessel carries a maximum of 12 passengers regardless of size, so for groups of 13 or more we run inspected party catamarans out of Miami for up to 65 guests.

Can we bring our own alcohol?

Yes — BYOB is standard on private charters, and we supply the ice, water, and cooler. Drinking age on the water is 21, same as on land. Cans and plastic travel better than glass on a moving boat.

Are kids allowed on board?

Yes, kids of all ages are welcome on private charters, and child-size life jackets are provided — just tell us ages when you book. The calm, protected canal water makes Fort Lauderdale one of the easiest places in Florida to take children boating.

Can I bring my dog?

Most of our pontoon and sport boat owners allow well-behaved dogs — mention it when booking so we assign a pet-friendly boat. Bring water and a towel; the canals are calm, and most dogs settle in within minutes of leaving the dock.

What happens if the weather turns bad?

You get a free reschedule. If the captain calls the trip off for weather, you move to another date or get your deposit back. Brief summer showers usually pass within 30 minutes and rarely cancel a canal cruise — the call is made on the day, in your favor.

Your captain is ready. Pick a date.

Pontoon from $280 for two hours, canal route included. We confirm within the hour, 9am–9pm ET.

Check availabilityEmail [email protected]

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