Would you like to charter your boat?

Today, boat hire is an excellent way to amortise maintenance costs and increase the value of a vessel.
At RivieraBroker, we regularly work with owners, buyers and investors who are faced with complex boat rental situations.
Our experience leads us to recall a few essential principles.

A strict legal framework, often underestimated

Yacht charter is a booming business.
But contrary to popular belief, you can't hire a boat as freely as you would a car or a flat.
In France, this activity is strictly regulated by maritime law, transport law, labour law and insurance law.
If the rules are misunderstood, the owner, tenant or professional may be exposed to very serious risks: refusal to take out insurance, personal liability and criminal penalties.

Purpose of this article

🎯 Explain who can hire a boat.
🎯 Specify the legal framework.
🎯 Distinguish between hire with or without a skipper.
🎯 Indicate which licences and qualifications are compulsory.
🎯 Remind you of the essential obligations.
🎯 Detail the risks involved in the event of an error.

Scope of application : This document relates exclusively to the rental of motorboats in France for maritime navigation (sea).

For private owners

📌 Before any letting, we systematically recommend checking three fundamental points:
👉 If you wish to remain a private individual, you must keep your rental arrangements to a minimum.
👉 That the hirer has the appropriate licence for the boat.
👉 That your insurance policy explicitly covers yacht charter.

⚠️ An activity that is not properly declared or is too regular can be reclassified as a professional activity, with :
⚠️ Loss of insurance cover.
⚠️ Tax or social security adjustment.
⚠️ Personal liability of the owner in the event of an accident.

The different types of boat hire

📘 Before distinguishing between private individuals and professionals, it is essential to understand that there are several possible legal frameworks for chartering a boat.

Bareboat charter (without skipper)

The owner hires only the boat, without providing a driver or crew.
The hirer then becomes the skipper, responsible for :
- Driving.
- Safety.
- And compliance with regulations.
This is the simplest form of lease in legal terms.

⚠️ Bareboat« rental by a private individual: do I need professional status?
A private individual can legally hire out his or her boat «bareboat» (without a skipper) without holding professional status, provided that this activity remains occasional and does not constitute a genuine commercial activity.
Under French law, this type of rental is treated as a simple provision of an asset, comparable to the occasional rental of a home or vehicle.

The decisive criterion is not the form of the tenancy, but whether it is habitual and lucrative.
As soon as the lease becomes :
- Regular or repeated.
- Organised (permanent adverts on rental websites, full calendar, standardised conditions).
- And geared towards earning an income.
In this case, the authorities may reclassify the activity as a professional ship rental activity.

🚨 If you don't declare your work properly, the risks are considerable: tax requalification, URSSAF adjustment, and above all refusal of cover by the insurer in the event of an accident.

👉 Practical rule: One-off rental = private individuals tolerated.
👉 Practical rule: Regular, organised rental = compulsory professional status.

Charter with skipper

In this case, it is no longer a simple rental, but a maritime service.
As soon as a skipper is paid, you enter a strictly regulated professional framework.
This framework requires :
🎓 A specific professional diploma.
🩺 A medical certificate of fitness.
🛟 Mandatory safety training (STCW: survival, fire, rescue, social responsibilities).
👤 A declared social status.
🛡️ Uprofessional insurance.
📄 And sometimes an administrative fitting-out of the ship.

🔥 The case of the owner who skippers his own boat without professional status is one of the riskiest situations we encounter:
✔️ Boats on permanent promotion on rental websites (SamBoat, Click&Boat...).
✔️ In the event of an inspection: «I'm taking some friends for a ride...».
✔️ Low-cost charter, skipper included.

Can I be both owner and skipper of a rental property?

Yes, owners can only be skippers of their own boat if they meet all the following criteria:
🎓 A specific professional diploma.
🩺 A medical certificate of fitness.
🛟 Compulsory safety training (STCW: survival, fire, rescue, social responsibilities).
👤 Be socially registered (employee or self-employed).
🛡️ Professional insurance covering commercial activity.
📄 Operate the vessel within a compliant administrative framework (company declared, commercial use declared, fitting-out if required).

As soon as the owner :
✔️ Hire out your boat for a fee.
✔️ And drives the car himself.
So this is no longer a simple rental, but a remunerated maritime service.
⚠️ He legally becomes a professional skipper.

Risks and penalties for private individuals

⚖️ Operating a boat requiring a licence without holding the appropriate title is generally a 5ᵉ class contravention, with a fine of up to €1,500, and possible detention of the vessel.

🚨 In the event of an accident, the consequences can be dramatic:
⚠️ Almost systematic refusal of cover by the insurer.
⚠️ Personal criminal liability.
⚠️ Direct compensation for victims.

💡 Our advice: if you want to hire your boat with a skipper, use the services of a professional charter agency.

Renting from a professional

Professionals (rental companies, charter companies, operators) carry out a strictly regulated commercial activity.
The professional must :
👤 Employ a qualified and declared skipper.
📄 Check the permanent validity of tickets.
🛡️ Insure the vessel for commercial use.
🛟 Comply with arming and safety rules.
💶 Apply tax rules (VAT, invoicing).

Depending on the type of vessel, the area and the activity, the main titles include :
🎓 Captain 200 (very common in charter > 24 m or daily charter).
🎓 Superior titles for larger vessels.

Conclusion

Renting motorboats in France is perfectly legal, as long as you comply strictly with the legal framework.
👉 A private individual can hire out their boat bareboat.
👉 The driver must have the required licence.
👉 An individual cannot be a paid skipper without professional status.
👉 Any commercial activity requires appropriate qualifications, declarations and insurance.

📌 Simple and essential rule: no licence or no diploma = weakened insurance + personal liability + possible criminal penalties.

And contrary to popular belief, checks are rare... until one day there's an accident.
And that day, everything was checked.