Terms and conditions for a boat hire business

A hire boat is a holiday home, a vehicle and a large piece of machinery in the hands of a customer who has had a short handover briefing. The terms have to set what the customer must know and do, how damage is charged against the deposit, what happens when weather or a closed waterway stops the trip, and who is responsible for the people on board. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Day boat, narrowboat, motor cruiser and self-drive boat hire businesses in England and Wales on canals, rivers, lakes and the coast, hiring to consumers for hours, days or weeks, with occasional business customers for corporate outings.

What matters in boat hire terms

Handover, competence and who may steer

The terms should require the customer to attend the handover briefing, to confirm that everyone who will steer has done so and is fit to, and to name the person responsible for the boat and the crew. Steering while drunk, allowing children to steer unsupervised and letting people not on the booking take the boat are breaches that end your responsibility for the hire and leave the customer liable for what follows.

Damage, the deposit and the excess

The boat is at the customer's risk from handover to return. The terms should say that damage, loss of equipment and recovery costs are charged, that a deposit or pre-authorisation is taken as security, and what the excess is where you provide insurance. Against consumers the charges must reflect your real loss, so the terms should describe how a repair is costed rather than fix a penalty. Damage found on return but not reported during the hire is still the customer's.

Waterway rules, closures and the route

The terms should require the customer to follow the navigation authority's rules, speed limits and lock procedures, which on Canal & River Trust waters are made under the British Waterways Act 1995 and the licence conditions, and on coastal waters sit under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, and should say that closures, stoppages, floods and low water are outside your control: a trip curtailed by them is rebooked or partly refunded on a stated basis, not compensated. The customer's chosen route is their choice, and the terms should make clear that a boat cannot always reach where the customer planned to be.

Weather, safety and people on board

The terms should give you the right to refuse or shorten a hire for weather or conditions, should require life jackets to be worn where you specify and children to be supervised, and should say that the customer is responsible for the conduct and safety of everyone on board. You remain liable for injury caused by your own negligence, which the Consumer Rights Act 2015 does not allow to be excluded against a consumer; the terms describe your safety briefing and equipment checks rather than deny that duty.

Booking, cancellation and return

A hire for specific dates is excluded from the fourteen-day cancellation right by regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, so your cancellation scale applies and must be fair; a balance payable well before the hire and a scale increasing towards the date is the usual shape. The terms should fix the return time and place, charge late return at a stated rate, and require the boat to come back clean, fuelled as agreed and with its inventory.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted for your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want them checked and brought up to date. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Email me at geoffrey@caesar.co.uk with what you need and any documents, and I will confirm the scope and the fee in writing, usually the same working day.

What you get

• A full set of bespoke terms drafted for your business, reflecting the legal requirements that apply to your business and sector
• A note in plain English explaining the terms I have drafted for you
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions that protect your position and are drafted to withstand scrutiny from the other side
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly
• Your questions and comments answered by email or phone
• One round of amendments to finalise the terms ready for use

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers (I am happy to quote for this as an additional service if required)
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country
• Tax advice

Questions I am often asked

The customer hit a lock gate and denies it. What can I recover?

Damage found on return that was not there at handover is the customer's responsibility under the terms, and a handover condition record with photographs is what proves it. The cost of repair, up to the excess where you insure, comes from the deposit first.

What if the canal is closed for a stoppage during a week's hire?

The terms should say that closures are outside your control and set out what the customer gets: a proportionate refund, a credit or a change of route. Without that term the customer will argue the holiday was not what they paid for.

Can I refuse to hand over the boat if the customer arrives drunk?

The terms should give you the right to refuse handover where the customer or their crew appear unfit, with the hire fee forfeited, because the safety of the crew and other users comes first.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Terms and conditions for a kayak and paddleboard hire business

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.