Vacations have slowed — but not stopped — in the COVID-19 era. Travelers are finding ways to social distance and still have a good time, opting for more private getaways, whether it be a cabin in the middle of the woods or a trip via RV.
There’s another option for anyone looking for a more nautical vacation experience — boat rentals. GetMyBoat, the self-dubbed “Airbnb of boats,” is an online marketplace for water experiences, offering everything from luxury yachts to standup paddleboards that users can book via the GetMyBoat app or website, getmyboat.com.
The company services nearly 200 countries with over 130,000 options for water recreation (not to mention a significant presence in the Fort Worth-Dallas area with rentals available in places like Eagle Mountain Lake, Joe Pool Lake, and Lake Grapevine). In 2020, GetMyBoat experienced a “standout year” with business growing 3,900% from April through July, says marketing manager Val Streif.
“Last year, because people had this extra discretionary income from not traveling and also were looking for outdoor things to do that can be done safely … we had a really insane year in 2020,” she says.
GetMyBoat is the brainchild of serial entrepreneurs and co-founders Sascha Mornell and Rafael Collado. So the story goes, they were hanging out on the water one day when they noticed several boats sitting unused in dock slips at marinas. That scene coupled by the growth of the sharing economy eventually inspired the duo to launch GetMyBoat in San Francisco in 2013.
The app functions similarly to Airbnb. Boat owners can list their boats on the site at no cost (GetMyBoat takes an 8.5% fee when a booking is made) and set their own prices and availability. Anyone looking for a boat can then book through the app and later leave a review after their experience.
“Our model is a really great option for people when an expensive boat club membership doesn’t make sense,” Streif says. “There are other ways to get access to boats, but a lot of times they come with a lot of extra cost, versus, this is really great because it’s flexible. [For people who] just want a boat for this one Saturday or for Fourth of July weekend, I think for a lot of people, that’s going to be a lot more realistic.”
Streif says that for anyone who’d like a boat in the summer, “it does not hurt to look now” as the company anticipates a busy 2021.
She also hopes boaters will continue to be cognizant of the pandemic as they make travel plans.
“We still want to encourage social distancing, boating with small groups, staying away from big boat parties, or anything that could be a more dangerous event in terms of the pandemic,” she says.