How the booking process works — for guests and boat owners

This guide walks through the full booking flow on Rent A Boat — from a guest sending a request, to the owner reviewing and issuing an invoice, to the deposit being paid, to the balance being collected. Whether you’re a guest booking a charter or an owner managing your own boat, this covers everything you need to know.

Watch the video walkthrough

Prefer to watch? Here’s the full walkthrough — each main section heading below is also a link to that section of the video.

Before you start

• You need to be logged in to send a booking request or to respond to one.
• Guests and owners communicate through the platform only — do not share phone numbers or email addresses while the booking is unconfirmed. Contact details are automatically shared with both sides once the deposit is paid.

For guests — sending a booking request

1. Search for a boat

Go to the homepage and use the search to pick your dates and preferences. You can search a single day (e.g. Saturday) or a longer window (e.g. a long weekend).

2. Send a request on the boat you like

Open the boat’s page and use the booking widget on the right:

• Select your dates.
• Choose the number of guests (up to the boat’s stated maximum).
• Add a message to the owner — anything you’d like to ask or mention (e.g. “I noticed you have a BBQ — can we use it?”).
• Do not include your phone number or email in the message. You’ll be blocked from the platform if you do — contact details are exchanged automatically once the booking is confirmed.
• Tick the confirmation box and click Request to Book.

If you’re not logged in you’ll be prompted to log in or sign up first, then the request will send.

For owners — responding to a request

1. You’ll receive an email

When a guest sends you a request, you’ll receive a New Booking Request email with the guest’s name, dates, guest count, and message. The email tells you not to reply directly — you must respond through the platform.

2. Open My Client Bookings

Log in and go to My Client Bookings. Your new request is at the top. You’ll see the guest’s message and a note that the guest’s contact details will be revealed once the booking is confirmed.

3. Check your calendar

If you’re linking Rent A Boat’s calendar with Google Calendar, iCloud, or another platform, cross-check availability there first. (See our separate guide on syncing calendars for how to set that up.)

4. Choose how to respond

You have three options on the booking row:

• Reject Booking — if the dates don’t work, click this. You’ll be asked to confirm. The guest is notified by email and the dates are released.
• Contact Client — if you need more information before deciding, message the guest. The conversation is visible under My Inbox on both sides. Do not share phone numbers or email addresses in these messages.
• Respond to Request — if you’re happy to accept, this is where you issue the deposit invoice (see below).

You can also enable Allow Instant Booking on each of your listings if you’d prefer requests to be confirmed automatically without you having to respond.

5. Issue the deposit invoice

Click Respond to Request to open the invoice form. On this form:

• The deposit defaults to the platform’s service fee. This is the amount the guest pays online now to confirm the booking.
• You can add extra line items — e.g. catering, champagne, or any add-on the guest requested — at any price.
• You can add a discount as a negative line item (e.g. −€75).
• You can remove any line you don’t want.

6. Choose how the remaining balance is collected

This is an important decision:

• Leave the “I’ll collect the remaining balance manually” box unticked if you want Rent A Boat to collect the balance online from the guest before the rental date, then pay it to your bank account.
• Tick “I’ll collect the remaining balance manually” if you’d rather collect it yourself on the day — cash, Revolut, bank transfer, whatever you agree with the guest.

You can switch between the two options later — see the section below.

Click Send Deposit Invoice. The guest is now emailed an “Invoice Ready to Pay” notice.

For guests — paying the deposit and confirming

1. Open the invoice

Go to My Reservations and find the booking. You’ll see a Pay Deposit to Confirm Booking button showing the deposit amount.

2. Pay with Stripe

Click through and enter your card details on the Stripe payment form. Once payment succeeds, the booking status changes to Confirmed.

3. You’ll now see the owner’s contact details

Once confirmed, both sides can see each other’s name, email, and phone number so you can coordinate the practicalities directly.

After the booking is confirmed

If you (the owner) chose manual balance collection

The booking is marked “Confirmed — Balance to Collect Manually”. You collect the remainder from the guest yourself on or before the rental day. Nothing more to do on the platform.

If you (the owner) left it as online balance collection

The booking is marked “Confirmed — Not Fully Paid”. The guest sees a Pay Invoice in Full button on their reservation and can pay the remainder online. Rent A Boat sends the money to your bank account after the rental date.

Switching between manual and online balance collection

You can change your mind at any time before the balance is paid. On the booking row in My Client Bookings, click the toggle to switch between “manual” and “online” balance collection. The guest’s view updates automatically.

Set up your payout details (owners)

If you’re using online balance collection, go to My Profile and fill in your payout / bank account details. Rent A Boat pays you to that account once the rental has taken place.

Send a payment reminder (owners, online balance only)

If the balance is being collected online and the guest hasn’t paid it yet, use the Send Reminder Email button on the booking row to nudge them. The guest receives an Invoice Payment Reminder email.

Contacting each other

Both sides can keep messaging through the platform via My Inbox — or once the booking is confirmed, contact each other directly using the details shown on the booking. Guests can also print the full trip details, cancellation policy, and invoice from their reservation.

Quick recap

1. Guest searches, picks dates, sends a request through the boat page.
2. Owner receives an email, opens My Client Bookings, and either rejects, messages the guest, or issues a deposit invoice.
3. Guest receives an “Invoice Ready to Pay” email, opens My Reservations, and pays the deposit online.
4. Booking is confirmed — contact details are revealed to both sides.
5. Balance is collected either manually (owner’s choice, on the day) or online (guest pays through the site, Rent A Boat pays out to the owner’s bank account after the rental).

Need help?

If anything isn’t working as expected, or you have a question about a specific booking, contact us and we’ll help you sort it out.