Boatsetter fees for charter companies, explained (2026)

The short answer

• Boatsetter takes a listing fee from the boat price. Its fee policy says you'll earn "between 65% and 88.5% of the list price depending on your boat and insurance plan".
• With your own commercial insurance, the listing fee is 11.5% in the United States and 15% outside it. With Boatsetter's peer-to-peer insurance, it is 13.5% to 20%, plus an insurance fee.
• The renter pays a service fee on top of the boat price. Boatsetter doesn't publish its rate.
• Captains are priced apart from the boat. Your own captains paid through Boatsetter carry the same listing fee.
• Payouts are processed 2–3 business days after the trip ends, by direct deposit in US dollars.
• Boatsetter's terms ask owners not to work around its fees, with a fee of up to $1,000 per booking if they do.
• Many charter companies keep their listing for the customers it brings, and take direct bookings on their own booking page as well.

How Boatsetter charges

Your side: the listing fee

Boatsetter's terms describe an "Owner Commission Fee that is charged to the Owner", a percentage of the boat price "deducted from the Boat Fees before remitting the Boat Fees to the Owner". Its help center calls it the listing fee, and gives the rates:

• Commercial vessels in the United States and US territories: 11.5% of the boat price, and no insurance fee.
• Vessels outside the United States: 15% of the boat price.
• Vessels insured by Buoy, Boatsetter's peer-to-peer insurance partner: 13.5% to 20%. Most pay 13.5%, but "this fee can increase if the owner's response rate drops and other owner performance metrics start to decline". An insurance fee, set for each trip, is deducted as well. Boatsetter estimates these owners take home 65–85% of the boat price.

The top of the fee policy's range, 88.5%, matches the 11.5% fee for commercial vessels in the United States. The Buoy policy is for owners listing personal boats. A charter company usually has its own commercial charter insurance, and Boatsetter asks for proof that it meets state and US Coast Guard minimums.

Other figures are in circulation. A Boatsetter blog article, updated in February 2026, says owners with their own commercial policy receive 90%, and 65% to 80% with the peer-to-peer policy. Third-party guides estimate the fee at 20–35% with Boatsetter's insurance and about 10% with your own. These differ from Boatsetter's fee policy and help center: plan with the rates above, and check your own price breakdown.

The renter's side: the service fee

The renter pays a service fee on each booking, on top of the boat price. Boatsetter's fee policy says it is charged "in order to facilitate the transaction", applied before coupons or credits, and non-refundable. Boatsetter doesn't publish the rate. It doesn't come out of what you receive.

Captains and crew

US Coast Guard rules don't let the captain's rate be part of the boat price, so Boatsetter charges it separately:

• Boatsetter Captain Network: the price is set by boat length and paid through Boatsetter: $60 an hour up to 29 feet, $70 from 30 to 49 feet, $100 from 50 feet.
• Your own captains, paid through Boatsetter (owners with commercial insurance): you set the price, and these "captain payouts are subject to the same listing fee as your boat price".
• Your own captains, paid at the dock: nothing goes through Boatsetter.

Other fees

From Boatsetter's fee policy and help center:

• Payments after the trip (fuel, cleaning, damage): 3.0% + $0.15 per charge.
• Add-ons such as snorkel gear: 5% + $0.15 for the owner, 10% for the renter.
• Chargebacks: $15, charged to both renter and owner. The owner is "100% responsible for any amount disputed or charged back", and payouts stop until it's resolved.
• Administrative fee: up to $30, case by case. Owner no-show: up to $100.

When you get paid

Payouts go by direct deposit through Stripe, 2–3 business days after the booking ends; weekends and holidays can take longer. Canceled bookings are never paid out automatically: if a renter cancels and you're owed part of the booking, you ask Boatsetter.

When a booking is cancelled

You choose one of three policies. Under Boatsetter's cancellation policy, the renter gets a full refund up to 24 hours before the start (Flexible), 5 days (Moderate) or 30 days (Strict), then 50% or nothing closer to the date. Bookings outside the United States follow Strict unless the listing says otherwise.

If you cancel, the renter gets a full refund and you get no payout. Cancel an approved booking 7 days or less before the trip, and Boatsetter charges 20% of the boat price. It may waive this for extenuating circumstances, or if the renter rebooks your boat within 7 days of the original date.

A worked example

A full-day charter with a boat price of $1,000 on Boatsetter. The captain's price is charged separately and left out. The figures apply the rates in Boatsetter's help center; the Buoy column uses Boatsetter's own 65–85% estimate, since the insurance fee changes with each trip.

Stripe also deducts $0.15 from each payout.

The same charter, booked on your own booking page with Noliser:

Stripe's card processing fees depend on the card and the country. They apply to every card payment you take with Stripe.

The two aren't the same service. Boatsetter brings you renters who search its site. Noliser doesn't: it takes bookings and payments from customers who already come to you.

What you get for the fee

Boatsetter's own pages point to what the listing fee pays for:

• Renters you wouldn't reach alone. Boatsetter says renters can "find and book boats in over 600 locations". In December 2025 it announced a merger with Getmyboat, reporting more than half a billion dollars in combined bookings. Both platforms and apps stay active.
• Visibility. Instant Book listings get a lightning bolt icon and are surfaced higher in search results.
• Captains and insurance. The Captain Network can staff a boat, and owners without a commercial policy can list under Buoy's.
• Payments and claims. Boatsetter takes the renter's payment, holds a security deposit of at least $500, and handles damage, cleaning and lost-item claims.

When a listing is worth it, and when direct bookings make more sense

A listing is worth it when:

• you need renters you can't reach yet, such as visitors to your city;
• your boats have empty days you can't fill yourself;
• you want Boatsetter's captains or insurance.

Direct bookings make more sense when:

• customers already find you: on Google, Instagram, at your dock, or through hotels;
• returning customers book you again each season;
• you want to set your own payment and cancellation terms in one place;
• you want to keep the listing fee on the bookings you could have taken yourself.

Many charter companies do both.

Using both: your listing and your own booking page

You can keep your Boatsetter listing and take direct bookings on your own booking page with Noliser.

• One price to know. Noliser charges 5% per online booking, which guests can pay. Stripe's card processing fees apply. See Pricing.
• Your money, your account. Guests pay into your own Stripe account.
• Boatsetter bookings in Noliser. Boatsetter gives each listing an "Export Calendar" link. You can add it to Noliser under "Other", so Boatsetter bookings show on your Noliser calendar. Boatsetter notes that its export "is not currently an automated calendar sync", so check that new Boatsetter bookings appear, and block the time with Block time if one doesn't.
• Noliser bookings on Boatsetter. Boatsetter's help center describes no way to import an outside calendar. When you take a booking on Noliser, block those dates on your Boatsetter calendar yourself, especially if you use Instant Book.

Questions

What does Boatsetter take from a charter company?

A listing fee from the boat price: 11.5% for commercial vessels in the United States, 15% outside it, and 13.5% to 20% plus an insurance fee under Buoy's peer-to-peer policy. Its fee policy says owners earn between 65% and 88.5% of the list price.

Who pays the service fee?

The renter, on top of the boat price. Boatsetter doesn't publish the rate.

When does Boatsetter pay me?

2–3 business days after the booking ends, by direct deposit in US dollars. Payouts on canceled bookings are never automatic: you ask Boatsetter for them.

Can I invite Boatsetter renters to book with me directly next time?

Boatsetter's terms ask owners not to circumvent its fees, and allow a fee of up to $1,000 per booking. Keep those renters on Boatsetter.

Does Noliser sync with Boatsetter?

Noliser has no built-in Boatsetter option. You can add Boatsetter's calendar export link under "Other" to see Boatsetter bookings in Noliser. Boatsetter's help center describes no calendar import, so block Noliser bookings on Boatsetter yourself.

Does Noliser replace Boatsetter?

No. Noliser is your own booking page, booking links and booking management. It doesn't bring you customers the way a marketplace does. It works next to your listings.

What does Noliser cost?

5% per online booking, which guests can pay. Stripe's card processing fees apply. Bookings you enter yourself carry no fee.