What you're booking.
A day on the water with you at the helm. If you hold a valid skipper's licence and the experience to match, you can hire one of our boats and run your own day.
From R4,500 a day, excluding fuel.
Who it's for
Licensed skippers with real sea time. This is not a way around booking a charter, and it is not where you learn. We hand these boats to people we are confident can bring them back, and we would rather tell you no at the enquiry stage than at the slipway.
If you would rather someone else did the driving, our charters come with a skipper and crew, and the price includes fuel.
The boats
- El Barco: Ballistic 650 RIB, 6.5 m, seven aboard. Langebaan, for the lagoon and the water beyond the breakwater
- El Fresco: 520 Supercat, 5.2 m, four aboard. Simon's Town, sheltered water, daylight hours only
- El Libre: Ballistic 650 RIB, 6.5 m, seven aboard. Simon's Town
- El Zorro: Gemini 600 RIB, 6 m, six aboard. V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
The rest of the fleet is not available for self-drive. Those boats are bigger, more complex, and they go further offshore than a hire arrangement should.
What you need
All four are non-negotiable, and we check them:
- A valid skipper's licence for the category of vessel and water you intend to use
- Relevant experience. A licence and no sea time is not enough: we will ask what you have run before, and where
- The right driver's licence for towing, if the boat is being towed or driven anywhere: your licence must cover the vehicle-and-trailer combination
- Full payment upfront to confirm the booking
What is and is not included
Included: the vessel, all statutory safety equipment aboard and operational, and a handover briefing.
Not included: fuel, launching and retrieval. The boat comes back clean and fully fuelled, in the condition you took it. You are liable for loss, damage or theft during the hire; we insure the vessel, but the shortfall and the excess sit with you.
More than one day
Multi-day hire runs at a lower day rate, from R4,000 a day. See the multi-day bareboat rental, or just ask when you enquire.
Enquire
Not bookable online, deliberately: self-drive needs a licence check and an experience check first. Phone +27 64 621 0795 or email info@ecmarine.co.za with the date, the boat you have in mind and what you have skippered before. The full conditions are on the rentals page.
What do I need to hire a boat?
Four things, all non-negotiable: a valid skipper’s licence for the category of vessel and water, relevant experience (we will ask what you have run before, and where), the right driver’s licence for towing if the boat is being towed or driven anywhere, and full payment upfront.
The full rules are on the rentals page.
Which boats can I hire?
El Barco at Langebaan, El Libre and El Fresco at Simon’s Town, and El Zorro at the V&A. El Fresco is daylight only. The bigger boats are not available for self-drive; they work further offshore than a hire arrangement should.
Can I take a boat for several days?
Yes: multi-day hire runs at a lower day rate, from R4,000 a day. See the multi-day rental or just ask when you enquire.
Included, and not.
In the price
- The boat, fuelled and checked, for the day
- All safety equipment and life jackets
- A full handover briefing at the jetty
Not in the price
- A skipper: this is self-drive, and the licence and experience are yours
- Fuel used, settled on return
- Food and drink
Prices are per boat, not per person. Full pricing.
Best months.
Year-round, weather permitting. El Fresco hires for daylight hours only; all hire days end back at the jetty before dark unless agreed otherwise.