by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 9:00 AM ET, Wed October 4, 2017
Owning a boat is expensive. And a yacht, well that's out of the question for a lot of people.
A new sharing economy start-up recognizes this fact and is aiming to provide all of us with access (at least temporarily) to the yachting lifestyle of the rich and famous without the associated costs of ownership and maintenance.
The new company, Borrow A Boat, was founded by British entrepreneur Matt Ovenden.
It's a boat-sharing business that allows customers to rent everything from small boats to multi-million-dollar luxury yachts from boat owners.
Think of it as the Airbnb of the boating and yachting world.
"I realized marinas are full of millions of pounds worth of boats that are rarely used and also chartering is expensive and it's hard to find what you want - it seemed perfect for the sharing economy," Ovenden told Lonely Planet.
Founded in 2016, Borrow A Boat lists more than 13,000 boats in 32 countries. The boats are offered for rent by private owners and small charter companies. Boat rentals are available everywhere from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean, Asia, Australia and the United States.
The site calls itself the definitive marketplace for boat charter worldwide featuring peer-to-peer listings and is seeking to eventually list all kinds of boats, in as many locations as possible - from small day boats to holiday yachts, motor cruisers and luxury superyachts.
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"Our mission is to open up boating and make it more accessible and easier to access for the masses, by bringing more choice of boat and variety of locations to the charter market, as well as better value charters and ease of booking and going boating," Ovenden said in a statement on his website. "We simultaneously want to help boat owners reduce the cost of boat ownership, by giving them the platform to list and charter their boats.
Like Airbnb, the rental prices for the boats and yachts are set by the owners. In addition, it is the owners who establish the rules the surrounding rental of their boats-such as prohibiting pets or parties and more.
As for renters who don't know how to drive a boat, there's also an option on some boats to book with a skipper.
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