Boat Rental/Gas Prices

[tralei714]

Hello !

We ( my husband and I )are thinking of renting a boat for a full day out of St. John and going over to the B.V.I's. How much can we expect to pay for gas? Has anyone ever chartered there own boat before?

[Xislandgirl]

I really recommend chartering a boat with a capt. It is fun to have your own boat but if you are not familiar with the area, it can be more work that it is worth.

I am trying to remember how much we paid when we went out with Capt John. I know it was mush less than we thought...I guess that doesn't really help, does it?

[lazylane]

I would also recommend a captain. We spent a day in BVI with Capt John of Palm Tree Charters and thanks to his new fuel efficient engines our gas was only $69!!!!

[Gromit]

We've generally found for bareboat rentals and trips to the BVI in the past the fuel prices were around $200- $300 on top of the bare boat rental.

While it can be fun, I do not recommend that folks do bareboat rentals in the VI's unless they have experience with boating in an ocean environment and are familiar with the VI's.

Lots of coral reefs and opportunities to get into trouble. Plus unles you are familiar with the currents etc, like Pia said, it can be more work than it's worth. Occsionally the bareboat rental places like to display a completely wrecked motor that someone had to pay for after jamming it into coral reef. The cost of the motor also doesn't include any fines for damaging the reef if you get caught.

If you don't want to go with a traditional charter then at least pay afew extra bucks for a captain for the day to help you out.

This can be a fun thing to do, but it's not something to be taken lightly and it's best to familiarize yourself with the waterways and charts before doing so.

Just my .02.

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[Bob & Anita]

The gas numbers quoted by others are about right. There is a dock pump to the left of the Ferry dock as you are returning, it's pretty straight forward if you are use to boats.

Unlike what some others have said, we much prefer to rent our own boat and not have a captain. It's more fun for us to go by ourselves. It depends on what you want to do (drink, snorkel, site see, etc.) and your experience at boating. This clearly is a personal choice; what works for some may not work for others - some like to be driven, others like to drive.

There are reef you have to watch out for, but the boat rental company will go over those with you on the chart. All the navigation is line of site. We had brought a portable GPS with us but didn't really need it. We do have a list of waypoints for the most common places in the VI's if anyone is interested.

[daveo]

I actually registered so I could post on this one. No more lurking! While I am happy to spread the wealth by hiring a "captain" it just isn't the same day as bareboating. I like the analogy of driving versus being driven. You know if you are comfortable or not taking responsibility for your own and your passengers lives. If you haven't got significant experience boating offshore a one day rental in the Virgins probably isn't the best course. Be safe and happy.

[captainjay]

He have done this numerous times both with a local captain and on our own. In most cases we spend on the low end a hundred dollars and on the high end 200 dollars on fuel. The variables are in which size of boat, the number of engines, and how far we chose to go. If you don't run all the way to Norman Island, were the Indians, The Caves and the Willy T are you can get by on the lower end of the scale.

With that said I will put in my .02 on the Captain versus bareboat issue. We have done it both ways and I have to agree if you aren't familar with coastal navigation and don't have any local knowledge you will have much more fun with a captain. There is almost no difference in cost. Ocean Runners charges something like $60 a day for additional insurance that drops the deductable down from something like $8000 to a mere $800. If you pay them $125 for a captain, plus a suitable tip of course, you don't have any liability for the boat. Keep in mind also that the captain will handle all of the BVI Customs and walk you through the US Customs on return.

So with that said I would have to say call John Brandi, at Palm Tree or Josh and Matt Slaton at Lion In Da Sun and see who has a boat available for the day you want to go. If it is your first trip just the local knowledge that they will give you will be worth the price of the all day handstamp. Plus this frees up the would be captain to have a drink or ten.
Jay