Boats you take out yourself with no nautical licence at all. We run through the controls before you leave and you go on your own inside the authorised area.
| Boat | Seats | Marina |
|---|---|---|
| Boat without a licence, 6.6 m | 8 | Fuengirola |
| Boat without a licence, 6.9 m | — | Fuengirola |
| Boat without a licence, 6.9 m | — | Fuengirola |
| HOURS | FEE | SKIPPER + FUEL |
|---|---|---|
| 1 H | ask us | ask us |
| 2 H | ask us | ask us |
| 3 H | ask us | ask us |
| 4 H | ask us | ask us |
| 8 H | ask us | ask us |
Boat hire without a licence works like this: these are the smallest boats in the fleet and you handle them yourself. Before you leave we go through the controls — starting, steering, anchoring and coming back alongside — and we mark on the chart the area you can go in.
No previous experience is needed. What we do ask for is common sense: stay inside the authorised area, do not go out if the forecast is against it, and be back in daylight.
On the hourly rates the fuel is included. On half days and full days it is not, because consumption depends on how far you go; it is topped up when you bring the boat back and you pay for what was used.
The navigation area is marked on the chart before you leave and usually runs from Fuengirola towards Benalmádena to the east and towards Mijas to the west, without heading offshore. It is a band several miles wide: more than enough to reach a cove, anchor and be back within two hours.
The limit is not arbitrary: outside that area the sea conditions change and so do the safety equipment requirements. Leaving it without the corresponding licence is an offence, and the boat's insurance stops covering you.
Ten minutes on the pontoon and on the water: starting and stopping the engine, how the helm responds at different speeds, how to anchor — letting out enough chain and checking the anchor has bitten — and how to come back alongside without knocking the boat next door.
We also cover what you cannot see: where each person's life jacket is, where the extinguisher is, how to cut the engine in an emergency and what number to call if something happens. That is another five minutes and it is the part that really matters.
The boats in the fleet that need no licence run from 6.6 to 6.9 metres and take up to 8 passengers depending on the model. Eight will fit, but to spend the day comfortably with cool boxes and towels the sensible number is six.
Children count as passengers for capacity even though they take up less room. The maximum capacity is on each boat's paperwork and cannot be exceeded: it is the first thing the coastguard or the Guardia Civil look at in a check.
You need: sun cream, water, a cap and shoes that will not mark the deck. And the passport or ID of whoever signs the hire, which is needed for the contract and the deposit.
You do not need to bring life jackets — they are included and there is one per person — nor an anchor, nor lines, nor safety equipment: the boat goes out with everything checked. You do not need previous experience either.
In July and August the boats that need no licence are the first to go, because they are the cheapest and anyone can take them. It is worth booking several days ahead and, for a weekend, with more margin still.
From October to May there is almost always availability from one day to the next. Low season also has an advantage few people make use of: the sea tends to be flatter in the morning and the coves are empty.
A 6.9-metre boat with an outboard uses between 15 and 25 litres an hour at cruising speed. At anchor it uses nothing, and that is the trick to a cheap day out: motor just enough to reach the cove, then stop the engine.
On the hourly rates the fuel is included and you do not have to think about it. On half days and full days you leave with a full tank and top up on return, paying only for what was used. A relaxed eight-hour day with two stops at anchor uses considerably less than a four-hour one spent going from place to place.
If it is not here, call us: two minutes on the phone and it is sorted.
There are boats that can be handled without a licence, always inside the authorised area and within the power and length the rules allow. Before you book we confirm which particular boat falls under that, because not all of them do.
No experience is needed. Before you leave we go through starting, steering, anchoring and coming back alongside, and we mark on the chart how far you can go. It takes about ten minutes and you set off knowing where you stand.
On the hourly rates, yes. On half days and full days it is not, because consumption depends on how far you go: it is topped up when you bring the boat back and you pay for what you used.
Yes. It comes back in full when the boat is returned in the state it left in.
Leave us your number and we will call you. In July and August it is worth booking ahead.
Puerto Deportivo de Fuengirola, local 367. You can drop in and see the boats before you book.
At no charge. Going out to see what happens is never worth it.
Life jackets for everyone on board, included in the price.
