What is the ideal age for a boat to be rented out?
Updated on: 26/05/2025Ideally, if you’re willing to spend the money, you should opt for a boat that’s one year old. That way, you’ll be sailing on a boat that’s beautiful, comfortable, and reliable. Two to three years is still acceptable, but if a boat has been rented out for more than five years, we consider it old, since it will have seen a lot of use. So, over 10 years old is very old!
At Filovent, we caution you about two categories of vessels: old ones, and brand-new ones.
Older boats: a much higher likelihood of technical issues
Older boats, over 5 years old, have the advantage of being much cheaper, but there’s a good reason for that... In fact, 1) modern mass-produced boats age very quickly, and 2) by definition, a rental boat is heavily used. The reasoning that if a boat is being offered, it must be in perfect condition, is misleading. An older boat, even if very well maintained and managed by an excellent rental company, carries a much higher risk of breakdowns.
Keep in mind that everything comes at a price: if an older boat is priced much lower than a newer one, it’s simply because it’s not as good.
The older a boat is, the more likely you are to encounter the following issues:
If you know exactly what to expect and have a somewhat "rough-and-ready" crew, this isn’t a problem! But if you’re looking for high comfort, or want to avoid hassles at all costs, don’t be blinded by the attractive price of older boats.
Brand-new boats: risk of construction delays and teething problems
We advise against booking a boat that hasn’t been delivered yet (for example, booking a 2021 boat in March 2021). While it’s nice to book a boat that will be brand-new on your departure date, you should be aware of two risks:
- A major risk related to shipyard delays: shipyards often fall behind schedule on construction, sometimes by several months. The boat may not be delivered until after your rental dates. In this case, the rental company will refund the amounts paid but will not pay any additional compensation. Furthermore, it is entirely possible that by the time the delay is known, there will be no other boats available for your dates.
- A secondary risk related to break-in: often, a new boat fresh off the shipyard will have certain minor malfunctions (doors that don’t close properly, portholes that let in a little rainwater, navigation electronics that aren’t quite calibrated, etc.). These issues will be resolved over the course of rentals during the first season.
