Granville Island: Vancouver boat rentals
Wow, it’s been forever since I’ve written a post about things to do in Vancouver. With covid, I’ve mostly been chilling at home with my puppy, but this May long weekend, we did something so I finally have something to share lol. We rented a boat at Granville Island and went boating!
Granville Island boat rentals
We rented a boat from Granville Island boat rentals and booked it online. You don’t need a boating license to drive the boat, but the driver does need to be 21+ with a valid photo ID. The driver also needs to arrive to the Granville Island floating office 30 mins before departure time for training (with masks on). Note that there can only be 1 driver because they will only be training individual.
Another rule they have is no alcohol or drugs on the boat. If you are found with these items, you will lose your deposit.
Pricing
We rented the boat for 4 hours for $340. After tax and other fees, the total came to $413. This price does not include fuel, so estimate an additional $20-30/hour. There is also a $1000 safety deposit.
Our boat can fit 6-7 adults. They also allow small dogs.
Boating time!
The boat was comfortable and ours went pretty fast! In the 4 hours, we traveled all the way to Horseshoe Bay and even watched ferries leave the dock.
We tried to also go to a hot spot for seals/otters but we didn’t see any.
It was cool to get close to the shipping container boats and all the cool houses on the islands. We dreamed of owning a vacation home or retiring somewhere peaceful.
Everyone bought a picnic item so we had dinner on the boat. Some easy items we brought were fried chicken, sandwiches, veggies and dip and onigiri. We stop the boat to eat, but the boat is still moving in the water (bobbin’ around). There is no anchor so if you get motion sick easily in the car, you should bring or eat medicine prior to boating.
There aren’t really any places to dock so remember to use the washroom before you go. Most of us needed to pee badly by the end of the 4 hours lol!
You can go in the water so if you don’t mind how cold the water is, wear your swimsuit and jump right in. I guess you can pee in the water too HAHA.
We rented the boat from 5pm – 9pm and caught a beautiful sunset. They also have a bluetooth speaker in the boat so you can blast some good tunes while looking at a great view. I think that was the best part!
Final thoughts
We had a lot of fun! This was my first experience boating and I’m really glad the weather worked out for us. It was still quite cold because of the wind if you are driving fast. It also got colder as we approached sunset. The water was very very cold.
I am glad we didn’t bring our puppy even though small dogs are allowed. I’m pretty sure he could’ve flown off and died. Or he would just pee and poop everywhere in the boat – 4 hours is a long time!
In total, it costed us around $87 per person for 4 hours with 6 people. We drove out pretty far too so we used more gas than if you were to just stay around the Vancouver area.
I don’t think boating will be a regular activity for me because I personally find $87 to be a bit pricey, but I would enjoy boating on a special occasion or perhaps on a day when there are fireworks and we can watch them from the water and away from the crowded beaches.
Some items I definitely recommend you to bring if you plan on boating: a blanket, warmer clothes, handheld foods, bottled water, fully charged phone, sunglasses.
Sincerely, Loewe