The sharing economy has hit the water – peer-to-peer boat sharing

Peer-to-peer boat sharing

Now the the sharing economy has hit the water – peer-to-peer boat sharing. A new breed of boat-sharing services is entering the market.

Much as Airbnb, HomeTrip and 9Flats lets people rent out their homes, or Lending Club, Prosper Marketplace, Zopa etc. that link borrowers with individual lenders and bypass the banking industry or Lyft and RelayRides allow private owners to offer their cars, peer-to-peer boat sharing might soon be available at a pier near you.

These companies make it possible for boat owners to rent out their boats when they aren’t using them – for many people that’s a considerable chunk of time. On average, boat owners spend a lot less time on the water than off – average boat owners only use their vessel 14 days a year.

The rest of the time they rack up expenses for maintenance, dock-age, storage, and the like. Renting the boat just a day or two a month can negate all the costs of ownership – depending on how long the boat season is.

The biggest question might not be demand, but trust between owner and renter about steering something as expensive as a boat. That leaves it up to the boating start-ups to handle liability questions and foster trust.

The ease-of-use of mobile apps and payment technology amongst shared economy pioneers has led to them targeting the traditional business of others.

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The sharing economy has hit the water – peer-to-peer boat sharing — http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/fqa

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