Sydney Harbour · drive it yourself
Four self-drive boats to hire, three of which need no licence at all. Take the helm yourself, pick your own route, anchor where you like and make a day of it. We brief you before you go and we’re on the phone the whole time you’re out.
The fleet
Day boat
Our easiest day on the water. Full shade canopy with sides, an inside cabin if the weather turns, a lunch table and a swim ladder. Pet-friendly.
Classic cruiser
An 8-metre classic cruiser. Shaded end to end, with a toilet on board, an electric anchor and room for eight.
BBQ pontoon
A 7-metre BBQ pontoon built for long lunches. Flat, stable deck, shade over three-quarters of it, an esky and a BBQ with the gas supplied.
Sports cruiser
Sleek, fast and genuinely spacious. A 350hp European sports cruiser with a private toilet, lounge and dining seating, a fridge and a big swim platform.
Weekday rates shown. Weekends, the 19 December – 26 January peak and public holidays are higher, and the exact price for your date is shown before you pay. Marlow and Frankie open for hire in October — both are being refitted, so their images are indicative of how each will look once finished.
How it works
Getting there
The Day Boat and the Sports Cruiser leave from Figtree Lane, Mosman, close to the Spit Bridge. Paid parking is usually available close by, with free parking about a five-minute walk away on Pearl Bay Road. Frequent buses stop nearby, so your guests can join you without driving.
Marlow and Frankie, from October. Parking nearby, and a ferry service if you’d rather not drive.
Who can hire
For the Day Boat, Marlow and Frankie — no. No licence, no test, no paperwork and no prior experience. We run you through the controls, the harbour map, the no-go zones and the safety gear, and we don’t send you off until you’re comfortable. If you’ve driven a car, you’ll be fine.
For the Sports Cruiser — yes. It needs a current boat licence and a driver aged 25 or over. An interstate or international boat licence is fine, and children are welcome on board with you. If nobody in your group holds one, we can put a skipper on board and you still get the whole boat.
If it rains. If there’s a 50% or higher chance of rain forecast the day before your booking, you can reschedule for free. Just get in touch and pick a new date — no fees, no headaches.
Cruising grounds
Sydney Harbour is a playground for explorers, and renting a boat you drive yourself means you set the route. Glide past the iconic Opera House and under the Harbour Bridge, run out to Manly and Store Beach, anchor off Delwood Beach or Camp Cove for a swim and a picnic, or find the quiet in the hidden waterways of Chowder Bay, Taylors Bay and Bantry Bay. Drop a line in if you fancy some fishing. Head west up the Parramatta River if you’d rather have the water to yourself.
You’re free to explore the whole harbour — the one limit is that you can’t go offshore outside Sydney Heads. We give you a map and a full briefing so you know the good spots before you leave the dock. If the wind gets up we may ask you to stay inside Middle Harbour, which is sheltered on almost any day.
The idea
Self-drive boat hire — or boat rental, if that’s the word you use — lets you be the captain. There’s no set tour and no schedule to keep — you pick up the keys and set your own course. Whether you call it hiring a boat or renting one, it’s the same thing: the boat is yours for the day and nobody else is driving it. Unlike a skippered charter, self-drive is just you and the people you brought: stop for a swim when you feel like it, drop anchor for a long lunch, or keep moving and see how much of the harbour you can cover.
Every self-drive trip comes out different, which is the point. The boats are easy to handle, there’s plenty of shade and seating, and everything you need is on board. Going self-drive means more flexibility, more privacy and a kind of freedom that’s hard to match.
Good to know
For three of our four boats, no — they are our no license / no licence boats — no licence, no test and no experience needed. You drive them yourself after a full briefing on the day. The Sports Cruiser is the exception: it needs a licensed driver aged 25 or over, or we can put a skipper on board.
The Day Boat takes up to 6. Marlow, Frankie and the Sports Cruiser each take up to 8.
The Day Boat and Sports Cruiser leave from Mosman, near the Spit Bridge. Marlow and Frankie leave from Double Bay from October.
If there is a 50% or higher chance of rain forecast the day before your booking, you can reschedule for free. Just get in touch and pick a new date — no fees.
Fuel is included on all our no licence boats. On the Sports Cruiser it is payable at the end of the hire, based on what you use.
Yes, on every boat, and there is no BYO fee. Frankie has a BBQ on board with the gas supplied.
The whole of Sydney Harbour — under the Bridge, past the Opera House, out to Manly, into Rose Bay and Watsons Bay, or west up the Parramatta River. You cannot head outside Sydney Heads.
Yes. Every boat has a way in and out of the water and there are dozens of sheltered spots to anchor.
The Day Boat is pet-friendly — just let us know when you book.
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