Skip your own boat with boat-sharing service in Mississauga, Hamilton, Oakville
Published April 12, 2023 at 11:13 am
Calling all wannabe skippers, here’s your chance to set sail across Lake Ontario.
Skipperi Fleet Harbours, the world’s first boat-sharing app, will be launching its boats in Oakville, Mississauga, Hamilton, St. Catharines and six other harbours on Lake Ontario beginning May 1.
Boaters will be able to drive as far as about 65 kilometres between the Hamilton and Toronto ports.
Users looking to get out on the water can rent one of their 40 motorboats, between 17 to 23 feet in length, online for a monthly membership service, with early bird pricing beginning at $475 per month during the season.
The service runs all the way through the boating season up to Oct. 31.
The base membership, which includes insurance, maintenance and winterization, allows users unlimited boating from all 10 harbours throughout the week.
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There are two different time slots, with one from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the other from 4:30 p.m. until 8 a.m. the following day.
To rent a boat, users must have their Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCCOC). The one-time fee for the licence costs around $42.
One-on-one training is provided, with boaters heading out on the water for two or three hours to learn how to operate the Skipperi boats and pass the boating exam.
No prior experience is required for most memberships.
Customers can add weekends to their membership for an additional cost.
They can also sign up for the plus package which allows them to take out Skipperi’s pontoons and 23-foot-long boats. Additional training and boating experience is required.
Skipperi requires that all boats be dropped off to the location where they were rented and with users replacing the fuel they used.
Boats can be rented from these 10 locations on Lake Ontario:
- Port Credit Harbour Marina, Mississauga
- Bronte Harbour Marina, Oakville
- Harbour West Marina, Hamilton
- Port Dalhousie Pier Marina, St. Catharines
- Bluffers Park Marina, Scarborough
- Frenchman’s Bay Marina, Pickering
- Toronto Island Marina
- Harbourfront East – Queens Quay East and Yonge Street, Toronto
- Harbourfront Centre – Queens Quay West and York Street, Toronto
- Harbourfront West – Queens Quay West and Bathurst Street, Toronto