Boat Rental With Captain St. Pete, FL
A captained boat rental in St. Pete with Yacht Away Now runs $500 an hour Monday to Thursday and $600 an hour Friday to Sunday, four hours minimum, on a 52ft Marquis Flybridge that carries up to 13 guests. The captain is part of the price, so nobody in your group needs a license, a boater card or a single day of experience.
Josh Wilson, USCG Master
The captain on a Yacht Away Now rental is the owner. Josh Wilson holds a U.S. Coast Guard Master license, lives in St. Petersburg, and has spent years running this exact hull through these exact channels. He knows which side of the Shell Key sandbar has the deep water at low tide, where the dolphins hunt on an outgoing tide near the Skyway, and which anchorage stays calm when the afternoon sea breeze kicks up.
His job during your rental has three parts. Before departure he checks the forecast, the tides and the fuel, and walks your group through where the life jackets are and how the heads work. On the water he drives, anchors, keeps an eye on the radar and on anyone swimming off the stern, and quietly adjusts the plan when the weather or the group's mood changes. At the dock he brings the boat in while you finish your drink.
What "No License Needed" Actually Means
Florida requires anyone born after January 1, 1988 to carry a boater education card to operate a vessel over 10 horsepower. On a self-drive rental, that card is the least of it: you are also responsible for navigation, right-of-way, the shoals that shift around Pass-a-Grille every season, and a damage deposit that can run into the thousands. Renting with a captain removes all of it. The licensed operator is on board, insured and responsible for the vessel from lines-off to lines-on.
It also changes who gets to enjoy the day. On a self-drive boat one person is stuck at the wheel for the whole trip, sober and squinting at a chart plotter. With a captain everyone aboard is a guest, including whoever organized the outing. Parents can swim with their kids at the sandbar, the birthday person can stay on the bow, and the person who would normally be driving gets to sit down.
For a 52-foot yacht there is no other option anyway. A twin-engine flybridge cruiser carrying 13 passengers is a commercially inspected vessel, and it moves under a licensed master or it does not move. That is why every listing you will find for this class of boat around Tampa Bay, ours included, is captained.
What Is Checked Before You Board
The vessel
The Marquis is USCG-inspected for 13 passengers and carries a Coast Guard rated life jacket for every guest, plus child sizes on request. Yacht Away Now operates under a commercial marine policy covering passengers, vessel and liability, and we will send an insurance certificate to any corporate planner or venue that asks for one.
The weather
The captain reads the forecast the morning of every rental and again an hour before departure. Summer thunderstorms are usually dodged by leaving earlier or later; if a named storm is forecast within 72 hours of your date you pick any open future date, no fee, valid for 12 months. We do not run in unsafe conditions and we do not charge you when the weather makes that call.
The dock rules
Drinks are BYOB with no corkage, but glass stays on shore: anything in a bottle gets transferred to plastic at the dock, a Coast Guard rule that also saves bare feet on the swim platform. Coolers are iced before you arrive. Swimming happens only at anchor with the engines off and the captain watching the platform.
Route Choices From Maximo Marina
We leave from 38th Way S in south St. Pete, which puts the Skyway about 35 minutes away, Shell Key about 25 and Egmont Key under an hour. The captain will suggest a route based on your hours, the tide and the wind, but these are the five requests we hear most: the downtown waterfront loop past the Pier and the Vinoy; the Shell Key sandbar for swimming in waist-deep water; Egmont Key for the fort ruins and snorkeling; the Skyway and Fort De Soto run for the bridge photo; and the Pass-a-Grille sunset for the last hour of any evening rental.
None of these are fixed. Say the word on the water and the captain will swap a second sandbar stop for a slow cruise home, or turn a downtown loop into a dolphin hunt when a pod shows up in the channel. Our what to bring guide covers the small things that make an island stop better, from water shoes to a dry bag for phones.
From Two People to Thirteen
The rental price is the same whether two of you board or thirteen do, so the boat suits a couple who want the flybridge to themselves just as well as a full bachelorette party. Groups of four to six tend to spread out across the bow and the salon; eight to ten use the flybridge as the main deck and the cockpit for swimming; a full 13 fills all three decks comfortably without anyone standing in a walkway.
If your headcount is small but you want cabins, or you want to stay out overnight, the second boat in our fleet, Sly Fox, rents captained at $650 an hour Mon-Thu and $750 Fri-Sun and sleeps six in three staterooms. For a first-timer's view of how a captained day runs from arrival to tie-up, read what to expect on your first yacht charter.
Pick a Plan by How Far You Want to Go
Every plan includes the captain, crew, fuel and ice. The only difference is how much water you cover.
Common Questions
Do I need a boating license to rent a boat with a captain in St. Pete?
No. The captain holds the license, so nobody in your group needs a Florida boater education card, a boating course or any time on the water. You book the yacht, the captain drives it, and everyone aboard is a guest.
How much is a captained boat rental in St. Pete?
$500 an hour Monday to Thursday and $600 an hour Friday to Sunday with a four-hour minimum, which makes the entry price $2,000 on a weekday and $2,400 on a weekend. Captain, crew, fuel and ice are included. Five hours is $2,500 or $3,000; eight hours is $4,000 or $4,800.
Who is the captain?
Josh Wilson, the owner of Yacht Away Now and a U.S. Coast Guard licensed Master. He runs the boat himself on most charters, with a mate aboard for larger groups, and plans the route with you before the day.
Can we swim off the boat?
Yes, at anchor with the engines off. Shell Key, 25 minutes from the dock, has waist-deep sand flats that suit children and non-swimmers, and Egmont Key has snorkeling over the old fort batteries. The captain watches the swim platform the whole time and life jackets are aboard for every guest.
What happens if the weather turns?
Summer thunderstorms are usually avoided by moving departure earlier or later on the day. If a named storm is forecast within 72 hours of your rental you pick any open future date at no charge, and your booking stays valid for 12 months. We never run in unsafe conditions.
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Find Us
Departing from St. Petersburg, FL
Yacht Away Now · 38th Way S, St. Petersburg, FL 33711
(727) 609-2248 · View on Google Maps →