We get asked the same handful of questions every week from people planning a trip to Skiathos, so we put together the answers in one place. If you're looking into boat hire in Skiathos, start here.
How self-drive hire actually works
You turn up, we brief you, you leave with the boat for the day. That's really the whole idea behind self-drive hire: no shared tour group, no fixed schedule, nobody telling you when to move on from a beach. Most people who've never driven a boat before are nervous about this at first and relaxed within about ten minutes on the water. Our boat rental page covers the mechanics of it in more detail if you want the full picture.
The licence question
Greek maritime law sets the cutoff at 30HP. Below that, no licence needed. Above it — which in our fleet means only the RIB Boat, at 90HP — you'll need a valid boating licence to take the wheel. That single rule is why five of our six boats can be booked by complete first-timers with nothing more than a passport.
What comes with the boat
Every hire, no matter which boat you pick, includes the same baseline kit:
- Life jackets sized for every passenger, kids included
- Anchor, rope and boat hook
- A swim ladder, because you will want to get in the water
- A paper map of the island marked with the beaches worth stopping at
- A proper safety and navigation briefing before you leave the beach
One thing that isn't included: fuel. It's billed separately depending on where you end up going, and we'll give you a realistic estimate before you set off rather than a vague number.
Picking the right boat for your group
Families and anyone hiring for the first time usually end up happiest on one of our stable no-licence boats — the Poseidon Blue Water 185 is the one we hand out most often. If you've got a licence and want to actually cover distance, that's a different conversation, and we've written a separate guide to speed boat hire for that. Full specs and photos for all six boats are on the fleet page.
When to book
We're on the water from May to October. June and September are the sweet spot — warm sea, fewer boats out, and you can usually get a same-week booking. July and August are a different story: our regulars book their dates in spring, so if those are your only weeks in Skiathos, don't leave it until you land.
Getting in touch
WhatsApp is genuinely the fastest way to reach us, even in the middle of August. Tell us your dates and group size and we'll tell you straight away what's free. Still have questions we haven't covered here? The FAQ page answers most of the rest.
