Boat Hire • Self-Guided Tours & Rentals
Boat Hire in Airlie Beach
THE 10 BEST Airlie Beach Boat Hire
Boat Hire in Airlie Beach
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Travellers' Choice Awards winners (including the "Best of the Best" title) are among the top 10% of listings on Tripadvisor, according to the reviews and opinions of travellers across the globe.
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What travellers are saying
- Ian D1 contributionThanks to CY for a fantastic experience of a lifetime. We loved sailing Pirate Pete and the team from Cumberland made it a seamless experience. Special shoutout to Hugo, Zeke for the handover and Pri for coming all the way to Macona to help out with the tender. Legends!Written 6 October 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- katrina r2 contributionsNever sailed before , fantastic support provided along the way with Wazza
- Excellent service , great friendly staff , Rockstar Yacht was Brilliant.
So much fun , boat was great size for us- perfect accommodation , kitchen fridge & freezer perfect size, loads of room , everything supplied overall ..these Holiday memories will last foreverWritten 19 September 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Peter HSunshine Coast, Australia14 contributionsWe’ve just finished our week sailing Lucy around the islands and what a special time it has been.
Whilst we had unseasonal weather ranging from 30+ knots to glassy smooth seas, we could still enjoy the magic of a Stonehaven sunset, bat fish and George the Māori wrasse at Manta Ray Bay; a tranquil full moon rise and spectacular sunrise over a clear and glassy Tongue Bay. New anchorages we hadn’t visited before were a real treat including Mackerel Bay and Chance Bay with its beautiful vista looking south. Turtles aplenty.
This is the 5th charter we have done in the Whitsundays but the first with Portland Roads.
And what a leap up in enjoyment and satisfaction it has been. From our initial briefing through to the last broad reach back to Airlie, Brad’s commitment to making our trip the best possible was displayed every day. Fun, knowledgeable and thorough, he went above and beyond to ensure we had a hassle free holiday.
I rarely give amazing reviews but I wholly recommend Portland Roads to anyone and everyone wanting a special sailing adventure in paradise.
They’re doing really good things.
They’re a great mob.Written 23 September 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - RoLoCroOxley Island3 contributionsWas not something we thought we would ever do, but we found a time window and just took a chance and had the most amazing experience. Felt like we were part of a community out there and felt so looked after. We are already planning a repeat performance next year!Written 7 October 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Travel bug afflictedAustralia8 contributionsamazing service. BEST of whitsunday is seen from the water. Fishing, sightseeing and family day out was our best day in whitsunday.Written 22 July 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Excursion091390090215 contributionsWe had a great time on Pluton in August 2024. Booking from NZ was seamless and communication was excellent. QYC staff were very friendly and the regular VHF radio calls were comforting. Pre and post briefings were great with very experienced crew. Pluton performed well. We were lucky enough to spot whales breaching and fin-slapping as well as turtles. Snorkelling was world class, especially around Manta Ray bay and Whitehaven beach is to die for !!
Well done /QYC - we will be back.Written 9 September 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - imoan2502Mackay, Australia15 contributionsBoat was great, fishing rods, bait, tackle box, esky with ice all can be hired at a reasonable rate. Was a great morning out (definitely the best to do morning) didn't catch anything but plenty of bites and an impatient 8yr old but had fun seen a sea turtle. Cheapest water activity for 4 hrs in Airlie.Written 2 June 2017This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Mairwen1United Kingdom11,232 contributionsA Sunsail catamaran was an amazing way to explore the Whitsunday Islands. Pristine beaches, secluded bays and coral coves, whale sightings, snorkelling, kayaking and hiking trails - it was an incredible week of boating.
THE BOAT:
We hired a Sunsail 42ft Leopard catamaran for 7 nights, starting out of Shute Harbour.
The boat was brand new, well equipped and spacious. We BBQ-ed and had our meals out on the back deck and had our bubbles and nibbles on the top deck. There were three couples on board and we had plenty of space to move around easily.
SUNSAIL SUPPORT:
Ours was a bareboat charter, meaning that we sailed the boat ourselves. However the support from Sunsail was excellent. We really couldn’t have had a better experience. After a very thorough 3-4 hour brief from Sonia, we were let loose. Sunsail offers you the option to remain in Shute Harbour overnight and although I’ve seen a lot of people recommend this, we were all keen to get going so we set sail to Happy Bay. From Shute Harbour, this was the nearest place to pull up for an overnight anchorage.
FOOD & SUPPLIES:
We used Whitsunday Provisioning Platinum Package for the week. This turned out to be a brilliant decision and made all the difference to our trip. We didn’t have to waste holiday time shopping beforehand in Airlie Beach, or transporting supplies. They delivered straight to the boat, the cold food was well-packed in foam eskies, the food was high quality and we had more than enough. All of the condiments and extras were included so we had absolutely everything we’d need. I’d highly recommend using them.
ITINERARY & WEATHER:
With 6 days we were able to explore a lot. We did a combination of very popular spots like Whitehaven and Cid Harbour and other less well known secluded spots like Cateran Bay and Blue Pearl Bay. ‘100 Magic Miles’ was an invaluable guide for planning. It’s the boating Bible to the Whitsundays (your boat should have a copy on board).
We quickly learnt that we had to be flexible. Ultimately where you go is determined by the weather and wind. We had some pretty wild wind when we were there in September. As a result, we chose to overnight in the more protected, sheltered spots so that we wouldn’t be buffeted by weather.
We also learnt to arrive early at popular spots in order to secure limited public moorings.
It is worth noting that it’s not completely free sailing. You cant always go wherever you like and you will are subject to some limitations. For example you must be anchored/moored by 4pm, and you have to radio in each morning and each afternoon.
The daily ‘radio scheds' were very helpful and (along with making water), it became a fun part of our little boating routine. Each day, they checked our plan and advised whether it would be safe and whether our proposed overnight would be comfortable in the given conditions.
Depending on conditions and prevailing winds, some areas may be off limits or they may direct you to a particular anchorage. Due to very strong wind on a couple of days, we weren’t allowed to sail for several days. In the end, we only had 2 days of sailing and for most of our trip, we could only motor around. This was a little disappointing but there is so much to do and explore that we very quickly got over that.Written 16 February 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Crofton MAirlie Beach, Australia2,074 contributionsWe went with a group celebrating a friend's birthday. It leaves in time to watch the sunset and dusk over the spectacular airlie seascape of yachts at moorings, marinas, resorts and waterfronts. We thought that the limited range of drink prices were reasonable.Written 16 June 2021This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Cathy TMelbourne, Australia26 contributions4 couples - 1 couple were family, the other 2 couples were honeymooners, from Ireland and Spain
We had a great crew of Skipper Aaron and chef/ first mate Mael.
Brilliant snorkeling with lots of live coral and fish.
Spotted whales and floated beside them over both days
Pods surrounded us during the night.
Weather was perfect .
Whitehaven beach and lookout is beautiful and has to be seen along with the rays and lemon reef sharksWritten 7 August 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
