BOAT HIRE Melbourne

Gary was an absolute gentleman. Didn't try to upsell me - in fact helped me find an option that suited my needs...and then surpassed them on arrival! Thank you. And Jeremy at the dock was relaxed and helpful and friendly. We were a bit of a nightmare customer, booking last minute and then turning up late. These guys treated us like royalty. The boat ride through the city - which we'd done before on the ones that start closer in - was way better. Coming in from Docklands is much more fun and you still get to go all the way through the city, even with only one hour. We'll come back with friends and do a two hour - we had a great time.

We hired the self driving Spaceship for mother's day. We were late as we underestimated the walk from the train station. Despite this Boats4hire generously only started the clock from when we boarded the boat. What friendly staff and what a lovely day out. They boat was luxurious and we felt like the queen of the river passing other self-driving boat companies with inferior vessels! Will definitely will do this again.

I booked an 8 passenger boat (back on 20th October) for a 'day to remember' with my 2 daughters and their partners who were visiting from England for Christmas. Less than 24 hours before I was due to collect the boat I received a text message saying the boat was 'currently out of action'. I called them and was told there was an electrical issue and that their engineer was on holiday. When I asked what the fault was he started waffling as it was clearly a big lie. I was offered a smaller boat, which would have meant one of my family missing out on the adventure. Therefore I had to cancel and my daughters were really upset. To add insult to injury I have only been offered a part refund with my Mastercard charges being deducted from the refund. I would look elsewhere before using this company as other reviews show this is not a one off. You can contact me on SM if you want confirmation this is a genuine review. Ray Cunliffe

Family friendly, looking for a day out to entertain the kids. We had no boat license and received a comprehensive safety briefing. Bought the experience for a gift for my Hubby. Stopped of at Anglers Tavern then to St Kilda. A great day out

Wow - Awesome day out with the family and dog! Absolutely brilliant day out! Until a few days ago we had no idea one could hire power boats on the Yarra/Docklands and after speaking to the very helpful and friendly Gary from 'Boat 4 Hire' on the phone we booked (online) for an 8:30am start the following morning - with an SMS booking confirmation received shortly after. The weather on the day was outstanding with no wind and not a cloud in the sky all day - although the autumn air was a little chilly to start. All staff encountered were very helpful, friendly and attentive both in the office on arrival and down at the pier for the engine/river briefing. Maps and emergency equipment were all supplied - as was an extra fuel container which we didn't need even after almost 4.5hours of motoring. Our blue 4.1m 'Poly' boat was spotless and in exceptional condition with a canopy and a new(?) 8hp motor that could get the boat along at up to 11km/h - which was more adequate to leisurely explore the Yarra. Note: No boating licence is required for these 8hp boats and they can take up to 5adults - although I'd imagine that 4 adults would probably be more comfortable. I've never driven a motor boat before but these boats are great in their simplicity and ease of use. After carefully reading and understanding a condensed form of the obligatory rules and regulations of boating the river provided - presented in a relevant but concise point form - then diligently acknowledging and signing them them all off - we were on our way. Too easy! The Yarra river on a glorious autumn morning was completely deserted except for us - until about 10:30am when we sighted a couple of tourist/scenic cruises slowly chugging around. We cruised past Victoria Harbour, Crown, Southbank, the CBD, Birrarung Marr, past the Botanic Gardens and the sporting precinct (RodLaver, MCG and Vodaphone) - then later stopped up at Herring Island to view the sculptures. On the return leg we stopped at the Botanic Gardens jetty for the dog to take a toilet stop and then the SouthBank pier for an early lunch. After this we decided to continue on down towards the Westgate Bridge to further explore the river, passing helicopters taking off/landing up close from their floating helidecks and then further down to the Port of Melbourne to see the massive container ships and mighty car carriers busy loading/unloading their cargos. We passed under the Westgate Bridge then continued a little further before turning around and returning to Docklands just before 1:00pm with about 15mins to spare of our allocated time. Although the wife and daughter were initially reluctant to even come out today - once on the boat they couldn't stop smiling and commenting on what an awesome day it was! The dog just loved it too. Hey - you can the family on a short $50 'Scenic Yarra Cruise' (done that before... zzzzz) - but I reckon Boat4Hire boats for $150 half day was a MUCH better experience and really great value for the money, the freedom and for the great memories of cruising the Yarra with family and/or friends! Next time we'll actually plan ahead a little better and bring a picnic hamper, refreshments etc. and stop at one of the several BBQ/picnic areas along the river banks up near the Botanic Gardens - landing jetties are right next to the picnic tables. Even just having fish and chips while motoring around would be brilliant. We will definitely return again soon for another day out on the river! Thanks Boat4Hire 🙂

Last minute we wondered into boat hire place without booking on new quay promenade at Docklands. The staff were terrific and gave us a safety briefing before we headed up the river. It's great value at $150 for the five of us highly recommend.