4-person sloop
The smallest sloop in the fleet, compact and manoeuvrable. Suitable for two people or a small family. With a steering wheel and cushions with backrests.
Boatrental Giethoorn
electric sloop hire, boat tours and private tours
Boatrental Giethoorn is a family business on the Zuiderpad, at the start of the village canal. You hire an electric sloop (electric boat) for 4 to 12 people and sail through Giethoorn with no boating licence needed, or you step aboard for a boat tour or a private tour with a skipper.
Sailing yourself in an electric sloop
Boatrental Giethoorn has existed since 2017 and is run by a family with a young team. The fleet has over 40 electric sloops and four large tour boats. The hire sloops all have a steering wheel, a lever for forward and reverse and cushions with backrests. They are ready at the jetty next to the car park at Zuiderpad 14A, so you can go straight from your car onto the village canal.
- Sloops for 4, 6, 8 or 12 people and a VIP sloop
- No boating licence needed, steering from 12 years
- Hire for 1, 2, 3, 4 or 6 hours or a whole day
- Navigation app with boating routes with every hire
- One-hour boat tour with a local skipper
- Private tour in an open sloop or a covered boat
- Groups of 20 to more than 200 people
At Boatrental Giethoorn you can hire an electric sloop, take a boat tour through the village, sail with your own skipper, take food and drink on board and go out on the water with a group.
The team speaks Dutch, English and German, at the jetty, on the phone and via WhatsApp.
The hire sloops of Boatrental Giethoorn
All the sloops are fully electric and open, so you have a clear view. You steer with a steering wheel rather than a tiller, and the boats do not sail faster than the 6 kilometres per hour allowed in the village. You do not need a boating licence for any of the boats.
6-person sloop
A stable sloop with a table in the middle, so you can eat or drink something together along the way. With a steering wheel and cushions with backrests.
8-person sloop
A sloop with extra deck space, plenty of legroom and a sun lounger on the foredeck. With a steering wheel and cushions with backrests.
12-person sloop
The largest sloop you steer yourself, with a table in the middle. Meant for larger parties, such as a birthday or a team outing.
VIP sloop
A 12-person sloop with a more luxurious finish, extra comfortable seating, soft cushions, a table and more room on board.
How it works
Check-in, instructions and setting off
After reserving you receive a confirmation by email. You park at Zuiderpad 14A, report to the desk and get a short explanation of the boat. You start the sloop with your phone. Then you follow one of the routes in the navigation app, which works in your phone’s browser, without downloading anything.
If you want to see in advance how the boat works, you can watch six short instruction videos: on starting, steering, mooring, the navigation app, clearing the propeller and resetting the main switch. The videos are narrated in English. At the jetty you get the same explanation in brief in Dutch, English or German.
- Your dog is welcome in the hire sloop, as an extra when booking
- Life jackets for children as an extra when booking or at the jetty
- Food and drink on board can be added
- You may bring your own food and drink on board
- A folded walker or pram can come in the sloop
- A local private skipper can be added
Several days
A sloop for a weekend or a week
You can also hire a sloop for several days, from two days up to a whole week. With more time you get further than the village, for example onto De Wieden and to Blokzijl, Belt-Schutsloot and Dwarsgracht. The navigation app has those routes too.
The sloops are electric and last a whole day. You agree in advance where the boat is moored and charged overnight: at Boatrental Giethoorn or at your accommodation, if it has a jetty and power. You do not reserve multi-day hire online; you request a proposal from Boatrental Giethoorn and get an answer within a working day.
Boating routes
Routes of 1 to 4 hours from the Zuiderpad
With every hire you get the Boatrental Giethoorn navigation app. It shows your position on the map and the route you choose, with bridges, mooring places, restaurants and photo stops. All the routes are loops, so you return to the jetty you left from. The time of a route is pure sailing time: if you want to moor along the way for a terrace or photos, choose a route that is shorter than your hire time.
- 1 hour, about 3 km: a loop along the village canal, under the wooden bridges and past the thatched farmhouses
- 2 hours, about 4.2 km: the village and a loop across the Bovenwijde
- 3 hours, about 8.7 km: through the village and across the Bovenwijde to the east bank, with reed borders and quiet side ditches
- 4 hours, about 16.8 km: the grand circuit past the village, the lakes and ditches north of Giethoorn and the Bovenwijde
The routes are available in Dutch, English, German and Chinese and you can also download them as a GPX file for your own app. You may deviate from the route; the app keeps showing your position, so you can always find your way back.
Rules on the water
You do not need a boating licence, but a few fixed rules apply in Giethoorn. Boatrental Giethoorn sets them out:
- On the village canals you sail at a maximum of 6 kilometres per hour
- The village canal is one-way traffic; the app shows the direction and on open water you keep right
- Large tour boats have right of way
- Moor only at the designated places, never under a bridge or along private gardens
- Whoever steers is at least 12 years old and does not drink alcohol
- Swimming in the village canals is not allowed; on the Bovenwijde only when the boat is moored and the motor is off
- If you have a breakdown, moor safely and call Boatrental Giethoorn; they will come to you or bring another boat
With a skipper
One-hour boat tour through Giethoorn
If you do not want to sail yourself, you can join the Boatrental Giethoorn boat tour. A local skipper sails you for an hour under the wooden bridges, past the thatched farmhouses and out onto the lake, and tells you along the way how peat cutters shaped the village. He does this in Dutch, English or German, depending on the guests on board.
The boat tour departs from the jetty at Ds. T.O. Hylkemaweg 7. The tour boats are covered and heated and have large panoramic windows, so the trip goes ahead in the rain too. You show your ticket on your phone. If there is room, you can also buy a ticket at the jetty.
- One-hour boat tour, several departures daily
- Four large electric tour boats for 44 to 52 guests
- A tour boat with a wheelchair lift, on request when booking
- A pram may come along, mention it when booking
- Restaurant and toilets at the jetty
Private tour
Your own boat with your own skipper
On a private tour you sail only with your own party and decide the departure time, the duration and the route yourself: along the village canal, across the Bovenwijde or into Weerribben-Wieden. The skipper sails and tells you about the area in Dutch, English or German. You can add food and drink; on the covered boat, catering on board is also possible.
A private tour departs from Zuiderpad 14A or, by arrangement, from the jetty at Ds. T.O. Hylkemaweg 7. At a number of places on the water, such as hotels and restaurants in the village, the skipper can also pick you up.
- Open VIP sloop for up to 12 guests, with cushions, blankets and a cool box
- Covered boat for up to 52 guests, heated, with panoramic windows and an audio system
- For birthdays, a proposal, a family day or a team outing
Groups
Boating with a group
Boatrental Giethoorn welcomes groups of 20 to more than 200 people, such as tour operators, coach companies, schools and businesses. A group can join a tour boat together, with its own departure if you wish, or split into small teams across the electric sloops. The whole group can also travel together on the covered private boat.
At the jetty on the Hylkemaweg there is parking space for coaches, there are spacious toilets and the restaurant is about 25 metres from the boats. Food and drink on board or a buffet can be added. For a group you request a quotation from Boatrental Giethoorn; on the day itself you have a fixed contact person.
- Tour boats for 44 to 52 guests per boat
- Audio system for guides on board
- Over 40 sloops for teams of 4 to 12 people
- Quick check-in for coach groups
Food and drink
Food and drink on board or at the jetty
When you book a sloop or private tour you can add food and drink for on board. You order it in advance, so it is ready when you check in. Give dietary requirements when ordering.
At the jetty on the Hylkemaweg is restaurant Old Blue, decorated in Delft blue, with 100 seats indoors and a terrace on the canal. From the terrace you step straight onto the boat. You can go there for coffee, lunch or dinner, and there are buffets for groups.
Practical information
- Boat hireZuiderpad 14A, 8355 CA Giethoorn, at the start of the village canal
- Boat toursjetty at Ds. T.O. Hylkemaweg 7, next to Hotel Old Art, a quarter of an hour’s walk or two minutes by car
- Reservationssloops online via the booking page; boat tour, private tour and groups by phone on 0521 36 06 06
- Parkingfree on the company grounds next to the hire jetty; for the boat tour you park at Hotel Old Art on the Hylkemaweg
- By busbus 70 from Steenwijk station, get off at the Ds. Hylkemaweg stop
- From AmsterdamBoatrental Giethoorn runs its own bus from Amsterdam to the jetty and back the same day
- Electric chargingno charging points on site; public charging points at Beulakerweg 61 and Ds. T.O. Hylkemaweg 39
- Paymentat the jetty by card or phone only, not cash
Frequently asked questions about Boatrental Giethoorn
Do you need a boating licence at Boatrental Giethoorn?
No. All the hire boats of Boatrental Giethoorn are electric and need no boating licence. Whoever steers must be at least 12 years old. At the jetty you get a short explanation and the navigation app shows the way.
How many people can you hire a sloop for?
There are sloops for 1 to 4, 1 to 6, 1 to 8 and 1 to 12 people, and a VIP sloop for 1 to 12 people. Larger parties split up over several boats.
How long can you hire a boat for?
You hire a sloop for 1, 2, 3, 4 or 6 hours or for a whole day. For a weekend or a week you can request a proposal for multi-day hire from Boatrental Giethoorn.
Where do the boats depart from?
The hire sloops and private tours depart from Zuiderpad 14A, at the start of the village canal. The boat tours depart from the jetty at Ds. T.O. Hylkemaweg 7, about a quarter of an hour’s walk further on.
Does the boat tour go ahead if it rains?
Yes. The tour boats are covered and heated and also sail in the rain. In thunderstorms or gales there is no sailing. The hire sloops are open boats, so bring a coat in cooler weather.
Can your dog come on board?
Your dog can come in a hire sloop; you add your dog as an extra when booking or mention it at check-in. If you want to take your dog on a boat tour or private tour, ask Boatrental Giethoorn in advance whether that is possible on that departure.
Is the boat tour wheelchair accessible?
One of the large tour boats has a wheelchair lift. Say when booking that you are bringing a wheelchair, and that boat will be scheduled. A wheelchair does not fit in the open hire sloops.
Can you cancel or rebook a reservation?
Cancelling and rebooking follows the terms of the rental company. If you are in doubt because of the weather, contact Boatrental Giethoorn.