Boat hire pricing in Sydney is famously hard to compare. Some operators quote per person, some per hour, some bury a crew fee and a fuel levy in the fine print. So here is ours in full, with no asterisks.

Revelation is priced per boat, not per person. Two of you or twelve, the price is the same.

Skippered charter pricing

A private charter with a captain on board, up to 12 guests, departing Darling Harbour.

2 hours - $1,400
3 hours - $1,995
4 hours - $2,380 (our most popular)
6 hours - $3,150
8 hours - $3,920

Spread across a full boat, the four-hour charter works out around $198 per person - less than a decent dinner in the city, for an afternoon nobody forgets. See what is included on a charter.

Self-drive hire pricing

The same boat, without a skipper, for licensed boaters. Up to 12 guests.

2 hours - $1,200
3 hours - $1,620
4 hours - $1,920
6 hours - $2,520
8 hours - $2,880
Overnight, 10am to 8am - $3,960

The overnight is the quiet bargain in that list. You get twenty-two hours, six berths, and a night at anchor in a bush-lined bay for not much more than a long charter. More on self-drive hire, including what we check before you take the helm.

Why a private boat is not the same as a "cheap" boat

You will find cruises advertised at $60 or $80 a head in Sydney. Those are shared boats: a fixed route, a set time, eighty strangers and a queue for the bathroom. Useful, but a different product entirely.

A private hire means the boat is never shared. You choose the bays, the music, the menu and the timing. You can anchor for three hours and swim, or run out through the Heads to look for whales, or stop for fish and chips at Watsons Bay. Nobody is waiting on you.

What a day actually costs, end to end

The hire fee is the bulk of it. The rest is up to you:

Catering. Bring your own and use the BBQ onboard, or have it catered. BYO is comfortably the cheaper route and plenty of guests prefer it.
Drinks. BYO. Remember that whoever is driving on a self-drive booking is subject to the same alcohol limit as driving a car.
Water toys. Seabobs, snorkelling gear, the lilypad and the trampoline can be added to a booking - ask when you book.
Getting there. Charters depart Darling Harbour, self-drive from Pirrama Park Wharf in Pyrmont. Both are a short ride from the CBD, so no airport-style transfer costs.
Security bond. A refundable bond applies to self-drive bookings, released after the boat is returned. Details are in the rental agreement.

How to get the most value out of the booking

Fill the boat. Twelve guests is the same price as four. The per-head cost halves and halves again.
Go longer, not shorter. Two hours is a taste. Four is a proper afternoon - one swim stop and one cruise - and the per-hour rate drops as the booking gets longer.
Consider a weekday. Quieter anchorages, better availability, and the harbour largely to yourself.
Think about dusk. A two or three-hour evening cruise as the skyline lights up is the cheapest genuinely spectacular thing you can do on Sydney Harbour.

If you are on the water more than twice a year

At some point the maths changes. If you are booking regularly, or you have thought about buying a boat and flinched at the mooring, servicing and antifoul bills, have a look at Harbour Society. It is share-based access to Revelation - a set number of days each year, no running costs, because the boat earns her keep through charters when you are not using her.

Ready to lock in a date

Live availability for both charter and self-drive is on the bookings page, and you can hold a date in a couple of minutes. If you would rather talk it through first - group size, timings, what suits the occasion - send us a note and we will help you plan it.

Prices listed are current at the time of writing. Peak dates such as New Year's Eve and Vivid are quoted separately.

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