Pontoon hire · no licence
A flat, stable deck that barely moves at anchor. Room for eight to stand up, move about and eat properly — which is not something you can say about most boats this size.
What a pontoon is
An ordinary boat has a V-shaped hull. It is built to cut through water, which it does well, and to lean and roll while doing it, which is less welcome when you are holding a drink.
A pontoon sits on two sealed aluminium tubes with a flat deck bridging them. The width between the tubes is what makes it stable — it resists rolling the way a table resists tipping. At anchor it stays put almost completely, and underway it stays level rather than leaning into turns.
The second difference is the deck. Because the tubes carry the buoyancy, the whole area on top is usable and flat, end to end, with no hull shape intruding. On a boat of the same length you would be sitting in a moulded cockpit. On a pontoon you can stand up and walk around.
The boat
We run one pontoon. She takes eight, needs no licence, and leaves from Double Bay.
7-metre pontoon
Flat deck end to end, bench seating along the sides, shade over about three-quarters of it, an esky, and a BBQ with the gas supplied. No licence needed.
Weekday rates shown — weekends, the 19 December – 26 January peak and public holidays are higher. Fuel and BBQ gas are included and a refundable $250 security hold applies. Frankie opens for hire in October and is being refitted, so the images are indicative of how she will look once finished.
Who it suits
A pontoon is the right call when the point of the day is the people rather than the distance. If you want to get somewhere quickly, take one of the other boats. If you want to anchor in a bay for four hours and actually enjoy it, take this one.
It particularly suits:
The trade-off is honest: a pontoon is not built to cover ground. Frankie is happiest pottering between the bays near Double Bay rather than crossing the harbour and back.
Where to take it
From Double Bay the sheltered anchorages start within minutes. Rose Bay is flat on most days and close enough that you are anchored and eating well inside half an hour. Shark Island and Watsons Bay are an easy run further out.
If the wind picks up, the bays inside Middle Harbour stay calm on almost any day. We mark the reliable ones on your map at the briefing so you always have somewhere to duck into.
Good to know
No. Frankie needs no boat licence, no test and no experience. We run a full briefing on the dock and you drive her yourself.
A half day is $650 and a full day is $950 on weekdays, for up to 8 guests. Weekends, public holidays and the 19 December to 26 January peak are charged at the higher rate.
Very. The two aluminium hulls sit wide apart, so the boat resists rolling rather than leaning into it. At anchor it barely moves, which is why it suits eating, drinking and small children.
Up to 8 guests, including children.
No, Frankie does not have one. Marlow does, if that matters for your day. There are also public facilities at several stops we can mark on your map.
Yes, with the gas supplied. If the barbecue is the main event, our BBQ boat hire page covers that side of it in more detail.
Double Bay, from October.