Adding STR value with a boat

[Rich Barrett]

We are considering a lakehouse as a STR. I'm curious if anyone has offered add-ons for their renters? Has anyone added a car (directly or though Turo) or a boat or anything like that?

I know it's done because as STR renters we've stayed at houses before where the boat was available for an extra fee. Obviously it's another moving part (liability insurance, repairs, etc.) but it seems that the potential for increasing revenue could be significant. Thoughts?

[Michael Baum]

Hey @Rich Barrett. I think it looks awesome on paper. You would really get bookings if you offered a boat. But, in reality, I think this would be a disaster waiting to happen.

Take a boat, add too many people, toss in a pile of beer, and top it all off with inexperience operating a boat, you get a death. Done tom turkey.

Then add that proverbial gift of a bottle of wine at check in, you might be in prison for a good long while...

You would never get out of that no matter what kind of insurance you had and clauses you had in your contract.

There are lawyers out there that LIVE for this type of situation and it would destroy the owner.

We have a lake house and I don't even offer kayaks. I have dock insurance and I don't have a dock. Just to cover our a$$ if someone gets hurt on the beach.