This page contains affiliate and referral links. If you book through them we earn a referral fee, paid by the platform, at no cost to you. We have not adjusted our verdict for the referral rate. Full breakdown on our how-we-make-money page.
SamBoat lists more than 50,000 boats, was founded in Bordeaux in 2014, and was acquired by Sunsail's parent Travelopia in 2022. The platform is the most direct competitor to Click and Boat by structural shape, geographic skew, and operator mix. Average total fee load on SamBoat runs about 20% over the headline rate, against 28% on Click and Boat for the same listing. The lower fee is the headline reason a price-sensitive Med renter would choose SamBoat. The trade-off is a lighter captain verification process and a UI that sits a step behind Click and Boat.
Verdict: book with caveats. SamBoat is a reasonable alternative to Click and Boat in France, Italy, Spain, and Croatia, particularly for renters who want the lower fee and are comfortable doing more pre-booking verification on the captain side. For a first-time Med day-charter renter, Click and Boat's better UI and stricter verification justify the higher fee.
What SamBoat actually does
Two-sided marketplace, structurally identical to Click and Boat. Owners and licensed charter operators list. Renters browse and book. The platform takes a cut on both sides, runs payment, provides a basic insurance wrap, and runs in-app messaging.
The category mix skews to owner-operator listings, which run roughly 75% of the SamBoat book against 70% on Click and Boat. The professional fleet share is therefore slightly lighter, and the long-tail quality control is correspondingly more uneven.
Inventory and access
SamBoat's strongest markets:
| Market | Approx listings 2026-04 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Côte d'Azur | 3,800 | Comparable to Click and Boat |
| Corsica | 1,100 | Slightly deeper than Click and Boat |
| Mallorca | 2,400 | Comparable |
| Ibiza | 1,300 | Comparable |
| Sardinia | 1,500 | Comparable |
| Croatia (Split, Dubrovnik, Hvar) | 2,800 | Slightly deeper than Click and Boat |
| Greek Cyclades | 1,200 | Behind Click and Boat |
| Turkey (Bodrum, Fethiye, Göcek) | 900 | Comparable |
Outside Europe the platform is thin. Caribbean listings are minimal. US listings are not material. SamBoat is a Europe-only platform in practical terms.
The day-rate range and operator mix are similar to Click and Boat. Owner-operated boats from 8m bowriders at €350 a day up to 25m motor yachts at €15,000+ a day in peak Saint-Tropez. Above 30m the platform fit breaks down, same as the rest of the marketplace tier.
Contract behaviour
SamBoat ships a standard rental contract that both parties accept in-app at the time of booking. The contract is roughly 7 pages, in French and English, similar in scope to Click and Boat. The cancellation tiers are platform-normalised, which is a structural advantage over Sailo. Full refund 30 days out, 50% from 30 to 7 days, 0% inside 7 days, with a weather-cancellation clause at captain's discretion.
The weather discretion is the part to watch. Like Click and Boat, the platform does not enforce a uniform standard on weather cancellations, and the captain's call is final. We have read three 2025 cases where readers lost deposits on borderline-forecast days. The platform did not mediate.
The fuel policy is operator-set per listing, same as Click and Boat. Inclusive listings exist. Fuel-at-cost on return listings exist. Read before you book.
Post-booking support
Customer support is French and English, Bordeaux-based, slower than Click and Boat by about 8 hours on average and noticeably slower than Boatsetter. Our 2026-04 test response was 28 hours on a manufactured cancellation. The in-app messaging works adequately. Captain contact details release between 48 and 72 hours before the charter, depending on the operator. The pre-departure exchange is the renter's responsibility to drive.
The post-departure support tail is similar to Click and Boat. The platform's role largely ends at the dock. Disputes about route, conduct, or damage are handled after the fact, and the platform's leverage with owner-operator listings is variable.
Fees and total cost
| Charge | Who pays | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Service fee | Renter | 10 to 14% of day rate |
| Booking commission | Operator | 5 to 9% of day rate |
| Captain fee | Renter | €180 to €350 per day where not included |
| Fuel | Renter | Operator policy, on top of day rate |
| Cleaning fee | Renter | €50 to €180 where listed |
| Insurance wrap | Renter | Included in service fee |
The total all-in on a €2,500 day-rate boat with skipper and average fuel is typically €3,000 to €3,500, which is roughly 8 to 15% below the same booking on Click and Boat. The fee structure is the lowest in the European marketplace tier. The lower take-rate is also the structural reason some experienced operators prefer to list on SamBoat, and the result is that for a small number of Med boat classes the SamBoat inventory is actually deeper than Click and Boat.
Captains and verification
This is the structural weak point. SamBoat runs a captain verification programme but the standard is lighter than Click and Boat in France and meaningfully lighter than Boatsetter in the US. The verification confirms basic licensing but does not consistently track captain rating, cancellation history, or incident pattern across the platform. In Croatia, Turkey, and Greece the verification is procedural rather than active.
The platform displays a captain rating where reviews exist, but the review base is shallower than on Click and Boat. A captain with five reviews on SamBoat may have 40 on Click and Boat for the same boat. Read the captain reviews against the cross-platform context. If the captain matters, ask support for credentials before booking.
Where SamBoat wins
The lower fee load. For a price-sensitive renter who knows what they want, the all-in on SamBoat is meaningfully under Click and Boat for the same boat in the same market. The platform-normalised cancellation tiers are a small structural advantage over Sailo. The Corsica and Croatia inventory is slightly deeper than Click and Boat. For repeat Med day-charter renters who have already done the captain verification work themselves, SamBoat is the right second-platform check.
Where SamBoat falls short
The UI is a step behind Click and Boat. The filtering is less precise. The map view is less responsive. The total-cost sort is buried two levels deep. The captain verification is the structural weak point and the difference matters most on a first-time booking in a market the renter does not know well. The customer support response cadence is slower. The cross-platform escalation when something goes wrong on the water is comparable to Click and Boat, which is to say light.
Passed on
We passed on roughly 15 SamBoat listings in our 2026 audit, mostly owner-operated long-tail listings in Croatia and Turkey with weaker captain documentation. The platform's structural lighter touch on captain verification shows most in those markets. The professionally-managed Côte d'Azur and Mallorca operators on SamBoat are generally fine. The eastern Mediterranean owner-operator tail is the section to read carefully.
We also passed on the thin SamBoat US Virgin Islands and Caribbean inventory. The platform does not have the operator network or the support tail to deliver these markets reliably. Use Boatsetter for the US and the western Caribbean.
How SamBoat compares
Against Click and Boat: SamBoat wins on fees, slightly wins on Corsica and Croatia inventory depth, loses on UI, loses on captain verification consistency, and loses on support speed. For a price-sensitive repeat Med renter, SamBoat is the right call. For a first-time Med booking, Click and Boat is. Click and Boat review.
Against Boatsetter: minimal overlap. SamBoat is Europe, Boatsetter is the Americas. Boatsetter review.
Against Sailo: minimal overlap. SamBoat is Europe, Sailo is the US and Caribbean. Sailo review.
Against GetMyBoat: GetMyBoat wins on global breadth and total listing count. SamBoat wins on European fee load and Mediterranean operator depth. GetMyBoat review.
Where SamBoat sits in the For Kings stack
If you are at a villa we list on VillasForKings or a hotel on HotelsForKings anywhere from Saint-Tropez to Dubrovnik, SamBoat is a sensible second platform to check after Click and Boat for the price comparison. The deeper Corsica and Croatia inventory is worth opening directly when those are the destinations. Pair the booking with a marina lunch at one of the restaurants we list on RestaurantsForKings.
FAQ
Is SamBoat legitimate? Yes. SamBoat has been operating since 2014, is owned by Sunsail's parent Travelopia since 2022, and runs one of the largest European day-charter marketplaces.
What does SamBoat charge? The renter pays a 10 to 14% service fee on top of the day rate. The operator pays a 5 to 9% commission. Captain, fuel, and cleaning are billed separately per listing.
Does SamBoat verify captains? Yes, but lighter than Click and Boat or Boatsetter. The verification is procedural rather than active. Ask support for credentials before booking if the captain matters.
What is SamBoat's cancellation policy? Platform-normalised tiers. Full refund 30 days out, 50% from 30 to 7 days, 0% inside 7 days. Weather cancellations are at captain's discretion.
Is SamBoat cheaper than Click and Boat? Yes, typically 8 to 15% lower all-in on the same boat in the same market. The trade-off is a lighter UI and lighter captain verification.
Last updated: 2026-05