Boat Rentals

Our fleet of rental boats (our livery), includes classic wooden sail and row boats. Our collection varies throughout the year as we work on boats in our boat shop and add new vessels to our collection.

Row boats are available for rental (half hour minimum) and no prior experience is required.

A variety of sail boats are available (one hour minimum) and require that the renter goes through our check out process to assure the safety of our guests and boats.

Note: We do not allow boats to be reserved. On weekdays during the winter our livery is open by appointment only, but all livery boats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Livery Hours in Seattle

(click here for details on our boat rentals at Cama Beach)

Winter:

September 29, 2009 – April 30, 2010
Saturday & Sunday: 12:30 - Dusk*
Tuesday - Friday: by appointment

Summer:

May 1 - October 1
Tuesday - Sunday: 12:30 - Dusk*

*Minimum one-hour rental, last boat out one hour
before dusk or 6:45 pm (back at the dock by 7:45
pm) – whichever comes first.

In order to preserve the condition of our boats, the livery will close when wind speeds exceed 12 knots or at the judgment of the Livery Manager.  The livery will also close during certain special events.

For more details on the livery including rates, rules and details on the check out process, visit our boat rental guidelines page.

History of Liveries in Our Region 

Until the days of planes, trains & automobiles people could rent horses, horse drawn carriages and boats.  The facilities were either barns or boat houses.  The general term for renting these essential needs of transportation and recreation was liveries.

Seattle had boathouses in the late 1800s & early 1900s at Leschi, Madison, Rainer & Green Lake Parks.  They rented rowboats, canoes, and sailboats at affordable prices. Boathouses were some of the most popular getaways in Seattle's early years.

There was no historic livery on Lake Union, but from 1870 to 1909 steam launches Latona and City of Latona were home-ported at the Southwest corner of Lake Union  and took passengers around the lake. An electric powered streetcar was installed along Westlake Avenue in 1880, running from South Lake Union to Fremont.  That took most of the customers away from the launches.  In 1917 the Locks and Ship Canal were completed and Lake Washington was lowered 9' to match the level of Lake Union.  The Boathouses of Lake Washington were left literally high and dry. 

Learn about the boats in our collection: Download the CWB Livery and Program Boat Brochure

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