How to grow your payments app with narrowboat and canal boat hire
By SendPay Business · · 2 min read
Narrowboat and canal boat hire firms rent boats for short breaks and week-long holidays, and many also rent day boats by the hour. Holidays are usually booked months ahead with a deposit, with the balance due a few weeks before the trip and a refundable damage deposit taken before handover. Extras such as bikes, dogs, parking and welcome hampers are added on. A payments app that sends deposit and balance links, holds damage deposits clearly and takes quick day-boat payments can win boat hire firms, and every holidaymaker who pays them sees your app.
Talk to boat hire firms
Ask local narrowboat and canal boat hire firms:
- How do customers pay a deposit and the balance for a holiday?
- How do you take and return the damage deposit?
- How do customers pay for extras like bikes, dogs and parking?
- How do people pay for day boat hire on the day?
Send deposit and balance links
A payment link at booking and a reminder link before the balance is due means customers pay on time from their phones, and the firm spends less time chasing.
Handle damage deposits and extras clearly
Damage deposits and extras can each be paid from their own link, so both sides can see what was paid, what was returned and why.
Grow through holidays and waterside businesses
Boat hire firms sit alongside ferry operators, campsites and campervan hire firms in the same holiday areas. When those businesses take payments through your app, each boat hire firm can bring more of them onto it.
Build it
Create your own financial platform.
Pick a template, name it, brand it, preview every page before you pay. Your brand, your users, your fees.
Build my platform →Questions people ask
What about boat and ferry operators?
The boat and ferry operators guide covers small operators selling tickets at the jetty and taking bookings for trips.
Boat and ferry operators →What about campervan and motorhome hire?
The campervan and motorhome hire guide covers firms taking a deposit at booking, the balance before the trip and a refundable security deposit, plus extras like bedding, bike racks and camping chairs.
Campervan and motorhome hire →Can I call it a bank?
In most countries "bank" is a protected word you can only use with a banking licence. Call it an account, a wallet, an app or a platform. The accounts and payments behind a SendPay Business platform are powered by licensed partners.
Is there a step-by-step plan I can follow?
Yes. The free launch checklist takes you from picking your people and naming your app to setting fees, going live and winning your first ten customers.
Digital bank app launch checklist →How do I start?
Pick a template, name it and preview every page before you pay. Your platform can be live on your own domain within 24 hours of confirmation.
Build my platform →Read next
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. SendPay Business is a technology company, not a bank, and does not take deposits; regulated services on the platforms are provided by licensed partners. PayPal, Patreon and Substack are named as reference points only and are not affiliated with SendPay Business.