You head out
A normal day on your boat, on your schedule. Post that you're out — or keep it quiet and invite whoever you like.
How it works
You host. We fill the deck.
The hard part of a great day on the water isn't the boat — it's rounding up the right people. BoatLife does that part, and you stay in control of your boat.
See who's nearby
Members drop a pin to show where they are. You see who they are before you say a word.
Arrange the pickup
Pick who you want aboard and set a spot to meet them. Nobody pays you for a ride — this is a club, not a charter.
What you get as a boater
A full boat. A say. A rate for life.
This isn't a list you buy your way onto. The first ten boaters set the tone for everyone who comes after — so we're choosing them one at a time.
Never an empty deck
Good company on the water all season — without chasing people down or sizing up strangers yourself.
Your spot, for life
One of the first ten boaters who started BoatLife in Chicago — and you keep that standing for good.
Your rate, locked
$5,000 once and never more — or $3,000 a season if you'd rather. Membership climbs after launch; yours stays put.
You choose who's aboard
Every member is vouched-for, and you always pick who comes aboard your boat and where you meet.
A say in the club
Help set how membership works, what's expected aboard, and how days on the water actually run.
Bring your people
The friends you vouch for get in alongside you and onto the water.
The founding rate
Two summers and it's paid for.
Founding boaters lock the lowest rate BoatLife will ever offer in Chicago. After launch, membership runs monthly on an annual term — $295/mo for Captains (40 ft+), $195/mo for Skippers (28–39 ft), 20% off under 35 — and climbing. Your founding rate never moves.
$5,000
once, or
$3,000 / season
Founding boater · one of the first ten · locked for life
Pay once and you're set for good, or spread it by season — either way you're a founding boater. We'll walk through the details on a quick call once you're in.
Who fits
Bring a boat, and the right energy.
A 40-foot boat or bigger is the baseline for the founding ten. Run 28–39 ft? Skipper membership opens right after — $195 a month, under-35 rate available. Apply below and we'll hold your place.
Harbor slip or a good marina. It's your boat and your call, always.
You're the one who hosts, connects, and throws the day everyone wants in on.
Good judgment and a reputation you'd rather protect than risk.
An exclusive club where you host — not a service where people buy rides.
FAQ
Good to know.
Straight answers to the biggest questions before you apply.
No. Guests never pay for a ride and you never collect a fare. BoatLife is an exclusive club — the app and the people — not a boat for hire.
Only the people you choose. Members are vouched-for, and you always pick who comes aboard and where to meet.
$5,000 once, locked for life — or $3,000 a season if you'd rather. Two summers and the one-time fee is paid for. After launch, standard membership is monthly on an annual term — $295/mo Captains (40 ft+), $195/mo Skippers (28–39 ft), 20% off under 35. We go through it on a quick call once you're in.
The first ten boaters set the tone for the whole club. Ten is small enough to get right, one boater at a time.
By application
Apply to be one of the ten.
This isn't a mass waitlist. Every application is read by a person. Tell us who you are, what you run, and the kind of days you'd host on the water.
What happens next: every real application gets a personal reply within a couple of days, then a quick call to walk through the founding rate.