A motorboat uses an engine, so you can run a coastline, cross a lake or tuck into a bay without paddling or waiting on the wind. Some sessions are skippered: you ride while someone who knows the water drives. Others are self-drive: you take the helm after a briefing, inside an area the operator is happy for you to use.
What you can book
- Skippered trips — RIB blasts, coastal cruises and wildlife or sightseeing runs. You are a passenger. The skipper handles speed, other boats and the weather.
- Self-drive hire — a small open boat or day boat on a lake, river or sheltered bay. You get a briefing on throttle, steering and the rules, then a set time on the water.
- Shared and private boats — a seat on a scheduled trip, or the whole boat for a family, celebration or team.
What a session is like
Plan anything from 30 minutes to a few hours. A RIB trip is spray, noise and a lifejacket done up tight. A lake hire is quieter: pottering, a picnic stop, maybe a swim if the operator allows it. Either way you get a safety brief before you leave the pontoon. Sessions are weather-led. Wind against tide, poor visibility or a building sea will move or cancel a coastal trip.
How this sits next to other boating
A motorboat is a boat with room for passengers and a steadier pace than a jet ski. Power boating on adventuro is the skill of driving one properly, including RYA courses if you want a qualification. This page is the trip and the hire. Sailing is the same water with no engine doing the work.
Who it suits
Anyone who wants time on the water without learning to paddle. Skippered trips suit mixed groups, including people who do not want to drive. Self-drive suits confident beginners once you have had the briefing. You should be happy in a buoyancy aid on open water. If you get seasick, pick a sheltered lake over a coastal RIB.
Booking on adventuro
Read whether the listing is a passenger trip or self-drive, how many people the boat takes, and what qualification the operator asks for before you drive. Open the Book here tab for live dates.