Gold Coast Boat Hire Self-Drive with No License Required

Breathtaking

Absolutely loved our boat cruise ❤️❤️ So so relaxing and peaceful and amazing to look at all these gorgeous homes. Thanks Duffy Team.. you were wonderful 😊

Cruising the Canals

Great affordable attraction. See GC from the water. BYO picnic so even more affordable. The stop at Isle of Capri was awesome. 3hours was a great amount of time.

Excellent time

Very fun time with captain very knowledgeable of him . Drive boat is not easy luck we take captain with us so we won’t be lost

Friendly, courteous and professional - well worth it

Great day out when we decided to get out and about on the Gold Coast Broadwater for a day. Booking was easy, and upon arrival Nick had everything ready to go. He gave us all the required safety briefing and provided everything needed. The boat was well equipped and easy to use. Would definitely use them again for our next hire.

Already planning our next booking!!!

Warm welcome, lots of great tips and advice provided. Boat was so comfortable, plenty of room for everyone and all our stuff. Amazing day.

good experience

well spent hour with food and drinks and some music, I prefer to go evening to enjoy sunset and avoid heat if summer

A lovely way to cruise the canals

This was a wonderful self drive cruise in a quiet, roomy, comfortable, electric boat. Sailing quietly along the canals was so peaceful and very interesting. The boat canopy is open sided but provides complete shade. Nitsa was really helpful and friendly in telling us how to manage the boat ( it's very easy) and where to travel on the canal. We'll definitely come back and do this cruise again.

Great family day out.

We had a fantastic experience. The staff we're amazing and extremely helpful. It was a great way to explore the Gold Coast.

Cruisey time

Great way to have a good look around the beautiful houses on the water ways and also some easy chill out time for 6 of us. Through but clear instructions provided before sailing. Time onboard enjoyed by all.

Fun experience

Excellent services and accommodating! Special mention to my skipper Francesca who is very knowledgeable and making the trip more assuring!

Great day out on the water

We had a great time. We enjoyed our trip that much we hired the boat for an extra hour when we got back

Stylish and comfortable memorable afternoon cruising on the sunny canals of Surfers.

What a fabulous way to celebrate an 86th birthday with family. We opted for the self drive option which worked a charm. Nitsa is super to deal with and went out of her way to make our day special. We took all our favourite supplies and 3 hours whizzed on by.. next time I would take the 4 hours to allow a bit more time at the Isle of Capri. This was hands down the best experience in our week away. 5 stars!!

Amazing Experience for Family

The trip was such an amazing experience. We are a group of six from ages 8 to 73. We do ask for a skipper to join. He was fun and exprience. With his aid all of us enjoy the ride in evening breeze and breathtaking view. Although the booking can simply take the boat hire, I do recommend to also hire a skipper, especially for beginners. He put our mind at ease so we can fully enjoy the relaxing ambient.

Great, easy way to see the waterfront that cannot be viewed from a car

Nitsa was wonderful, gave us a very detailed briefing of the recommended route as well as how to drive the boat. The boat was very comfortable, clean, shaded, easy to maneuver, and tops at 6 knot which is the speed limit at many areas. She also made sure we know where Nicole Kidman and Jackie Chan had their waterfront houses. We booked 2 hours and wished that we had booked 3.

100% recommend

WOW!!! What an experience! such a relaxing way to spend a couple of hours, take your own food and drinks kick back and glide through the water. We had the music going and the sun was shining. the electric motor made it all the more relaxing as its basically silent. We saw tons of dolphins and they come very close to the boat. We saw the most amazing luxury houses too. Highly recommend this activity, perfect for all ages, friendly staff take great care of you, and it was CHEAP! (As in, not expensive) good quality boat with wind protection. Give it a go you will not be disappointed! Thanks to the Duffy team. Tash

Awesome and enjoyed it!

It was an unique experience for me and my friends as it was our first time controlling a boat by ourselves. We were oversee by a boat captain that guided us around the canal. It was relaxing and calm to ride the boat around Gold Coast. If you are lucky, you might be able to see some dolphins or stingray jumping out of the water.

Our own cruise

Being able to travel the Gold Coast waterways at a relaxed pace . The Duffy staff were attentive and made sure thaat we were well briefed to maximise our enjoyment

2 hour boat ride through Gold Coast canals

What a great way to experience the canals at your own leisure, own pace, with your own company and with the option of taking your own food and drinks (alcohol too). Highly recommend this as an activity to do in Gold Coast, we had two hours of high enjoyment.

Fantastic Service & Experience

Book it!! Book it!! Very quick and easy! We had such a nice boat ride on a beautiful day. I want to highlight that Gordon who is fun, warm and welcoming offered a complimentary skipper service, while we stayed back relaxed, comfortable beneath canopy gazing at the beautiful real estate Gold Coast offers. He shared fascinating information about the luxury restaurants, properties, amenities and current events around the area. Excellent job Nitsa on providing quick response on booking, free parking, directions and other necessary information. I will definitely and highly recommend this service for a relaxing ride with family and friends.

Wasn't tidy and their was showers so got wet

General housekeeping and better service, and was rained on. And abit rude is well.... and boring hospitality

Best family boat

Gordon was amazing, he driving all the way as we have no experience driving boats and while he explained everything that we asked him! Thank you so much, my family and I loved it.

very good option for...

very good option for family with kids Friendly staff and reliable and quiet boat Highly recommend it

Great activity out on the water

We really enjoyed the self-drive boat hire, thank you. Great instructions, easy to operate and a unique view of the Gold coast, would highly recommend.

Great views...

Great views taking a family photo with a great city view Also got to see couple of movies stars houses.

Great way to explore

Thank you - excellent communication, instructions and understanding. Our family enjoyed the peaceful explore around GC. Great way to see the area without the stress of parking or driving. Loads of space on board - very comfortable and secure. Canopy helped with the odd shower and the sunburn!

Brilliant afternoon

Lovely way to spend a few hours on the canals ogling the gorgeous homes and having a great time. Highly recommended for any weather!

absolutely perfect event for anyone

had an absolutely wonderful time. picked it to wrap up just as the sun was setting, the scenery was wonderful. Vlad ended up joining us due to water conditions but he was friendly, helpful and a great addition. we truly relaxed on the two hours we had. would 100% highly recommend this activity

Loved the experience

We loved our time on our self drive boat. We cruised up and down for 2 hours enjoying the views and jet skis going by. The owner was really nice and was a pleasant experience. Do yourself a favour and take try it! Great cheap activity.

Just simply amazing

Loved every bit of it, was very fortunate to meet the owner himself and gave us a tour around to many beautiful places. Very knowledgeable and pleasant in all aspects. Would definitely come back next time we are back to gold coast!

Well worth it!!

It was a beautiful day in a beautiful part of the world and the boat was a perfect way to enjoy the day. Try easy to drive and very comfy with everything you need for sn awesome day out. Price was very reasonable too but would like the prices advertised in AUD rather then USD

Enjoyable day out

Lovely 3 hours cruising around the canals looking at some beautiful homes and boats. Electric motor so lovely and quiet. Comfortable seating and easy to operate. Toilet stop at the Isle of Capri which looked a great place to have lunch but we had our own food.

Easy to organise. Owners very friendly engaging. Relaxing and great family experience

Spacious clean boat. Relaxing experience for all the family. Owners were very professional organised and friendly. Great Father’s Day activity

Family day out

Enjoyed our cruise, definitely look forward to booking again. The kids loved it! Great way to spend time with family and friends

Strongly recommend!

This was my second time hiring their boat. Excellent experiences and customer service! The boat is very clean and well-equipped. Have updated the boat for us for free of charge, we are much appreciated! Love the trip and the views! Thank you Nitsa and captain Vlad!

Fishing near Crab Island

We loved our boat hire (boat #3) which we hired & set off fishing near Crab Island. We had a great morning which was extended by the owner so we were very thankful. Great service & awesome morning on the water

Great value

The whole experience was thoroughly enjoyed by all of us, the boat was in excellent condition and the sights were really beautiful! Thank you Gordon for your friendly and most professional attention!!!

Great way to see the Gold Coast.

What an amazing experience! We took one of the boats out for Christmas day and spent the day cruising up and down the canals of the Gold Coast. The boat was clean, well designed and so so QUIET! We loved being able to slide along the water down these canals and not disturb anyone with our noise. And being able to actually talk while moving is wonderful. Pickup and return was handled well, even though it was Christmas day, and the entire experience was exactly what we wanted. We will be back again.

Relaxing and Peaceful

What a day. Five hours on the most amazing Duffy electric boat. The boat was beautiful, clean and spacious. We'd taken our own food so the ice box and large table just made it so easy to set everything out. Met the owner Gordon who was a brilliant guy. So knowledgeable and gave us directions to check out some famous peoples houses including Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's mansion, Nicole Kidmans new home, Jacky Chan's joint and Clive Palmer's massive joint. We also pulled in at a couple of bars and had a few beers which was nice. The best thing about the whole experience is that anyone can drive the boats. Its so easy and quiet and at one stage, before we knew it, we found ourselves surrounded by a pod of dolphins that stayed with us for a while. I never knew you got dolphins in the Gold Coast Canals. Magic day. Great if you want to see the Gold Coast from a different angle. Thanks also Duffy Boats for the great music mix on the stereo. Brilliant.

What a Surprise!

What a great relaxing experience, the 8 of us had a wonderful 2 hours cruising about the waterways by the grand homes and high rise hotels around the gold coast, drinking our BYO wine and champagne and nibbling on our BYO cheese and crackers. The sun beaming down the breeze off the water and the silent operation of the motor all added to the days experience. The boat is so easy to operate and manoeuvre. The views are well worth the cost, The staff are extremely helpful providing plenty of guidance and instruction prior to departure, the guide maps are easy to follow and full of information to help keep you safe. A great day experience and highly recommend to any group looking for a way to enjoy the sights sounds and each others company for a few hours of fun!

Highly recommended wonderful experience boating.

We had such an amazing day. It was my partner’s birthday with a group of friends the boat it’s spacious and very good condition. Fantastic service from Gordon and Nitsa. I had never driven a boat before but with their instructions make it’s so easy to self drive. Highly recommended for birthday, family trip, Party ,Anniversary

Fun day boating

These boats are set up perfectly for cruising the waterways of the Gold Coast. Very easy to self drive. Nitsa gives the right amount of instructions and then you are quickly on your way enjoying the views. Highly recommend this if you are looking to get on the water with family or friends for a day.

Fun morning on the water

Friendly, helpful staff and so easy to drive. Boat was in excellent condition with fun photo prop hats! Great way to see the coast in a different way. Relaxing couples morning or a great idea for a group of friends or family. Highly recommend. Easy parking at departure point too with great food options close by.