Frequently Asked Questions

There sure is. During our peak season (June – November and school holidays) our minimum is 5 nights hire and during regular times (Dec-June) the minimum is 3 nights.

This is one of our most commonly asked questions and the answer is no, not at all! But don’t be worried if you aren’t experienced, you’ll receive a 4 hour full briefing from a commercially qualified skipper prior to your departure. Our skipper will also ensure the yacht the driven in and out of the harbour for you.

This all depends on the size of the yacht you are hiring. Our entry level vessel Indigo can sleep 6 – 8 people, and the vessel Cattitude can sleep up to 10 people.

They most certainly are! And we think there’s no better way to get the kids away from those screens and out into nature than being on the water.

If you are bareboating with us, you can go north as far as Rooney’s Point on Fraser Island and go south through the straits as far as Inskip Point. You can check out all our great anchorages on our interactive map.

Yes! We have hot showers available on all our sailing vessels.

Yes! All yachts in our fleet feature a full kitted out kitchen inside with oven, stove and fully stocked cutlery and cooking utensils as well a BBQ on the back deck.

Of course. We have motorised tenders available at your leisure with all of our bareboat hires to help you explore our amazing backyard.

Absolutely. Once you are out on the water during your charter, our Operations Manager Scott will be in regular contact with you and offer you advice on where is best to anchor in the current weather conditions. If you ever have any issues we are just phone call or text message away.

First of all, congratulations on booking or investigating the possibility of taking your first bareboating holiday! We want to make the process as simple as possible for you so you spend more time relaxing in paradise.

Once you’ve confirmed a booking with us, we’ll send you a host of information so you can be across everything before you start your charter.

On the day of your arrival, we’ll meet you at the Great Sandy Straits Marina at 3pm (unless another time is organised).

From there, we will let you stock the boat and go into a very detailed (up to 4 hours) briefing to ensure you are fully equipped with the tools and knowledge to sail (or motor, up to you) around Fraser Island and the Great Sandy Straits including how to fully run the boat, information on the area and what to look out for.

Following the briefing and once our commercial skipper knows that everyone is comfortable, we will drive the yacht out of the marina for you and then jump off and let you sail into the sunset!

Throughout the duration of the trip we will remain in close contact to make sure all is okay and then will meet you just outside the marina entrance at the end of your trip to drive the yacht back into the marina for you.

Whilst travel insurance isn’t mandatory, Fraser Island Boat Charters does strongly suggest in investing in some prior to your trip to cover any mishaps that may happen along the way!

Yes you can. Just let us know if you’d like us to take care of that for you and we’ll send you some selections and price lists and can organise for you at extra cost.

Along with bareboat chartering we also offer a range of skippered charters, tailored to whatever your needs are. Private charters can include day trips, overnight and multi day skippered charters and corporate charters for your next business event.

The beauty of our skippered trips is that they can be completely tailored to you, we are happy to package in fully catered options so you can just sit back, relax and enjoy our magical waters.

Yes we do! We have run successful trips for those wanting to take the fishing boat with them but have the creature comforts at night on the water. We also offer half and full day guided fishing tours as an add on to any bareboat charter bookings.

While some anchorages throughout the straits may lack phone reception, 90% of the anchorage areas have great reception. Our vessel Indigo also features wifi onboard for those that need to stay connected.

There are lots of awesome swimming and snorkelling spots to make the most of on your bareboating trips including along the coast of Fraser Island near Kingfisher Bay, surrounding Pelican Bank and a number of Fraser Island creeks. Please be aware that during the height of summer there have been minimal cases of Irikanjdi so we suggest taking caution at this time.

In order to cover facilities such as fuel and gas we ask for $20/engine hour on board our vessels Indigo and Dream On and $30/per engine hours on board Cattitude.

In the event that you need to cancel your charter and give us more than 60 days notice before your charter period, the deposit will be refunded in full less a service fee of $110. If less than 60 days notice of cancellation is given the full charter fee will remain due and payable and will not be waived or refunded unless Fraser Island Boat Charters is able to obtain an alternative booking for the same period.

One of the best things about winter is our whales! Hervey Bay is known as the best whale watching spot in Australia (if not the world) and for good reason. Thanks to the protection from Fraser Island, the calm waters of the bay are known as the humpbacks’ chosen rest stop along their migration route. During the months of July – November whales will spend extended time relaxing and playing in our waters and towards the end of the season mothers will teach their calves how to behave. There are no restrictions on where you can travel throughout this time, however there are strict guidelines to follow in the event you encounter whales on your boating journey. These restrictions include distances between the vessel and any marine life and how you interact with these marine mammales. Click here to familiarise yourself with the guidelines.

Charterers are asked to pay a deposit in order to confirm the booking; the balance of the charter fee at least sixty days prior to your charter period with and a security bond will be held while you are on charter.

We have 240V power on board for most appliances (leave those hair straighteners and dryers at home though!) and batteries are charged by solar and a wind generator. We strongly encourage all charterers to be aware of conserving power and energy while on board so that together we can limit our impact on the local environment.

Our charter yachts have plenty of water on board, however given bareboat charters go out for an extended period of time it is best to follow general water restrictions and keep showers to 2 – 3 minutes to make sure this lasts for the duration of your trip. Click here for some water saving tips from the Fraser Coast Regional Council.

We are happy for you to experience the world class fishing of the Fraser Coast while on charters, however you would need to BYO fishing gear.

Hervey Bay is a great place to stock up at with many shops and facilities near the Great Sandy Straits Marina. Some options include Woolworths, Coles, corner stores and Dan Murphys for those drinks. There are also a large variety of outlets within the Marina including a pharmacy and coffee shops (Cafe Balena).

You certainly can. Just let us know when you’re booking that this is what you’d like to do and there will be an extra cost of $200 the night prior to your charter commences.

We’re always looking for boat owners to partner with and add vessels to our fleet. If you’re thinking about chartering your boat or would simply like to know how the process works and the possible income you could be gaining, please don’t hesitate to contact us.