Frequently asked questions

None of our boats apart from the Pina (SBF or ‘sport boat licence’ needed) require a boat licence. You will be given instructions before casting off, within the hire period. If so desired, you can also book a skipper who will drive the boat for you. Doing so reduces the possible number of passengers in the boat by one.

You can identify which boats are available at what times here. Simply enter the desired date and your preferred hire period and all the available boats will be displayed.

In principle, the hire price is determined by the size and equipment of the particular boat. The hire price is shown when you enter the day and duration of your boat hire (spreeboote.de).

It is determined by the boat you have selected and various other factors. Below are a few underlying rules that you can use to find the best prices:

Here is when you will find the most affordable prices:

• Mondays to Fridays on any hire period that ends no later than 5.00pm
• morning trips at weekends (Breakfast on the Water), i.e. hire period ending no later than 1.00pm
• all hires during the low season (April, October) and in May and September during the main season
• in general, the longer you hire the boat for, the more favourable the hourly price

We also often have special offers for booking early and packages that make getting out on the water as affordable as possible. Subscribing to our newsletter will give you access to details of our special offers.

If you book a skipper, the number of permitted passengers does not include the skipper. Romy, Helena, Lou, Aurora, Juli and Eva can fit up to 12 people without official skipper, or 13 passengers including one of our skippers.

All of our boats have full insurance with a deductible of €2,000. If so desired, when you make a booking you can reduce this amount to €300, which adds 5% to the net hire price. We keep all our boats in perfect condition. Should damage be caused to a boat, it will be identified when the boat is handed back and documented in the hire contract. We of course have liability insurance that covers damage caused by the hirer, the cost of which is incorporated in the hire price.

Olivia, Fee, Romy, Lou, Helena, Aurora, Eva, Juli, Mascha, Pina and Leo have a sprayhood covering the front part of the boat.

Not in the least – these are just a recommendation and take into account all of the restrictions and unique features that we are aware of. Overview: Map of waterways – Spreeboote

There are no restrictions for our fleet up to the Oberbaumbrücke. From the Oberbaumbrücke, the Spree may only be navigated with a pleasure craft license. From the Mühlendammschleuse you need a UBI radio license and a radio on board from 10:30 – 19:00 additionally. The Landwehr Canal can be navigated into the city with all our boats.
There are no restrictions in the direction of Köpenick. You can go anywhere on the Müggelsee with electric boats as long as its deep enough.

You will receive a map before departure. You can also have a look to it here to plan your trip.
Overview: Map of waterways – Spreeboote

Of course – the catering that we offer is an optional extra and intended for those who want to keep things as simple as possible.

We do offer the option of hiring a cool box, however.

Our cool boxes run with dry ice. They have a capacity of 43 litres and the cooling chamber has an area of 480 x 300 mm and a height of 300 mm. Please, don’t touch the dry ice!

No, but a special enclosed barbecue including charcoal and a lighter can be selected when making the booking. We will also clean it after use.

All of our boats have a radio with Bluetooth connectivity, to which you can easily connect your playback device (provided it has Bluetooth too) and enjoy your music on board.

We have plenty of life jackets for adults and children alike. Life jackets for children can be ordered free of charge when placing the booking. Available from a body weight of 3 kg, so even your very small sailors are safe on the go.

Unfortunately we do not hire out canoes or kayaks.

If you want to bring your dog (allowed up to a maximum of 8 kg) on board one of our Spreeboote, please specify so in your booking. Please also note that we charge an extra cleaning fee of 15 Euros, due to the resulting cleaning effort.

Our hire boats do not have any tableware on board as standard. If you order an optional drinks, barbecue or picnic package, however, the necessary equipment is included.

The final payment for the booking will be taken on the day of the hire and can be paid in cash or by EC or credit card. Discounts will be applied at this point.

In principle, the hire price is determined by the size and equipment of the particular boat. The hire price is shown when you enter the day and duration of your boat hire (spreeboote.de).

It is determined by the boat you have selected and various other factors. Below are a few underlying rules that you can use to find the best prices:

Here is when you will find the most affordable prices:

• Mondays to Fridays on any hire period that ends no later than 5.00pm
• morning trips at weekends (Breakfast on the Water), i.e. hire period ending no later than 1.00pm
• all hires during the low season (April, October) and in May and September during the main season
• in general, the longer you hire the boat for, the more favourable the hourly price

We also often have special offers for booking early and packages that make getting out on the water as affordable as possible. Subscribing to our newsletter will give you access to details of our special offers.

You can identify which boats are available at what times here. Simply enter the desired date and your preferred hire period and all the available boats will be displayed.

All of our boats have full insurance with a deductible of €2,000. If so desired, when you make a booking you can reduce this amount to €300, which adds 5% to the net hire price. We keep all our boats in perfect condition. Should damage be caused to a boat, it will be identified when the boat is handed back and documented in the hire contract. We of course have liability insurance that covers damage caused by the hirer, the cost of which is incorporated in the hire price.

In addition to our super easy online booking process, you can also fill out a form to request a return call. We are happy to take your reservation in this way. Please make sure that you have a valid credit card to hand and be aware that we charge a €15 booking fee for this method.

A hire period booking can be changed in certain circumstances – up to seven days before the trip. In this case a rebooking fee of €15 will be charged in addition to any difference in the tariffs as different prices may apply on the alternative date.

When you make a booking, a reservation fee of 25% of the hire price will be taken. If you later cancel your booking, the reservation fee will not be refunded. If a booking is cancelled less than 48 hours before the hire period, the entire hire price (including catering and skipper fees if selected) is to be paid. Bookings can be cancelled by sending an email to hafenmeister@hafenundhof.de or via the link provided in the booking confirmation.

A reservation fee for a rearranged or cancelled booking can only be returned if the weather actually makes a trip impossible/unsafe at the time of the hire period. Forecasts are very conservative and in recent years trips have had to be cancelled only in a very few instances.

Below is an overview of the definitions of unsuitable weather:

• wind speed in excess of 60 km/h
• if wind speeds exceed 100 km/h we stop hiring out boats
• heavy rain if open boats are being used

Definition solely based on the amount of precipitation in a 10-minute window.

Definition:               Amount: 

light                            0.1 to 0.4 mm

medium                      0.4 to 2 mm

heavy                         2 to 8 mm

very heavy                 more than 8 mm

These payment methods are completely secure because you are working directly with the online banking system of your bank or PayPal account through these applications.

An identity card, credit card or the amount of the agreed deductible in cash must be provided as a deposit.

You will automatically receive an invoice after the journey and thus after the service has been rendered. By then they have proof of payment for their accounting.

You can add picnic hampers, barbecues and drinks packages when you book your preferred boat. Should you need additional drinks, you can pick these up in the harbour kitchen.
You can of course also take your own catering with you on board.

You can book your catering up to 48 hours before the start of the rental. Send us your order by e-mail to mail@spreeboote.de and we will send you the new booking confirmation. Please pay the difference via the payment link and your catering will be produced.

No, but a special enclosed barbecue including charcoal and a lighter can be selected when making the booking. We will also clean it after use.

Our hire boats do not have any tableware on board as standard. If you order an optional drinks, barbecue or picnic package, however, the necessary equipment is included.

We do offer the option of hiring a cool box, however.

Our cool boxes run with dry ice. They have a capacity of 43 litres and the cooling chamber has an area of 480 x 300 mm and a height of 300 mm. Please, don’t touch the dry ice!

Of course – the catering that we offer is an optional extra and intended for those who want to keep things as simple as possible.

You can park your car in Köpenicker Chaussee or Gustav Holzmannstrasse. From there it is just a few meters to the marina (see https://www.spreeboote.de/#lage).

Please be aware that instructions are provided within the hire period, in other words at the beginning of your booked session.
To save a little time, you could also watch our video tutorial.