Full-Day (8-Hour) Boat Rentals in Miami
A full day on a private boat in Miami: eight hours with a captain to reach Key Biscayne and Stiltsville, take your time at the sandbars and come back at the end of the afternoon.
83 boats offer 8-hour trips. From $1,033 for the whole boat, service fee included.
83 experiences found
8h 102 ft · Maiora Elegant Harbor Retreat
Maiora 102 Flybridge2001Up to 13 guests
8h 48 ft · Solaris Yachts Power Island Escapade in Miami Beach
Solaris Yachts Sport Turismo2026Up to 10 guests
8h 57 ft · Azimut Monaco Twilight Voyage
Azimut 55 Evolution2008Up to 13 guests
8h 45 ft · Tempest Dun Deal Island Escapade
Tempest Sport 452006Up to 13 guests
8h 44 ft · Azimut Atlantis Soiree at Elliott Key
Azimut Atlantis2015Up to 13 guests
8h 55 ft · Pershing SlamD Island Escapade
Pershing 552010Up to 13 guests
8h 65 ft · Prestige Exuma Island Escapade
Prestige 6302023Up to 13 guests
8h 54 ft · Sea Ray Archemist Evening
Sea Ray 540 Cockpit2001Up to 10 guests
8h 55 ft · Technomar Island Odyssey
Technomar EVO 552026Up to 13 guests
8h 60 ft · Sea Ray Latitude Celebration Cruise
Sea Ray 600 Sun Sport2003Up to 12 guests
8h 97 ft · San Lorenzo Astonishing Sunset Voyage
San Lorenzo SL942018Up to 13 guests
8h 30 ft · Searay Haulover / Raccoon Island / Indian Creek Island
Searay Sundancer2010Up to 8 guests
What you can see from the boat
Places on and around Biscayne Bay that many trips pass or stop at. No trip covers all of them: the captain decides the final route depending on the weather, the tide and where the boat leaves from.
Downtown Miami and Brickell
The towers of downtown and Brickell rise right from the edge of the bay. From the water you see the whole line at once, and it looks its best around sunset, when the buildings light up.
PortMiami and Government Cut
Cruise ships tie up along Dodge Island, and Government Cut is the channel boats take to reach the ocean, between South Pointe and Fisher Island. Expect some wake when big ships are moving.
Star Island
A small private island off the MacArthur Causeway, lined with waterfront mansions. Its streets are gated, so the water is the easiest way to see it.
Venetian Islands
A string of residential islands joined by the Venetian Causeway between Miami and Miami Beach. The channels around them are slower and calmer than the open bay.
Miami Marine Stadium
The concrete grandstand on Virginia Key was built in the 1960s for powerboat races and faces a sheltered basin. It has been closed for decades and is known today for its graffiti.
Nixon Sandbar
A shallow sandbar on the bay side of Key Biscayne, named after the president who had a house on the island. Boats anchor in shallow water and people wade between them; it gets crowded on weekends.
Cape Florida Lighthouse
The 19th-century lighthouse at the southern tip of Key Biscayne, inside Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. From the water you see it standing above the beach and the trees.
Stiltsville
A handful of wooden houses built on stilts over the flats south of Key Biscayne, inside Biscayne National Park. The water around them is very shallow, so most boats see them from the channel.
Haulover Sandbar
Just inside Haulover Inlet, at the north end of the bay, a wide sandbar fills with anchored boats on weekends and holidays. It is the usual stop for boats that leave from the north end of Miami Beach.
What fits in 2, 4 or 6 hours
2 hours
A loop of the bay: the downtown skyline, the islands along the causeways and the cruise port, or the sunset if you book an evening slot. From marinas up the Miami River, part of the time goes to the slow ride out to the bay.
4 hours
The bay plus one long stop, usually a sandbar such as Nixon or Haulover depending on the departure point, with a couple of hours to anchor and swim.
6 hours or more
Time to go farther and stop twice: Key Biscayne, the Cape Florida lighthouse, Stiltsville seen from the channel and long stretches at anchor. A full day of 8 hours adds an easier pace.
The captain decides the final route on the day, depending on the weather, the tide and where the boat leaves from.
Eight hours turns a boat trip into a day out. There is time for the run to the south end of the bay, two or three stops and a slow ride back past the skyline, for example a sandbar in the morning and a quieter anchorage later in the day.
A full day is long in the Florida sun. Bring more water than you think you need, and food if the listing allows it, and check the forecast: in summer, afternoon thunderstorms are common, and the captain may change the route or head back early for safety.
The cards on this page show the eight-hour price for the whole boat, service fee included, and each listing says whether fuel and crew gratuity are included. Each boat sets its own cancellation policy, which you can read before you pay.
Related reading
Frequently asked questions
How far can you go on a full-day boat rental in Miami?
Far enough to cover Biscayne Bay at an easy pace: Key Biscayne, Stiltsville, the sandbars and the Miami Beach shoreline. The route depends on the boat, the weather and the departure point, and the captain makes the final call.
Is crew gratuity included?
It depends on the listing. Each one says whether crew gratuity and fuel are included before you book.
What happens if the weather turns bad during the day?
The captain decides when it is safe to stay out. Each boat has its own weather and cancellation policy, shown on the listing before you pay.