Terms and Conditions
Dartmouth Boat Hire Centre (‘DBHC’)
Definitions: ‘We’ ‘Us’ or ‘Our’ means DBHC
‘Hirer’ or ‘You’ or ‘Your’ means the person contracting to take the hire and where the contexts so admits includes all persons in the Hirer’s Party
Booking:A contract of hire comes into being only after our booking form has been completed and the requested deposit paid or a booking is made through our website and accepted by us. We do not hire boats to anyone under the age of 18.
Payment: The balance of the hire fee will be due at the commencement of the hire period
A damage/late return deposit of £100 is required when the boat is collected, either in cash or by a card preauthorised payment,(NOT CONTACTLESS) if by card then this payment does not leave your bank and the transaction sits as a pending transaction for 5 working days on your bank.
FINES. IF THE BOAT LEAVES THE LIMITS OF RIVER NAVIGATION AS SET OUT BY THE HARBOUR AUTHORITY (THE CASTLES AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE RIVER, AND THE ROAD BRIDGE AT TOTNES) A FINE OF £500 WILL BE PAYABLE BY THE HIRER, IF THE BOAT BECOMES STUCK ON THE MUD/ROCKS A FINE OF £250 WILL BE PAYABLE BY THE HIRER.
Cancellation: In the event of cancellation of a booking You must immediately notify us. Any money paid in advance will be forfeited unless cancellation is by us for reasons beyond our control such as breakdown or damage to the boat, severe weather, or river in flood. In such cases all hire money paid will be refunded but no liability will be accepted for any other expenses or consequential damage or loss, howsoever incurred by the Hirer. We reserve the right to decline any booking or to refuse to hand over any boat to any person who, in our opinion is not suitable to take charge. In such cases the hire fees paid shall be refunded in full and there will be no liability on either party. You have the responsibility of controlling the behaviour of those in their charge in relation to other river users and making sure all behave in a safe and responsible manner at all times. . We reserve the right to terminate any booking at any time where a serious incident or damage has occurred or in our opinion is likely to occur because of the unsuitability or misbehaviour of the Hirer. In such cases we shall not be liable to make a refund. WE ARE GOVERNED BY THE RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE HARBOUR AUTHORITY. 3a When a boat is booked for a specific time it is the hirers responsibility to be early or on time, in the case of an un-notified late arrival the hire of the boat may be cancelled and the boat let to another hirer.
Passengers: Boats are strictly limited to the maximum declared for each boat and stated on the boats as required by the Harbour Authority – at no time is it permitted to carry more than the licensed number. Children of whatever age count as a passenger.
Familiarisation and Hand Over: The Skipper is the person nominated by the user group and deemed by us as responsible for the operation and safety of the boat and its passengers. This includes the behaviour of all group members where this is likely to impact on the safety of the boat any or all group members or the river and its users. The skipper is not necessarily the group leader. If the role is to be undertaken by more than one person during the hire period each must attend the familiarisation session and it must be clear who is acting as skipper at any one time. A hirer must satisfy our requirements regarding the appropriate training or experience of the Skipper prior to the start of the hire – failing which we shall be entitled to cancel the hire. Our appropriately trained representative will provide your skipper with all necessary information to enable you to enjoy a safe trip. Our representative will also assess that the boat’s hirer’s boat handling skills reach an acceptable level before handling over the boat.
Return of Boat: The boat must be returned at the end of the hire period at the agreed time and in the condition it was at the commencement of the hire. You are responsible for allowing sufficient time for contingencies. In fairness to all concerned we cannot allow any boat to return later than the agreed time for any reason. We reserve the right to claim from you any expenses other than the deposit incurred as a result of a late or unsatisfactory return. ANY boat that is stuck on the mud, or aground and not returned on time will be subject to £250 claim against the hirer, ANY boat that leaves the limit of the seaward navigation (the castles) is subject to a £500 claim against the hirer. You are responsible for leaving the boat in a tidy condition.
Accidents and Insurance
You are responsible for the boat during the period of hire and must report to us full details of any accident, injury or damage as soon as possible after its occurrence and to assist us in completing the necessary report to the Harbour Authority. Under no circumstances should you attempt to undertake any repairs or replacement whether personally or through any third party.
Insurance of the boat and its contents and against our liability to other parties is included in the hire charge, but you are responsible for the first £500 of any claim. Your personal effects are not covered by this insurance.
We are fully insured for damage to third party property and public liability, however malicious damage, or damage caused by neglect to the boat and or third party property will be subject to a claim form the hirer for any amount over and above the deposit if that claim is over the deposit amount paid, or the insurance excess amount.
We reserve the right at our sole discretion to require reimbursement from you of any uninsured repair or other costs however arising caused by the actions or inactions of the Hirer.
We will not be responsible for any death or personal injury unless it results from proven negligence by us. You are recommended to take out appropriate personal insurance.
No liability is accepted for any hirer whist on our property including pontoons and steps.
General
Smoking is not allowed inside or outside the boat
You and all other users of the boat must behave at all times with due consideration for other river users and observe the 1998 byelaws issued by the Dart Harbour Navigation Authority (a copy of which is provided with each hire).
Life Jackets are provided. You are responsible for any cylinder replacement/recharging costs brought about by inappropriate use.
Pets who are kept under proper control will be allowed on board with our specific approval
The prices for the fares is calculated at 1st April 2022 and includes VAT at the rate then current and the cost of petrol at that date. We reserve the right to increase our costs if in our view the cost of petrol has escalated.
Punctuality – “IMPORTANT – DON’T BE LATE. The hire starts from the time that you have booked. The boat has to be returned at the end of that booked time period.
Terms and Conditions for longer periods of hire, ie more than one whole day.
As well as all other hire requirements the following shall apply.
The boat shall not be used outside of the navigation limits.
The boat shall not be used between dusk and dawn
The boat shall not be slept aboard overnight.
The boat must not carry more than the specified number of people.
The boat must be securely moored each night.
All harbour authority bylaws must be upheld
A damage holding deposit of £500 must be paid upon commencement of the hire period.
The boat comes with full fuel tank, it must be returned with full tank-If not a surcharge of £50 for refuelling will be made on top of the cost of the fuel.
The boat needs to be collected at 10am on the start of the hire period, and returned no later than 9am on the last day of the hire period.
It is the responsibility of the hirer to navigate the river using the charts provided and staying within the navigation channels, if the boat becomes grounded then it is the responsibility of the hirer to rescue the boat and the occupants, DBHC will not be responsible for rescue.
Any mechanical breakdowns will only be covered by DBHC during the hours of 9am until 5pm on multi day bookings.