A model with every essential clause: parties, craft, deposit, insurance, liability, minors and data protection. Download it, adapt it to your company and use it today.
What is the rental contract for?
The jet ski rental contract is the written proof of the conditions the customer accepted: which craft they took, in what condition, for how long, what happens if they damage it and who is liable in an accident. Without it, any incident becomes your word against theirs.
It's not red tape: it's what keeps you from paying for a breakdown, a fine or a claim yourself. In practice, a signed contract prevents 90% of the arguments at the desk when the craft comes back.
- Puts the deposit and the cases where it's withheld in writing
- Transfers liability for damage and penalties to the renter
- Documents the craft's condition at handover and return
- Meets the obligation to inform about the use of personal data
What a jet ski rental contract must include
These are the blocks that can't be missing. The downloadable template already has them all; here's why each one matters.
- Party details: rental company (legal name, tax ID, address) and renter (name, ID or passport, phone).
- Craft identification: make, model, registration or hull number and power.
- Rental period: date, handover time and agreed return time.
- Price, payment method and deposit: amount, method and refund conditions.
- Craft condition: description of prior damage and fuel level at handover.
- Insurance and coverage: what the policy covers and what excess or damage the customer assumes.
- Conditions of use: permitted navigation area, minimum distance from shore and prohibitions (alcohol, number of occupants, etc.).
- Liability: the renter is responsible for damage, administrative penalties and third parties during the rental.
- Data protection: legal basis and purpose of processing, with reference to the GDPR.
- Signature of both parties and date.
The most forgotten clauses (and the ones that cost you)
Most free templates online cover the basics but leave out what really protects you when something goes wrong.
- Excess and cap on damage assumed by the customer, with a specific amount.
- Late-return penalty, per hour or fraction.
- Customer's statement that they can swim and have received the safety briefing.
- Explicit authorization to charge later damage or fines to the card.
- Photographic inventory of the craft before and after, attached to the contract.
Renting to minors: the contract needs extra fields
If you rent to or carry minors as passengers, you need written consent from the parent or legal guardian. It's not enough for the paying adult to say so verbally.
- Legal guardian's details and relationship to the minor.
- Guardian's signature authorizing the activity.
- Validation of the guardian's ID document.
- Statement of responsibility for the minor during the activity.
How to fill in the template, step by step
- Download the PDF and replace the company details with yours (legal name, tax ID, address).
- Adapt the conditions of use to your area: distance from shore, permitted zones and your craft's power.
- Set your deposit, your excess and your late-return penalty.
- Review the text with a legal advisor once; then reuse it for every rental.
- Print a copy per customer… or skip to the next section and forget about paper.
From paper to digital signature at the desk
A PDF template solves the content, but not the real bottleneck: printing, filling in by hand, scanning and filing each contract while there's a queue in peak season. That's where two or three hours a day go up in smoke.
With Solnow, every confirmed booking generates the contract already filled in with the customer's and craft's details. The customer signs it on a tablet at the desk (or from their phone before arriving), including the minors annex, and it's archived and linked to the booking. No printer, no folders, no hunting for the contract when there's a claim.