Frequently asked questions

Most listings are contact-captain: open the boat page, send a quote request with your dates and party size, and the captain books you direct. A few listings may take payment on this site later. The boat page tells you which one it is.

Each boat page has its own calendar. Green days are ones the captain marked open, gray days they marked off, red days are already booked on this site. Empty days are not a no — ask with a quote. Captains with more than one boat keep a separate calendar on each listing, not a mixed calendar on the captains directory.

Peak season on the Gulf is roughly May through September. Two to four weeks ahead is a good start; popular weekends fill earlier. Last-minute trips happen, but the choice is thinner.

Not on a contact-captain listing. You pay the captain the way they take payment (often Venmo, cash, or their own card terminal). If a listing is set up for on-platform booking, you would pay here by card and we would take a commission — that is optional for the captain, not the default.

Only for trips paid on this site. A rain check is credit for what you actually paid here if the captain cancels for weather — not a cash refund, and not for Venmo or cash you paid the captain. Contact-captain trips use the captain’s own policy. We may later let captains record a credit on those trips; that is not built yet.

On contact-captain trips, the captain’s own policy applies. Ask them when you confirm. We do not take the deposit, so we cannot issue a platform refund on those bookings. If you paid on this site, weather cancellations can be issued as a rain check for the amount you actually paid.

The captain decides if it is safe, usually 12–24 hours out. Typical outcomes are reschedule or cancel. On a contact-captain trip, that is between you and the captain. On a trip paid here, a weather cancel can become a rain check instead of a fight over a card refund.

It depends on the listing. Many fishing charters include rods, reels, tackle, bait, ice, and fish cleaning. Snacks and drinks vary. Read the boat page and confirm with the captain. Gratuity is not included.

Usually no, if you are a passenger on a licensed charter vessel — the captain’s commercial coverage typically covers the guests. Confirm with that captain; rules differ by state and trip type (for example, some kayak or uninspected trips are different).

Yes, if the trip went well. 15–20% of the charter price is customary on the Gulf. Cash is simplest on contact-captain trips.

Reef-safe sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat, a light jacket, closed-toe shoes, water, and seasickness medicine if you need it. Most boats have a cooler with ice. Ask whether food is provided before you pack a lunch.

Beer and wine in moderation is common; hard liquor is captain-by-captain. Drunk passengers can end the trip. Ask first.

Yes. Captains who run family and first-timer trips will show you casting, hooking, and handling fish. Say so in the quote so they put you on the right trip.

Legal catch, yes — size, bag, and season limits still apply (FWC in Florida, and the matching state rules elsewhere on the Gulf). Captains typically clean and bag what you can keep.

No. That badge means we matched the vessel in the public PSIX documented-vessel list. It is not a Coast Guard inspection stamp and it is not a captain-license check. Those are separate.

No. Independent captains list here. We are a directory, not a fleet operator.

Use List your boat. We need captain and business name, boat specs, port, prices, photos, and a short description. License and insurance come after we set up your login — not on the first form.

Contact-captain listings are free. You keep the booking. If we are actually sending you trips and you opt into on-platform checkout, commission is 10% (8% locked for founding captains). We do not charge 15%.

No. This is a captain directory, not a peer-to-peer rental marketplace. We do not screen bareboat renters, we do not write boat-rental insurance, and we do not direct-deposit your charter fee. Guests contact you; you run the trip the way you already do.

Guests planning a charter also need a room and a backup if the weather dies. We show stays near your home port (affiliate links today) and indoor rainy-day stops. WhereToVacation.com can replace the generic lodging links later without turning GCC into a hotel site.

No. Default is contact-captain. On-platform checkout is opt-in after trips are actually showing up, and live Stripe stays off until we say so.

No. Rain checks only for trips paid on this site. If they paid you direct, weather is your policy. We may later let you record a credit here for those guests; that is not built yet.