Boat hire rules in Victoria
12 rules for hire businesses in Victoria, from 3 official sources — on top of the rules that apply everywhere in Australia.
Rules in Victoria
Briefing and checklist before each hire
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Victorian law puts a personal duty on the hirer driving the vessel: take reasonable care for their own safety and the safety of others, and never wilfully or recklessly put people at risk. The maximum penalty is 60 penalty units. It is worth stating this in your briefing.
Show the official wording
“(1) A master of a recreational vessel or recreational hire and drive vessel must, when carrying out vessel operations— (a) take reasonable care for his or her own safety; and (b) take reasonable care for the safety of persons who may be affected by the master's acts or omissions.”
Does the hirer need a licence?
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In Victoria, a recreational hire vessel whose engine can propel it at 10 knots or more is a 'regulated hire and drive vessel', and the licensing rules below apply. This depends on what the vessel can do, not on how fast the hirer actually drives.
Show the official wording
“regulated hire and drive vessel means— (a) a recreational hire and drive vessel that has an engine that is able to propel the vessel at a speed of 10 knots or more;”
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A hirer must hold a marine licence to be the master of a regulated hire and drive vessel, and must follow any conditions on that licence. The maximum penalty is 20 penalty units.
Show the official wording
“(1) A person must not be the master of a regulated hire and drive vessel unless the person holds a marine licence. Penalty: 20 penalty units.”
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Any recreational hire boat you supply on a trailer under a certificate of operation is also a 'regulated hire and drive vessel'. Your hirer needs a marine licence even if the boat can't reach 10 knots.
Show the official wording
“For the purposes of paragraph (b) of the definition of regulated hire and drive vessel in section 3(1) of the Act, the specified class of recreational hire and drive vessel is any recreational hire and drive vessel that— (a) is provided on a trailer; and (b) operates under a certificate of operation.”
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Staff (or hirers) with a valid AMSA certificate of competency that has no health or fitness conditions don't need a marine licence, but must carry the certificate. Safe Transport Victoria says this does not cover jet skis, which still need a marine licence with a PWC endorsement.
Show the official wording
“(1) Subject to subregulation (2), a person is exempt from the requirement to hold a marine licence if the person holds a valid certificate of competency that is not subject to any conditions relating to the person's health or fitness.”
Age limits
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A general marine licence is only granted to people aged 16 or over. A restricted marine licence is available from 12 to under 16. Check the hirer's licence type and its conditions before handing over a regulated hire and drive vessel.
Show the official wording
“grant or renew a general marine licence to a person if— (i) the person is of or over the age of 16 years; … grant or renew a restricted marine licence to a person if— (i) the person is of or over the age of 12 years and less than 16 years;”
Jet skis (PWC)
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Safe Transport Victoria says a hirer needs a marine licence with a PWC endorsement to operate a hired jet ski. It also expects the hire owner to brief clients, and everyone on board to follow the lifejacket rules.
Show the official wording
“A PWC endorsement is required to operate a hired PWC. The hire boat owner will brief clients on the operating requirements of the vessel being hired. All operators, masters and passengers must comply with lifejacket requirements.”
Safety equipment on board
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Victoria's lifejacket-wearing rules apply to hire and drive vessels, not just private boats. For the vessel types listed in Schedule 4, which include small powerboats, jet skis and paddle craft, everyone in an open area must wear the required lifejacket while underway. Children under 12 must wear one in open areas at all times while underway, and anyone being towed must always wear one. Only lifejackets of the new standard will count from 1 July 2028.
Show the official wording
“(1) A person who is on an open area of a recreational vessel or a hire and drive vessel of a type listed in Column 2 of Table A in Schedule 4 must wear a compulsory lifejacket at all times when the vessel is underway on coastal waters.”
Local rules and by-laws
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The hirer must not take the vessel outside the geographical limits set in your AMSA certificate of operation, except after a breakdown or in an emergency. Show your hirers the boundaries in the briefing.
Show the official wording
“(1) The master of a recreational hire and drive vessel must not allow the vessel to move outside the geographical limits of operation specified in the certificate of operation for the vessel.”
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If a hire vessel tows someone (skier, tube, wakeboarder), there must be another person on board who can watch the person being towed and communicate with the driver.
Show the official wording
“A person must not be the master of a vessel engaged in towing a person on any State waters if there is no other person on board the vessel who is in a position to— (a) observe the person being towed; and (b) communicate with the master of the vessel.”
Other rules
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No one may skipper a hire vessel that is overloaded. That includes carrying more people, or more total weight of people, than the manufacturer's capacity plate or Australian Builders Plate allows.
Show the official wording
“(1) A person must not be the master of a recreational vessel or a recreational hire and drive vessel that is overloaded as specified in subregulation (2).”
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Don't refuel a hire vessel at a wharf, jetty or pier with passengers on board, and don't restart it there after refuelling until they are off. Elsewhere, passengers must get off before fuelling unless that isn't reasonably practicable.
Show the official wording
“(2) The master of a recreational vessel or a recreational hire and drive vessel must not permit the vessel to be fuelled at a wharf, jetty or pier if there are passengers on board the vessel.”
The national rules still apply
Everything on the Australia page applies here too: 31 rules · checked 18 October 2026
All national rules for AustraliaIn an emergency
Triple Zero (000) or VHF channel 16. VesselSOS is not a rescue service — teach your hirers to call for help the official way.
VHF channel 16
JRCC Australia (AMSA) 1800 641 792; Marine Radio Victoria monitors VHF 16 and 67
Not confirmed yet
What we looked for and could not confirm from an official source. Ask the authority before you assume anything here.
Safe Transport Victoria's licensing page says a licence is needed for hire and drive vessels 'capable of a speed greater than 10 knots', while the Act says '10 knots or more'. The rules above follow the Act.
We found no regulation that makes a PWC endorsement a legal requirement specifically for regulated hire and drive vessels (the regulation covers registered recreational PWC). Safe Transport Victoria's guidance says one is required for hired jet skis.
We have not confirmed whether a restricted marine licence (ages 12–15) is enough for a hirer of a regulated hire and drive vessel, or what conditions apply.
We could not confirm whether Victoria still issues a separate state 'hire and drive vessel operator licence' to hire businesses. Business directories list one, but we found no current official source.
We have not yet reviewed local Vessel Operating and Zoning Rules (for example Port Phillip, Western Port, the Gippsland Lakes or inland lakes) for hire-specific limits.
Official bodies
Who makes and enforces these rules.
- Safe Transport VictoriaVictorian maritime safety regulator (recreational and hire-and-drive vessel operation, licensing policy, waterway rules)safetransport.vic.gov.au ↗
- VicRoadsissues marine licences, PWC endorsements and recreational vessel registrationvicroads.vic.gov.au ↗
- Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA)certificates of operation, survey and safety management systems for hire-and-drive vessels (national file)amsa.gov.au ↗
Questions operators ask
Does a hirer need a boat licence in Victoria?
In Victoria, a recreational hire vessel whose engine can propel it at 10 knots or more is a 'regulated hire and drive vessel', and the licensing rules below apply. This depends on what the vessel can do, not on how fast the hirer actually drives. Source: content.legislation.vic.gov.au, checked 18 October 2026.
Do I have to brief hirers before a hire in Victoria?
Victorian law puts a personal duty on the hirer driving the vessel: take reasonable care for their own safety and the safety of others, and never wilfully or recklessly put people at risk. The maximum penalty is 60 penalty units. It is worth stating this in your briefing. Source: content.legislation.vic.gov.au, checked 18 October 2026.
What are the rules for jet ski hire in Victoria?
Safe Transport Victoria says a hirer needs a marine licence with a PWC endorsement to operate a hired jet ski. It also expects the hire owner to brief clients, and everyone on board to follow the lifejacket rules. Source: safetransport.vic.gov.au, checked 18 October 2026.
How old must a hirer be in Victoria?
A general marine licence is only granted to people aged 16 or over. A restricted marine licence is available from 12 to under 16. Check the hirer's licence type and its conditions before handing over a regulated hire and drive vessel. Source: content.legislation.vic.gov.au, checked 18 October 2026.
For your hirers
Free safety pages on VesselSOS for the people who take your craft out — link them from your booking confirmation.
Boating rules in Victoria (for your hirers) Boat licence rules by stateJet ski licence by stateLifejacket rules by stateHow to call for help at seaTrip planFree tools for hire operators
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