Welcome to Our Livery!
What is a “Livery”?
You’ll notice the term “livery” throughout CWB and in reference to our fleet. A boat livery is in reference to a boathouse on a lake or body of water that rents out the fleet. You can think of livery as meaning “our rental boats”!
How does it work?
We operate on a first-come, first-served walk-up basis when renting all of our sail and human powered watercraft.
Please visit our Livery during rental hours and our friendly staff and volunteers will help you get into a boat that works for you!
Our Public Peapod Program allows anyone to reserve a rowboat for free! Learn more here.
Please Note: Before renting our sailboats, we require a one-time Sailing Checkout. This must be scheduled in advance online. Learn more and schedule a sailing checkout HERE. If you’re new to sailing, please consider exploring our sailing lesson programs HERE.
Livery Passes Available for CWB Members
Enjoy UNLIMITED year-round rentals of sail, row, pedal, and paddle boats at our South Lake Union campus. Sneak down for a lunchtime paddle, enjoy a summer row, or spend an afternoon sampling different sailboats, all with one great pass! Choose from the two options listed to the right.
Please note that livery passes are only available to CWB members, not a member? Check out our membership program here.
$550
Unlimited livery boat use WEEKDAYS at South Lake Union year round. Use on any available sail or human powered boat. Good for 365 days from date of purchase.
$880
Unlimited livery boat use at South Lake Union! Use on any available sail or human powered boat anytime we’re open! Good 365 days from date of purchase.
Why our Livery is Special
The Center for Wooden Boats is a Living Museum
At CWB you are encouraged to touch, build, sail, and learn! We offer boats for rent because we believe the experience gained through learning traditional skills, especially on historic boats, is of the utmost importance. Our fleet of rental boats includes classic wooden sail and row boats. Our collection varies throughout the year as we work on boats in our boat shop and add new vessels to our collection.
Find out what makes The Center for Wooden Boats so unique. We rent you boats from our collection so you can take the oars or the tiller and find out for yourself what it was like as our region grew to love the water.
Our Livery Boats
Our South Lake Union boat rental Livery continues a decades long tradition of providing public access to Seattle’s waterways!
While renting one of our classic wooden boats to explore Lake Union you might see:
Houseboats and floating homes
Seaplanes taking off, landing, and soaring above
Working shipyards
Local wildlife
360 views of Seattle’s skyline!
More boats than you can shake an oar at!
No experience is needed to rent a rowboat. Renting a canoe or kayak requires previous experience in those types of boats. Renting a sailboat requires a sailing checkout.
SOUTH LAKE UNION LIVERY BOATS
LARGE SAILBOATS
SLOOP-RIGGED
CAPACITY: 1 TO 6 PEOPLE
HOURLY RATE:
$80 MEMBER | $100 GENERAL
One hour minimum rental. Sailing Checkout required.
Blanchard Junior Knockabout
Learn more about these historic boats here.
Lightning
SMALL SAILBOATS
GAFF, SPRIT, & LUG-RIGGED
CAPACITY: 1 TO 4 PEOPLE
HOURLY RATE:
$45 MEMBER | $50 GENERAL
One hour minimum rental. Sailing Checkout Lesson required.
Hvalsoe 15
Sid Skiff
Pelican
ROWBOATS
TRADITIONAL LAUNCHES
CAPACITY: 1 TO 4 PEOPLE
HOURLY RATE:
$30 MEMBER | $40 GENERAL
*Peapod rowboats are part of our Public Peapod Program, which are available to the public for free by reservation. (Capacity: up to 4 persons).
One hour minimum rental.
Peapod*
Hvalsoe 15
Whitehall Skiff
Sid Skiff
We are committed to providing access to the water for all, and thanks to our community, we are able to start a new Public PeaPod Program! Members of the public are encouraged to reserve one of our peapod rowboats for free one-hour rentals! Available Wednesday - Sunday during our regular hours. These boats can hold up to 5 people and are perfect for rowers of all experiences. Just go through our online reservation system and take one out today!
CANOES
CLASSIC CANOES
CAPACITY: 1 OR 2 PEOPLE
HOURLY RATE:
$25 MEMBER | $35 GENERAL
One hour minimum rental.
DOUBLE KAYAKS
PLYWOOD STITCH-AND-GLUE KAYAKS FOR TWO
CAPACITY: 2 PEOPLE
HOURLY RATE:
$25 MEMBER | $35 GENERAL
One hour minimum rental.
Renting FAQs
WHAT IS A LIVERY?
At the turn of the 20th century, liveries were boathouses where the working class could rent a boat for leisure. Our Livery continues that tradition.
WHAT ARE THE CWB LIVERY RULES?
The rules can be found here.
DO I HAVE TO BE A MEMBER TO RENT BOATS?
No – anyone can rent our boats. CWB Members get discounts on rental prices, though, as well as many other benefits. Learn more about membership here.
WHAT KIND OF BOATS DO YOU HAVE FOR RENT?
In general, we rent rowboats, canoes, kayaks (1 single), sailboats, and pedal boats. All of the boats in our rental fleet are wood – even the pedal boat! Our boats are regularly cycled through the shop for maintenance, so the boats on the dock may be slightly different each time you visit. To view our fleet look at the top of this page!
DO YOU RENT MOTORBOATS?
Our South Lake Union (Seattle) location does not offer motorboats for rent. We can, however, help you with a private charter rental on one of our motorized wooden vessels.
I DON’T KNOW HOW TO SAIL, ROW, KAYAK, OR CANOE. WHAT CAN I DO?
Sailboats require lessons, human powered boats do not! For sailing, visit our Learn to Sail pages.
Our rowboats are stable and comfortable, even for first-time rowers. You can also rent the pedal boat, which one or two people pedal with their feet. We ask that renters of kayaks and canoes have some experience in those vessels.
I DON’T KNOW HOW TO SAIL. DO YOU HAVE SOMEONE WHO CAN TAKE ME SAILING?
By the spring and summer of 2022 we hope to bring back our free Sunday Public Sail program offering free sailing on Lake Union for those who have no sailing experience. For now, you can rent a rowboat or the pedal boat, which requires no prior experience. We’ll teach you how to row if you don’t know how!
I KNOW HOW TO SAIL! DO I HAVE TO PASS A TEST BEFORE RENTING A SAILBOAT?
Yes, we require all of our sailors to pass a CWB “checkout” sailing test before renting, and those checkouts must be scheduled in advance. We do not accept proof of sailing experience from other organizations or associations in lieu of a CWB checkout.
HAS MY CWB SAILING CHECKOUT EXPIRED?
CWB sailing checkouts are valid for one year from the most recent date of sailboat use. After a one-year lapse in boat use, we require you to complete a checkout again, which can be scheduled here. If you’re not sure if your checkout is valid, give us a call or come down and we will look it up.
CAN I RENT A BOAT AND RACE IT? I LOVE DUCK DODGE!
Sorry, but no. Our boats are not allowed in any race that is not sanctioned by CWB.
CAN I BRING OTHER PEOPLE WITH ME WHEN I RENT A BOAT? HOW MANY?
Yes, bring friends and family!
Rowboats can accommodate up to four adults.
Canoes can accommodate up to two adults.
The pedal boat can take two to six adults.
Our sailboats can take up to six people, depending on the boat and weather conditions. One person in the group must pass a CWB “checkout” sailing test before renting, and those checkouts must be scheduled in advance. For more information, click here.
IS THERE A MINIMUM AGE LIMIT FOR PASSENGERS?
Nope! We have Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) for passengers of all ages (even babies).
IS THE HOURLY RATE FOR THE BOAT IN TOTAL, OR IS IT PER PERSON?
The rate is hourly per boat – bring a friend and split the cost!
DO YOU HAVE TO SET A SPECIFIC RETURN TIME BEFORE LEAVING?
No, you can stay out as long as you like. We charge a 1-hour minimum, and by 15-minute increments after that. Keep in mind that all boats are due back 15 minutes before closing, and that our boats are not allowed to tie up to any docks other than ours.
ARE PERSONAL FLOTATION DEVICES (PFDS) INCLUDED IN THE RENTAL?
Yes! We have PFDs for everyone (even babies) at no charge.
CAN I MAKE A RESERVATION?
We rent on a first-come, first-served basis, and do not take reservations. If all of the boats are rented when you arrive, we will happily add you to a waitlist. However, since customers are allowed to keep boats for as long as they like, it may be difficult to predict your waiting time.
WHERE CAN I TAKE THE BOAT?
Our boats must stay on Lake Union, between the Fremont and University Bridges (no Lake Washington). Additionally, our boats may not tie up or dock anywhere other than CWB.
CAN I BRING FOOD AND DRINKS ON THE BOAT WITH ME?
You are welcome to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy during your rental, but we do not allow alcohol on any of our rental boats. Alcohol is permitted on our Private Charters. Please be mindful of the fact that our rental boats are museum pieces, and clean up crumbs and trash.
CAN I BRING MY DOG?
Your dog is welcome on your boating adventure! We don’t have doggie PFDs, however, and we do ask that your dog be on-leash while on CWB’s docks.
DO YOU HAVE LOCKERS OR CUBBIES WHERE I CAN LEAVE MY STUFF?
Unfortunately, we don’t have anywhere for you to leave personal belongings while you’re on the water – you’ll need to take everything with you on the boat. For this reason, we encourage you to leave valuables and electronics at home.
IS FISHING ALLOWED FROM YOUR BOATS? WHAT ABOUT SWIMMING? WHAT ABOUT SMOKING?
Fishing, swimming, and smoking are not allowed on any of CWB boats or docks, for legal, insurance, and liability reasons.