Private boat hire

[Livingproof]

When we were last in Kalkan in 2009 we privately hired Yildiz 1 just for the 4 of us and had a fantastic day out. We would like to do something similar when we return in August this year. As I understand it, Yildiz 1 is no longer available so are there any other smaller boats which we could privately hire? We have a budget of 300tl. Any recommendations gratefully accepted! 

Justin

Linkback: https://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php?topic=9469.0

[Bob & Jayne]

As I understand it, Captain Osman now uses Yildiz 1 for fishing over the winter months and Yildiz 2 and 3 for boat trips in the summer.
I expect Captain Ergun will be along in a minute to help you out. 

[Skunk]

Can also recommend Zeus and Anil boats. 

[Livingproof]

Can also recommend Zeus and Anil boats. 

Thanks for the reply. Have had an email reply from Zeus boat but is way too expensive. Have emailed Anil boat some time ago (a week or so) but had no reply. When we hired Yildiz 1 it was 250tl for the day so looking for a similar cost or up to 300tl max.

[Elee]

During our recent visit we wnquired about prices for private hire and they seem to have gone up to 400 TL due to increased fuel prices.

[Skunk]

I did get a reply for Anil boat but it took a while.  I'm surprised about Zeus because I think it was around 250tl when we hired it a couple of years ago so I thought it would be in your price range - sorry. 

[elcee]

You could take out the self-drive day boat for a few hours, from the Kalkan dive centre. We did that last year and was great fun.

[Lizilu20]

We too were looking at a private boat hire for our holiday in July. Although we are going with OH's parents, they are both extremely seasick so there would be only be me and OH and our 2 girls. We also wanted to pay around 300tl. Our friends are in Kalkan at present and they very kindly went on a mission for us but the prices they we quoted were around 450 on sunset and more on others.  when we've had private hire before , we have shared with friends which have made it excellent value for money. Guess it must be the fuel price increase.

[Livingproof]

Thanks for all your replies. Frankly I'm a bit stunned by the prices I've been quoted. Zeus is now 420tl  and although I've now heard from Anil they didn't quote me a price but said that it was more than my budget. Apparently Yildiz 1 is now called Maya and still doing boat trips so I'll try and track down some contact details. Rest of the family are adamant they don't want to share a boat so it looks like we might have to knock it on the head for this year unless something else turns up. I realise fuel prices have gone up but really 

If anyone has any other suggestions I'm all ears 

Justin

[cptergun]

Dear Travellers,

There are around 30-40 boat operators in Kas and Kalkan area. Some of them take up to 50-60 guests some take up to 12.
 
You also have the opportunity to hire your own boat which will give you more privacy and freedom to do what you please.

Some of the boat operators can speak fluent English which is be very important. Reason being when you are visiting historical sights it’s important to know what you are looking at.

Prices depend on the size and quality of the boat and services that are offered by the boat operator.

Food and Cleaning on a boat is extremely important. During the hot summer days it’s important to know the food you are eating on a boat is up to standards.

Having good quality services makes your trip more enjoyable. For instance having good quality snorkeling gear on a boat gives you the chance to see the beauty of the crystal clear seas of the Mediterranean.

Kayaking, going on a sea scooter, using an underwater camera, snorkeling, water skiing and tubing are all great opportunities to making your holiday much more fun and enjoyable.

In Fethiye, Marmaris and Bodrum you can take a tour which costs roughly 20turkish lira. These tours are cheap due to the fact that there can be up to 150people on the trips, food quality is less due to mass production, water sport gear is less abundant as there are so many people and the staff are less personable. For a good personal tour with high quality food and plenty of time on your own private boat to do what you please try to avoid these tours as a cheap option. You may pay extra in Kas but it is definitely worth it.

Price of the tours can vary during the season. June, July, August and September are high season compared with April, May, October and November being the low season.
 
You can either pay 50 TL or 200 TL depending on the reasons that I have previously mentioned.

Have a nice holiday.

Cpt. Ergun

[kalkan4eva]

The prices have gone up steeply after last year's new "boat tax" and the cost of fuel so your budget for private hire might be unrealistic We also hired Yildiz 1 for 250tl in 2009 and 2010 so it was a real shock last year when we looked at the cost of some of the other small boats when Osman and Adem went for two larger vessels.
We hired Muddy Boat eventually for 5 of us and it cost 500tl - without alcohol. I have to say it was well worth the money, but totally understand if you're working to a budget that you might not wish to stretch to that. It was our youngest daughter's 18th so we wanted private hire and this was the cheapest in the end.
Have you tried Chillout? Mentioned on another thread and the poster was quoting a decent price - try typing "chillout boat" and/or "small boat hire" into the search facility and you may get some contact details and more suggestions.
Good luck with your search

[tonik1945]

It might be worth asking Mehmet if he has any suggestions I have always found him helpful. Good luck

 http://www.kalkan.org/products/daily-tours-kalkan/

[HoneyBunny]

Hi,

Am going with family in June - large group of 12 adults and 2 children. Seemed like Sunset 3 was the only one big enough and was quoted 480TL for us all private hire for day. I thought that was brilliant value at about £15 per adult. Have been on smaller Sunsets before and always had a great day. Obviously the size of our group helped keep the costs down, but since the capacity is 25 ppl, I think it is good value.

Enjoy your day! xox

[cptergun]

Having a boat trip including a Superb Lunch for 200GBP or 300 GBP group up to 12 is nothing compared to any other things such as a baloon ride in Cappodocia or paragliding in Kas or having a dinner in a Restaurant in Kalkan. So please do not try to reduce the costs that much otherwise you won't be able to get the same quality as previous years. Please do not compare these boat trips with the ones in Thames River.

Baloon Ride in Cappodocia 100 GBP Pp
Paragling in Kas 80 GBP Pp
Having a dinner in XXX restaurant in Kalkan or Kas 30 GBP Pp

[Livingproof]

Ah so there's now a boat tax! Sorry I had no idea - but that would explain the huge price increases. I'm sure that it still represents a value for money day out, it's just that we are on a strict budget this time.

Anyway I've now emailed the Chillout and Sunset boat peeps so we'll see what prices they come back with. Despite our youngest daughter getting seasick last time, she really, really wants to go again!

Once again thanks for all your replies and keep the suggestions coming because we're not giving up yet 

Justin