By Rowan Ellis · Updated · Affiliate links, explained in my disclosure
Boat rental in Ibiza is the cheapest way to have a boat to yourselves, and I found three, from $202 to $309. They are small self-drive boats for a few people, not yachts. Prices are in US dollars, checked in October 2026, and the booking links are affiliate links, as I explain on my about page. If you would rather have a crew or a shared tour, my guide to boat tours in Ibiza compares all 18 trips.
My pick for a first boat rental in Ibiza is the Ripolbras boat from Portinatx: $202 for 4 to 8 hours, rated 5.0 from 34 reviews, with fuel, snorkeling gear and a cooler in the price. For the west coast and a bigger crew, I’d choose the Daydream boat from San Antonio at $309 for up to 5 people, rated 5.0 from 29 reviews.
Boat rental in Ibiza San Antonio gives you the west coast, which is where the best-known coves are. The Daydream Boats listing names Cala Conta, Cala Bassa, Cala Salada and Cala Gracio, and the Sant Antoni no-licence listing adds Punta Galera and the pirate caves. The bay of San Antonio is 13.8 kilometres in a straight line from Ibiza Harbour by my measurement from the place coordinates, so it is a drive of some length if you stay in Ibiza Town.
Daydream is the one I’d start with: $309 for 4.5 to 8.5 hours, a capacity of up to 5, and an operator briefing on how to run the boat and anchor. It includes a Bimini canopy, sun lounges with mats, a Bluetooth music system, a Garmin GPS depth sounder, safety gear, an anchor and a swim ladder. Food and drinks, hotel pickup and drop-off are not included.
Daydream Boats Ibiza
My pick: My west-coast pick: $309 for up to 5 people, 4.5 to 8.5 hours, briefing included, 5.0 from 29 reviews.
The other Ibiza boat rental from the same bay is the one that says it needs no licence. It departs from Carrer de Cantabria 2 in Sant Antoni de Portmany, next to Spins Hotel, and costs $281 for 4 to 8 hours. It is rated 4.4 from 38 reviews, which is lower than the Daydream boat but still a solid sample. The boat takes a maximum of 4 people and has a 15 hp engine started electronically and steered with a wheel.
The price includes fuel, an ice box, a canopy, a solarium with mats, safety equipment, an anchor and a bathing ladder. Compared with Daydream, you pay $28 less and give up one seat and a GPS depth sounder, as far as the listing says. I’d choose this one for four friends who just want the cheapest way into the western coves.
Boat rental without license
My pick: The cheaper west-coast boat: $281, max 4 people, fuel included, 4.4 from 38 reviews.
A boat rental in Ibiza with no licence is what most visitors are searching for, so here is the rule in plain words. A Spanish royal decree, Real Decreto 1188/2025, rewrote article 10 of Real Decreto 875/2014 from 1 October 2026. The exemption for motorboats up to 5 metres and 15 hp now covers private use only, and a person renting a boat must hold the matching title.
That is why I do not state “no licence needed” as a fact for any of these boats. The Ripolbras listing says its 15 hp boat needs no licence, and it is the cheapest in my list at $202 for 4 to 8 hours. It meets at the Portinatx pier by the Los Enamorados restaurant, and the price covers gas for the whole day, cleaning, snorkeling gear, an awning, cushions, a cooler with two ice packs and WhatsApp support. Ask the operator which licence or skipper option applies to you before you pay.
Ripolbras
My pick: The cheapest rental: $202, 4 to 8 hours, fuel and snorkeling gear included, 5.0 from 34 reviews. Check the licence rule.
A separate listing shows how fast the rule is moving. The Summer Dreams boat along the San Antonio coast is called “License Required” in its title and costs $269 for 4 hours, rated 5.0 from 14 reviews. Its description says that from 1 October 2026 a boating licence or an equivalent qualification recognised in Spain is mandatory, while its inclusions still list a private boat without a licence. I read that as the operator warning you about the change.
The practical advice is the same for every listing: the title says one thing, the description may say another, and the law in force on your date decides. Take your licence, or a document proving it, even if the listing says you do not need one. Summer Dreams also sends the exact location by WhatsApp after booking, so keep your phone on.
A boat rental in Ibiza that crosses to Formentera does not exist in my data. The three rentals are small boats with 15 hp engines, and the routes they list are coves on the west and north coasts of Ibiza. Puerto Formentera is 19.7 kilometres in a straight line from Ibiza Harbour by my measurement, which is a long way for a small open boat.
If Formentera is the goal, choose a boat with a captain. The Bora Sailing sailboat takes up to 7 guests for $741 and 8 hours, and the shared catamarans start at $112. I cover them on my private boat tour page and my catamaran tour page.
None of the three rentals mentions DJ decks. What the listings do offer is sound: Daydream includes a Bluetooth music system. If you want a boat with a DJ, the right product is a party boat, such as Aftersun or the Ibiza VIP Cruises catamaran, and I compare them on my party boat page.
Review counts matter here more than on the shared tours. The three Ibiza boat rentals have 34, 38 and 29 reviews, so each rating moves with a handful of guests. The Daydream and Ripolbras boats both stand at 5.0, and the Sant Antoni no-licence boat is at 4.4. Reviewers of the Daydream boat mention children, clean boats and clear instructions on running the boat and anchoring, which is the part first-time skippers worry about.
I would not read the gap between 5.0 and 4.4 as proof of a worse boat, because 38 reviews is a small sample. Use it as a nudge: if the prices are within $30 of each other, pay the extra for the briefing and the GPS depth sounder. If your group is four people or fewer and the budget is tight, the cheaper boat still reaches the same western coves.
| Operator | Price | Duration | Boat type | Rating | Cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ripolbras (Portinatx) | $202 | 4 to 8 hours | 15 hp outboard, listing says no licence | 5.0 (34 reviews) | Free up to 24 hours |
| Boat rental without license (Sant Antoni) | $281 | 4 to 8 hours | 15 hp engine, max 4 people | 4.4 (38 reviews) | Full refund up to 24 hours |
| Daydream Boats (San Antonio) | $309 | 4.5 to 8.5 hours | Up to 5 people | 5.0 (29 reviews) | Free up to 24 hours |
Before you pay for any Ibiza boat rental, check four things. First, the licence answer from the operator, in writing. Second, the pick-up point, which is Portinatx, Sant Antoni or a WhatsApp location depending on the boat. Third, what is not included: all three leave out food and drink, so buy water and lunch beforehand. Fourth, the hours you actually get, because the listings give a range of 4 to 8 hours rather than a fixed length.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before applies to all three, so I’d look at the weather forecast the day before and move the date if the wind looks strong. None of the listings states a wind limit, and I will not guess one. Rentals in the west of the island are close to the sunset coast, and my sunset cruise page lists sunset times by month if you want to be back before dark.
For boat rental in Ibiza, I’d book the $202 Ripolbras boat if the licence answer is clear, because 34 reviews rate it 5.0 and fuel is included. I’d pick Daydream for five people and for the written briefing. For snorkeling stops with a guide, look at the snorkeling tour page or the yacht charter page. To compare every Ibiza boat trip I checked, go back to my guide to every Ibiza boat trip I compared, or the home page.
The three self-drive boats I compared cost $202, $281 and $309 for a day that runs 4 to 8 hours (the Daydream boat runs up to 8.5). Fuel is included in the Ripolbras and the no-licence listing, and the price is for the boat, not per person. Food and drink are not included in any of the three.
The listings say no, but the law changed. Real Decreto 1188/2025 rewrote the exemption for small boats from 1 October 2026 so that it covers private use only, and a renter must hold the matching title. Ask the operator which licence or skipper option applies to you, and ask for the answer in writing before you pay.
Daydream Boats says up to 5 people and the no-licence listing from Sant Antoni says a maximum of 4. The Ripolbras listing does not state a capacity, so I'd ask before booking for a group. Both stated limits are for the whole boat, which is why the price works out best for groups of four or five.
The Ripolbras boat is picked up at the Portinatx pier by the Los Enamorados restaurant, in the north. The no-licence boat is at Carrer de Cantabria 2 in Sant Antoni de Portmany, next to Spins Hotel. Daydream Boats is a San Antonio listing and sends its exact meeting details after booking.
None of the three listings offers Formentera. They are small boats with 15 hp engines, and the routes they name are coves on the west and north coasts of Ibiza. For a Formentera crossing in my list, look at a boat with a captain, such as the Bora Sailing sailboat or the shared catamarans, not a self-drive rental.
My full review of each one, in the order I rank them: