Shusciu 40 HP Boat Rental on Lake Como: Self-Drive From Cernobbio, $109.59

Shusciu Nautical Division di Ignazio Cardillo

Lake Como: 40 HP Self-Drive Boat Without a License

★ 4.7 (267) · from $109

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Prices and timetables checked 2026-10-17. This page contains an affiliate link, explained in the booking section.

The Shusciu 40 HP boat rental is a do-it-yourself way onto Lake Como. You collect a small motorboat from a wooden dock at Cernobbio, get a short briefing, and drive it for one to four hours.

The listing starts at $109.59, but that is only the boat. Fuel is a separate EUR 25 per hour paid on the dock, which brings the cheapest slot to roughly $138 all in.

The detail that changes the decision is that nobody on board will tell you what you are looking at. Shusciu Nautical Division hands over keys and rules, not a guide.

If you want stories about the villas, my Lake Como boat tours hub compares the captained options, and the Harbor Advisor home page links the other cities I cover. If you want to steer, keep reading.

What is the Shusciu 40 HP boat rental and what do you get?

You get a motorboat of your own for a fixed number of hours, with the harbour fees and a rules briefing included, and nothing else done for you. The listing says the hire covers the boat, an awning for shade, a swimming ladder and safety equipment, with lifejackets for five adults and one child.

• Boat: a 40 HP outboard motorboat, sized for a small family or group.
• Briefing: staff explain how to drive it, the port rules and the lake rules before you leave.
• Comfort: an awning for shade and a ladder for swimming from the stern.
• Safety: lifejackets and safety kit on board; the child jacket is a single one, so a party with two small children needs a call to the operator.
• Not included: fuel at EUR 25 per hour, food, drinks, a skipper or any commentary.

The listing calls the trip a no-licence rental. I would not repeat that as a blanket promise, so the next section sets out what the Italian rule actually says and what the listing leaves open.

Where does the Shusciu rental start?

It starts from a wooden floating dock in front of Harry's Bar & Restaurant, next to the Darsena di Cernobbio, about 2 to 3 km from Como's lakefront in a straight line. Cernobbio dock on Google Maps lets you drop a pin.

One reviewer wrote that the dock is easy to reach from the railway and bus stations, and another that restaurants line the waterfront for before or after. The listing asks you to call or message the staff when you arrive, so save the number from your voucher before you leave the hotel.

Do you need a licence to drive the Shusciu boat?

The listing says you do not need one, and the operator's briefing is part of the price.

The law behind that is Article 39 of Italy's Codice della nautica da diporto. It sets a power mark of 30 kW (40.8 CV) and displacement limits by engine type. A 40 HP label sits just under the power mark, but displacement depends on the engine, so the label alone does not settle it.

Article 39 also sets minimum ages for unlicensed driving: 18 for an imbarcazione and 16 for a natante (small craft). The listing does not say which this is, so ask Shusciu before booking with a teenage driver. I read the text onNormattiva, Italy's official legislation portal on 2026-10-17.

1. Ask which crew member must be 18 or older and whether you must show a photo ID at the dock.
2. Ask how many people the boat carries; the listing counts lifejackets for six but states no capacity.
3. Ask what happens if the briefing shows a driver is not confident; the listing does not state a refund rule for that case.

How much does the Shusciu 40 HP boat rental really cost?

The honest all-in price for the shortest slot is about $138, because fuel is billed separately by the hour on the dock. The listing says EUR 25 per hour is payable on delivery of the boat, so cash in euros is the safe plan.

Longer slots cost more on both lines, and the boat price per duration appears only on the booking page. Fuel scales cleanly: EUR 50 for two hours, EUR 100 for four. Value for money is the lowest sub-score at 4.3, and GetYourGuide's review summary says clearer fuel information would help.

Where can you go on a Shusciu boat?

You can reach the lake's western arm and the first stretch of the central lake in a few hours, and the listing lists a menu of stops rather than a fixed route. The listing says Bellagio and Varenna come into range only on the four-hour rental.

Those distances are measured between the listing's own coordinates and the dock, so the real shoreline path is longer. The listing states no cruising speed, and I will not guess one. What reviewers report is a pattern: a 2-hour slot passes too fast, and one wrote that the two-hour option is the better choice for the time it gives.

The villas the listing names are worth plotting before you set out: Villa d'Este, Villa Pizzo, Villa Cagni Troubetzkoy, Villa Cassina, Villa La Cassinella, Villa Monclair, the waterfalls of Como, Nesso and Brienno, and Villa Oleandra, which the listing calls George Clooney's house. You steer and you read the shoreline yourself, so a map saved offline helps.

Is the Shusciu 40 HP boat rental worth it vs a shared trip?

It is worth it if you want control and a swim, and not worth it if you want information. A shared or captained trip puts a local on the wheel and talking; this rental swaps that for freedom and a lower entry price.

Fuel runs at the same EUR 25 an hour as on the SuBacco boat, whose EUR 50 fuel covers its fixed two hours, and the Shusciu minimum slot is shorter.

The cheapest alternative is public. The state operator Navigazione Laghi carried 12.2 million passengers across its three lakes in 2025, and its adult circular ticket from Como to Nesso is EUR 16.70, so a scheduled boat is the budget way to see the same shoreline from a seat.

12,206,878 passengers travelled on Navigazione Laghi's Maggiore, Garda and Como services in 2025, its best year on record.

You can read the fare on the Navigazione Laghi rates page and the timetables on its Lake Como timetable page. A ferry gives you no swim stop and no steering, which is exactly what you pay the rental for.

When is the best time for the Shusciu rental?

The best window is June to September for warmth and a swim, with an early or late slot to avoid the busiest dock hours. October to April is cool on an open boat, and the sunset column shows how little daylight is left in winter.

Weather moves slots in your favour as often as against. Two reviewers were phoned before their start to be offered an earlier slot because the forecast turned, and a third had a rainy day rebooked without trouble. A reviewer who drove at full speed warned that the wind chills quickly and recommended dressing warmer than the air temperature suggests.

What do renters say about the Shusciu boat?

The pattern across the 20 reviews I could read is positive on ease and negative on logistics. All 20 were five stars, so this is a positive-only sample, and the 4.7 average over 267 reviews is the better guide.

GetYourGuide's own review summary agrees on the first point and adds that clearer fuel information would help. Nothing in the reviews I read contradicts the listing's facts.

Who should skip the Shusciu boat?

Skip it if nobody in your party is willing to steer, if you need a guide, or if you plan to travel with a toddler. The boat has one child lifejacket, and the listing gives no age rule.

• First-timers who panic at wakes: larger boats make the water choppy, and you have no skipper to take over.
• Groups wanting wine: the listing allows your own food and drink but gives no rule on alcohol for the driver, so keep the driver sober.
• Anyone wanting history: the Shusciu private classic boat tour from the same operator adds a captain, and the hub lists the shared options.
• Travellers who need certainty on price: the fuel is cash, per hour, and set on the dock.

If rental is what you want but this dock is not convenient, the Lake Como boat rental guide compares every rental I cover.

How do you book the Shusciu boat?

Before you pay, check these four things on the booking page: the duration and price you pick, the start time, the group size the boat takes, and the fuel line. Reserve now, pay later keeps the booking flexible, and cancellation is free until 24 hours before the start.

Frequently asked questions about the Shusciu boat

Sources: GetYourGuide listing 649344 (rating, inclusions, price, reviews, checked 2026-10-17); Codice della nautica da diporto, art. 39, Normattiva; Navigazione Laghi rates; Navigazione Laghi timetables; Navigazione Laghi, Bilancio Consuntivo 2025; Frankfurter (ECB reference rates); Nager.Date; Open-Meteo archive; sunrise-sunset.org; OSRM foot routing; Google Maps.