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Hiring a boat in the Venice lagoon: which licence, and what about wash?
Short answer
To hire a boat in the Venice lagoon you need either no licence or a recognised one,
depending on engine power; the hire agreement says which.
Speed and wash are strictly controlled, and you stay inside the marked channels.
The Venice lagoon is a shallow stretch of water between the mainland and the Lido, crossed by channels marked with rows of wooden piles. Outside them lie sandbanks and salt marsh that dry at low water. Hire boats here are mostly small motor cruisers and houseboats, often based in harbours on the edge of the lagoon. In Italy small boats with low engine power can in many cases be driven without a licence; for more powerful boats the hire company will want a recognised qualification such as the ICC or an equivalent. Which applies to your boat is set out in the hire agreement.
What matters most in the lagoon is wash. Every bow wave hits banks, walls and foundations that have stood in the water for centuries, so the lagoon and the city have low speed limits that are checked and fined. Many canals in the historic centre are closed to hire boats or open only with restrictions, and you may only moor at designated places. Leave the marked channels and you will soon be aground, because the depth changes with the tide.
At handover, ask to be shown exactly which channels you may use, where you can moor and which speed limits apply. Go slowly even if others do not, and stay between the rows of piles. Check the deposit and the excess beforehand, and who pays for a diver or a tow after a grounding. You are personally liable for damage you cause to banks, jetties or other boats with the hire boat, so make sure your own skipper liability insurance applies in Italy.
Worth remembering
Licence
none or a recognised one, depending on engine power
Wash
low speed limits, checks and fines
In the Venice lagoon it is not how fast the boat can go that counts, but how little wash it makes.
Questions
What owners ask us about this
Do I need a licence to hire a boat in the Venice lagoon?
It depends on engine power. Small boats can in many cases be driven without a licence in Italy; for more powerful ones the hire company asks for a recognised qualification. The hire agreement tells you which applies.
Can I take a hire boat into the canals of the historic centre?
Often only with restrictions. Many canals are closed to hire boats and mooring is only allowed at designated places. The hire company explains the rules at handover.
Why is wash such an issue in Venice?
Because every bow wave hits banks, walls and foundations that have stood in the water for centuries. That is why low speed limits apply and are checked and fined.
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