🚤 He Makes $30K/Month Renting Boats

A few days ago, I was scrolling through unique business models when I stumbled across something that caught my attention, people doing Airbnb arbitrage… but with boats.

That’s when I came across Angel Rodriguez, a former car salesman who built a $30K/month yacht rental business in under a year by financing boats and partnering with owners.

He didn’t start with deep pockets. In fact, he maxed out his last bit of credit to finance his first yacht, just hoping the idea would work.

Fast-forward to today? He owns six yachts outright, partners on two more, and has done over $3 million in rentals, primarily through Boatsetter, a platform that works like Airbnb for boats.

👉 In this email:
💰 How much he makes
🛥 How he gets boats
📢 How he gets bookings
⚡ His biggest challenges
📈 How he scaled it up
🚀 How to apply this model to other industries

Let’s dive in.

💰 How the Money Works
Angel hasn’t shared exact profit numbers publicly, but here’s a rough breakdown based on how the model works:

He financed his first yacht for around $5,000/month.
He lists it for about $1,800/day on Boatsetter.
Booked 15–20 days/month = $27,000–$36,000 in revenue

Estimated monthly costs:

• Financing: $5,000

• Crew, fuel, insurance, dock fees, cleaning, maintenance: $8,000–$9,000
  👉 Total expenses: ~$13,000–$14,000
  👉 Estimated profit: ~$14,000–$22,000/month per boat

Again, I’m just ballparking here — but this gives you a good idea of how the numbers can work. And now that his boats are fully paid off, the margins are likely even higher.

Now he runs 8 boats:
→ Owns 6 (all paid off)
→ Partners on 2 more
→ Fleet is worth $4M+

🚀 How He Started

• Used to sell cars — learned sales & marketing

• Started a Jet Ski rental business — shut down by new laws

• Saw potential in yacht rentals, took a risk — maxed out credit to buy first yacht

• Found Boatsetter — built his whole business around it

• Hit $20K/month by month 3

🛥 How He Gets Boats

• Financed the first few

• Reinvested profits to pay them off

• Partners with owners who don’t want to deal with bookings

• Offers to handle everything: bookings, upkeep, and payouts

📢 How He Gets Customers

• Boatsetter = 70% of bookings

• Instagram & Facebook ads targeting Miami tourists

• Google Business Profile for keywords like “Miami yacht rental”

• Referrals and repeat customers who want the VIP experience

⚙️ Systems That Let Him Scale

• Booking assistant to handle messages

• Licensed captains on standby

• Dynamic pricing adjusts rates by season

• Cleaning & maintenance crew keeps everything spotless

🚧 Biggest Challenges

1. Boat Owner Trust – Had to prove he could deliver

2. Luxury Expectations – Customers want 5-star experiences

3. Slow Seasons – Targets corporate events and retreats to fill gaps

4. Skeptics – Everyone told him Boatsetter wasn’t a “real” business. He proved them wrong.

📊 His Biggest Lesson
He didn’t just list boats, he built a business.
He started with a big risk, created systems, reinvested everything, and scaled smart.

🌎 This Model Works in Other Industries Too
This “rental arbitrage” model isn’t just for boats. You can apply the exact same strategy to other industries:

🚐 RVs – Use platforms like Outdoorsy or RVshare. Rent an RV, list it out at a markup.
🏍 ATVs & Dirt Bikes – In tourist towns, people are paying $200+ per day to rent off-road vehicles.
🚗 Exotic Cars – Sites like Turo or private listings. Finance the car, then rent it out for $300–$700/day.
🏕 Glamping Tents or Cabins – Lease the land or partner with a landowner. Build out a listing and manage the rentals.
🛶 Jet Skis & Paddle Boards – Especially profitable near lakes and beach towns. Often cash-only and under the radar.

The key is simple:
→ Find underused assets
→ Negotiate a fixed cost or finance it
→ List on a rental marketplace
→ Create a system around it

You don’t need to be rich. You need to be resourceful.

Hope you found this one inspiring. Have a great weekend!

– Tim

📖 Sources & Further Reading

If you want to dive deeper into how Angel built his yacht rental business, check out these resources:

• Entrepreneur.com – The Full Interview on His $3M Boat Business

• Boatsetter – The Platform He Built His Business On