Guest waiver
Boat guest waiver template and safety briefing.
One page your guests sign before boarding — acknowledgement of risk, safety briefing checklist and emergency contact.
For owners taking friends out, shared boats with guest privileges, and clubs with a guest policy.
Guests change your risk profile. A short waiver does two useful things: it records that the person was told where the life jackets are and how to call for help, and it gives you their emergency contact and medical notes before you leave the dock. Print the free template below, or collect guest acknowledgements digitally in EZ BoatShare when the captain adds guests to a trip.
Free printable PDF
Free boat guest waiver & safety briefing (PDF)
A guest acknowledgement form with an eight-point safety briefing checklist, emergency contact and medical block, signature lines, and a minor guardian consent section.
- Trip, vessel and captain details with guest contact information
- Eight-point safety briefing the captain walks through and the guest initials
- Acknowledgement of risk and rules-of-the-boat statements
- Guest signature plus parent or guardian consent for minors
No email required. Print it, fill it in by hand, or keep the whole thing automatic inside EZ BoatShare.
Automate This via EZ Boat ShareWhat you get
Signed before boarding
The captain adds guests to the trip and each one acknowledges from their phone before they arrive.
A briefing that actually happens
The checklist forces the two-minute safety talk — life jackets, radio, fire extinguisher, man overboard.
Emergency info on hand
Contacts, allergies and medical notes for everyone aboard, available when it matters.
Built for the way you run it
Friends and family day trips
A one-page form makes the safety briefing routine instead of awkward.
Clubs with guest privileges
Require an acknowledgement for every guest and keep a record of who was aboard on which trip.
Minors aboard
A guardian consent block covers the child's parent signing off on the trip and the rules.
Charter and delivery crew
Capture credentials and acknowledgements from non-owners joining a passage.
Common questions
Does a boat guest waiver actually hold up?
Enforceability varies by state, and maritime law limits how far a vessel owner can disclaim liability — in some circumstances such waivers are unenforceable. Treat it as a documented safety briefing and risk acknowledgement, have a lawyer in your state review your version, and rely on adequate liability insurance as your real protection.
What belongs in the safety briefing?
Life jacket locations and sizing, fire extinguisher and first aid kit, VHF radio use and channel 16, how to shut the engine down, man overboard procedure, boarding and swimming rules, and what to do if the captain is incapacitated.
Do I need one for children?
Use the guardian consent section and have a parent or legal guardian sign. A minor's own signature generally carries no weight.
Can guests sign digitally?
Yes. Add guests to the trip and each receives a link to acknowledge the briefing before boarding; the record stays with the reservation.
Brief them, then cast off.
Print the free waiver for the clipboard, or collect guest acknowledgements automatically with every trip.