Boat Sharing describes the ownership of boats, mainly sailing boats

Sailing

Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...

, by a non-profit organisation for its members, for pleasure use.

A boat sharing organisation may be an association

Voluntary association

A voluntary association or union is a group of individuals who enter into an agreement as volunteers to form a body to accomplish a purpose.Strictly speaking, in many jurisdictions no formalities are necessary to start an association...

, club

Club

A club is an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities; there are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious clubs, and so forth.- History...

, cooperative

Cooperative

A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...

 or company. The boats may be owned by the organisation, or lease

Lease

A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the lessee to pay the lessor for use of an asset. A rental agreement is a lease in which the asset is tangible property...

d to it, with members hiring or booking the boats for use for a variety of cruise durations.

The costs of setting up, financing and administering a boat sharing scheme may be offset by the eventual higher utilisation of the boats and moorings, producing cheaper rates of sailing for its members compared to private boat ownership.

Members joining a boat sharing scheme may also save themselves the need to wait for a mooring, which in many marinas can be significant due to the demand exceeding supply.