Southern California hires boats the way Florida does, in two and four hour blocks with a captain available or included, but on a much smaller fleet and with a different kind of boat. Long Beach, Marina del Rey and Redondo are three harbours within thirty miles of each other, and between them they carry a few hundred listings against Florida's thousands.
What Long Beach publishes
Sailo's Long Beach page listed 134 boat rentals when it was read on 11 September 2026. A 32ft Ericson of 1989 carrying 6 guests, marked Captain Included, read 385 USD per 2 hours. A 75ft custom staysail schooner of 1980 carrying 12 read 495 USD per 2 hours. The fleet skews older and more sail-heavy than Florida's, which is a real difference in what you can hire here.
Why the fleet looks different
Southern California has a long-established sailing culture and a lot of boats built in the seventies and eighties still in charter service, where Florida's hire fleet is dominated by newer motor cruisers. That means a sailing charter is genuinely available here in a way it is not in Miami, and it means the boat you get may be older than its Florida equivalent at a similar rate.
Long Beach, Marina del Rey and Redondo
Long Beach has the largest harbour and the sheltered water inside the breakwater, which suits a first time hirer. Marina del Rey is the biggest man-made small craft harbour in the country and the closest to central Los Angeles, so it carries the highest demand and the busiest weekends. Redondo is smaller and more local. Catalina Island, twenty-two miles offshore, is the destination that justifies a longer hire from any of them.
What the block covers
The boat, and the captain where the listing says included rather than available. Fuel, gratuity and any mooring at Catalina are extra. A crossing to Catalina is not a two hour proposition: it is a half day each way in most of this fleet, so price it as a full day charter or an overnight rather than as blocks.
Questions people ask about Long Beach yacht rentals
How much is a yacht rental in Long Beach?
Sailo listed 134 Long Beach boats on 11 September 2026, with a 32ft Ericson at 385 USD per 2 hours captain included and a 75ft schooner at 495 USD per 2 hours.
Long Beach or Marina del Rey?
Long Beach for sheltered water inside the breakwater and an easier first hire; Marina del Rey for proximity to Los Angeles and the largest choice, with the busiest weekends.
Can you take a rental to Catalina?
Not on a two hour block. Catalina is twenty-two miles offshore and a half day each way in most of this fleet, so it needs a full day charter or an overnight.