Three bases of our own between Benalmádena and Manilva. Thirteen boats, with and without a licence, from €80 per hour.
See the whole fleet9+
years sailing
13
boats of our own
3
harbours to sail from
300+
days of sun a year
Solboat's fleet is its own and it's berthed in three harbours in the province of Málaga: Puerto Marina (Benalmádena), Puerto de la Duquesa (Manilva) and Estepona Marina. Thirteen boats in all, with and without a licence, from €80 per hour and with insurance included. Open every day from 9:00 to 21:00.
The Costa del Sol is some 160 kilometres of shoreline, so the first decision is where you sail from. Benalmádena is the most built-up stretch and the easiest to reach: twenty minutes from Málaga airport and a C-1 Cercanías station in Arroyo de la Miel. West of Estepona and Manilva the coast empties out into the least developed stretches in the province.
The boats are much the same at all three bases: licence-free craft for a day of coves, more powerful boats for PER holders and skippered trips for groups. What really changes is the water in front of you. Each base is set out below with what it actually offers, so you can choose on merit rather than on which harbour is closest to the hotel.
We don't broker other people's boats and we don't depart from harbours we hold no berths in. These three are ours, east to west.
The big base and the easiest to reach: twenty minutes from Málaga airport, a Cercanías station in Arroyo de la Miel and parking at the marina itself. Four licence-free boats (Octo 47 CC, Andrómeda, Nova and Kronos), the 115 HP Rocinante for PER holders and the Tyrion catamaran with a skipper, up to 10 people.
See boats in Benalmádena
The western end of the province, almost on the Cádiz border. Three licence-free boats (Octopus 470, Saver 495 and Astromar 470) from €180 for 2 hours, the Aqua 620 for licence holders and the Sea Ray 33 with a skipper for longer trips. It's the base with the emptiest coastline: the beaches of Sabinillas and Casares, Sotogrande marina a short run away and the Rock of Gibraltar on the horizon on clear days.
See boats in Manilva
Berths 212 and 213, right in the centre of Estepona. Two boats: the Ranieri 500, licence-free, seating 6 and from €190 for 2 hours, and the 115 HP BMA X199, which you can take out with a PER or book with a skipper. Just past the breakwater lies Playa del Cristo, the sheltered bay where almost everyone on a two-hour rental drops anchor, and behind the town the reddish flank of Sierra Bermeja.
See boats in EsteponaThirteen boats between the three bases. These are a few of them; the full catalogue filters by harbour and by date.
In Spain you can operate boats up to 6 metres long with an engine of up to 15 HP without any nautical licence, in daylight and within 2 miles of the coast. Most of our fleet falls into that bracket: four boats in Benalmádena (Octo 47 CC, Andrómeda, Nova and Kronos), three in Manilva (Octopus 470, Saver 495 and Astromar 470) and the Ranieri 500 in Estepona. From €80 per hour or €150 for 2 hours in Benalmádena, and from €180-190 for 2 hours in Manilva and Estepona, with insurance and safety equipment included and a deposit of €200 to €300. Fuel is paid separately, based on what you use. No previous experience needed: we go through the controls and the sailing area at the berth before you cast off.
Once the engine passes 15 HP a licence is required, and that's where the Rocinante in Benalmádena (115 HP, 7 seats, from €120 per hour), the Aqua 620 in Manilva (from €250 for 2 hours) and the BMA X199 in Estepona (115 HP, from €250 for 2 hours) come in. We ask for the PER or equivalent when you collect the boat. And if you don't hold one, or simply prefer to ride along, there are three options with a professional skipper on board: the Tyrion catamaran in Benalmádena (7.87 m, up to 10 people, from €330 for 2 hours), the Sea Ray 33 in Manilva (from €550 for 2 hours) and the BMA X199 itself with a skipper in Estepona (from €300 for 2 hours). On skippered trips the fuel is included.
What this coast gives you, whichever harbour you sail from.
Resident bottlenose dolphins range along the whole stretch, and around Estepona and Manilva — closer to the Strait — common and striped dolphins turn up too. Early mornings are best. No guarantees, they're wild animals, but the odds are good most of the year.
This coast faces south, so the sun sets over the water to the west for practically the whole year, with the Mijas hills or Sierra Bermeja cut against it depending on where you are. Late-afternoon slots are the ones people book again.
Birthdays, hen and stag dos and get-togethers on the skippered boats: the Tyrion catamaran in Benalmádena, up to 10 people, and the Sea Ray 33 in Manilva. Both carry a sound system and a professional skipper. You bring the food and drink, or we'll tell you where to order it.
Around Benalmádena the coves lie to the west, at Torremuelle and Carvajal: small, pebbly and awkward to reach on foot. From Estepona down to Manilva they open out and there's more to choose from, from the Cristo inlet to the beaches of Casares and El Padrón. Anchor, jump in, and outside high season the place is yours.
If a ready-made trip suits you better than renting by the hour, each base has its own catalogue. This is a taste of what leaves from every marina: each listing shows the price, the number of places and real availability.
Nine years working the western Málaga coast, with our own fleet in three harbours.
If your date is taken at one harbour, we check the other two. Benalmádena, Manilva and Estepona are all in the same province, with under an hour's drive between the far ends.
All thirteen boats are ours and sit in our own berths. That means we know the condition of every one of them, and the person handing you the keys is the person who runs that boat all year — not a middleman.
Insurance and safety equipment included on every rental. Fuel is paid separately based on actual consumption, except on skippered trips, which include it. The deposit is stated before you book, not when you arrive at the harbour.
What people ask us before booking, whichever of the three bases they choose.
Benalmádena, Manilva or Estepona: check availability across all thirteen boats and book online in two minutes.
See the whole fleet
