How PayCamp Hire compares
Holray, generic booking tools, spreadsheets, marketplaces — here's a fair look at where each fits, and where PayCamp Hire is different.
The closest comparison
PayCamp Hire vs Holray
Holray is the established UK boat-hire specialist, and a genuinely good fit for traditional holiday fleets. Here's an honest view of both.
Where Holray is strong
- The established UK boat-hire specialist, strong in the Norfolk Broads and Thames holiday-fleet market
- Mature agent and holiday-portal integrations (APIs, agent logins, iCal)
- Years of operators and consistent 5-star reviews
- Proven, dependable choice for traditional week-long holiday-boat fleets
Where PayCamp Hire is different
- Covers the full watercraft spectrum — narrowboats to kayaks, SUPs, jet skis and pedalos — including hourly and day hire Holray doesn't serve
- Reviews that can only be left by someone who paid for a hire, plus built-in deposits, balances and security bonds
- A modern, fast, mobile-first platform — and an optional done-for-you website
- Part of the Towpath family, so trust and payments are built in, not bolted on
Based on publicly available information as of June 2026. Competitors' features change — always check their current site. If your operation is a traditional week-long holiday-boat fleet living on agent bookings, Holray is a strong, proven choice; PayCamp Hire is built for operators who also run day hire and small craft, and who want reviews tied to paid hires, payments and a website in one place.
More than a booking calendar
The things a generic tool, a spreadsheet or a marketplace can't give you.
Reviews tied to a real hire
A review can only be left by someone who actually paid for a hire, through the Towpath review system. Nothing has been published yet - the mechanism is built, the proof has to be earned — the trust generic tools and spreadsheets simply can't offer.
Payments built in
Take deposits, collect balances before arrival and hold security bonds, with refunds handled from the dashboard. No bolt-ons.
An optional website
Pair PayCamp Hire with a custom Partner Site from £295 — a working front door for your hire business, not just a booking calendar.
No per-booking fees
Flat monthly pricing. Your busiest month isn't your most expensive — unlike commission-based tools and marketplaces.
PayCamp Hire vs the alternatives
How a purpose-built hire platform compares to the tools operators commonly start with.
| Feature | PayCamp Hire |
|---|---|
| Purpose-built for boat & watercraft hire | |
| Covers small craft & day hire (kayak, SUP, jet ski, pedalo) | |
| Hourly, daily and weekly hire models | |
| Digital safety waivers & ID checks | |
| Fleet maintenance, BSS & engine-hour tracking | |
| Security bonds & damage deposits | |
| Online booking widget on your own site | |
| Reviews only from people who paid for a hire | |
| You keep the customer relationship | |
| No per-booking commission | |
| Optional done-for-you website | |
| UK-built, GBP pricing, UK support |
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is PayCamp Hire an alternative to Holray?+
Yes. Holray is the established choice for traditional holiday-boat fleets on the Broads and Thames. PayCamp Hire covers the same canal and narrowboat hire and goes further — small craft, day and hourly hire, reviews tied to paid hires, built-in payments and an optional website — on a modern platform.
Do you charge a commission on each booking?+
No. PayCamp Hire is flat monthly pricing from £29/mo, so the cost is the same whether you take 10 bookings or 1,000. That's a real difference from per-booking tools and from marketplaces that take 15–35%.
Can I move across from a spreadsheet or paper diary?+
Yes - that is the usual starting point. You get one live calendar that replaces the spreadsheet, with online bookings, waivers and payments handled automatically. We'll help you get set up.
Does it cover small craft as well as narrowboats?+
It does — kayaks, SUPs, canoes, jet skis, pedalos and rowing boats as well as narrowboats, motorboats and sailing dinghies, each with the right hire model, waivers and pricing.
What makes PayCamp Hire's reviews different?+
Reviews are tied to real, paid hires through the Towpath review system, so a review can only come from someone who actually hired from you — a trust signal generic review sites cannot match.
Is there really an option for a website too?+
Yes. You can run PayCamp Hire on its own, or pair it with a custom Partner Site from £295 — a professional website wired straight into your booking engine.