Instead, a charter certificate is issued by the person/organisation hiring out the boat. 13 metres is the maximum length permitted for charter boats.
The maximum number of people allowed on board is 10; the speed limit is 12km per hour. Navigation is not permitted at night or in poor visibility.
A charter certificate entitles the holder to navigate the following waterways, in part at least: the Müritz-Elde waterway, Lake Plauer See, the Stör waterway, the Müritz-Havel waterway including the lakes around Rheinsberg, the Upper Havel waterway and sections of the River Saar.
As from September 2003, the same applies to Lake Müritz and Lake Schwerin. No boat pilot's licence is required on the Peene river (the "Amazon of the north") as far as Demmin. Good news for boat charterers from northern Germany: in future, a leisure craft licence (lakes) will be sufficient for the rest of the river Peene as far as its estuary near Anklam.
