8 of 9 places fit
You can rent by the quarter hour from La Mer beach, so a first-timer can try 15 minutes without paying for half an hour.
It is one of the longer-running outfits in the Umm Suqeim harbour, with a straight run out to the Burj Al Arab.
Its routes are priced by destination, so you can pick a 30-minute Burj Khalifa view run or go as far as Atlantis.
A row of small rental outfits here send you straight out along the Jumeirah coast with the Burj Al Arab in view, usually cheaper than marina operators.
It launches straight off the JBR beach, so you ride past the Ain Dubai wheel without driving to a harbour.
It opens at 6am, so you can be on the water and back before the heat and the wind pick up.
Launching from Mina Zayed puts you minutes from the Corniche skyline and Lulu Island without a long run out.
It also runs houseboats, banana boats and fishing trips from the same base, so a mixed group can split up.