i.

Who can rent, who can drive

• 01

  The renter has to be 21 or older. Bring a valid driver's license. We take a credit card authorization before the boat goes out.

• 02

  Anyone who will operate the boat and was born on or after January 1, 1989 needs a valid Wisconsin Boating Safety Certificate. That one is state law, not our rule. The certificate comes from the Wisconsin DNR. Have it with you.

• 03

  Right after you book, we email you the rental agreement and the waiver to sign electronically. Please sign before your rental day. One short form is still done on paper: our insurer's safety checklist, which you sign at the dock when we walk you through the boat.

• 04

  Every pontoon rental starts with driver orientation and a walk through the Wisconsin boating rules. Everyone riding that day signs our insurer's safety checklist at the end of it, so try to have your whole group at the dock together. You keep the Wisconsin Boater Regulations Handbook that comes with the boat.

ii.

Your hours on the water

• 05

  A full day on the pontoon is 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. A half day is $160 for four hours, either 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. or 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

• 06

  The Ranger goes out in two blocks and nothing else. Morning is 5:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Afternoon is 1:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Each block is $150. Fishing poles and bait are not included, so pack your own before you drive up.

• 07

  Extra hours get approved before you leave the dock, never after. On a single-day pontoon rental they are $30 an hour if the boat is open. On the Ranger they are $25 an hour.

• 08

  Multi-day pontoon rentals do not get partial days or add-on hours. You have the boat for the days you booked.

• 09

  If we deliver to you, we collect the boat at the end of your rental window. That is 5:00 p.m. for a pontoon full day, 1:00 p.m. after a pontoon morning half day, 6:00 p.m. after a pontoon afternoon half day, 12:30 p.m. after a Ranger morning, and 8:30 p.m. after a Ranger afternoon. On a multi-day pontoon rental it is 5:00 p.m. on your last day.

iii.

Off the water before dark

• 10

  No night operation. Our boats may not be run from dusk to dawn. That comes from our marine insurer, Markel, and there is no version of the day where we bend it.

• 11

  The Ranger's afternoon block runs to 8:30 p.m. Daylight gets shorter as the season goes on, so plan the run back and be tied up before dusk rather than at it.

• 12

  If the weather turns, come in. Lightning is the obvious one. Fog you cannot see the next shoreline through counts too.

• 13

  Coming back early is always fine. Send a text so we know you are off the water.

iv.

On board

• 14

  A life jacket for every person aboard. They go out with the boat, along with the rest of the safety equipment. Kids wear theirs any time the boat is moving.

• 15

  Nobody operates under the influence. Wisconsin law treats the water the same way it treats the road. We are happy to be the bad guy on this one.

• 16

  The pontoon seats 15 and carries 2,630 pounds. That is people and gear together. Do not go over it.

• 17

  No smoking and no open flames on either boat.

• 18

  No reckless operation, and no beaching on rocky shorelines. Rocks do real damage to a hull.

• 19

  Towing a tube, a skier, or an inflatable is not allowed unless we approve it ahead of time.

• 20

  Stay on the water we approved for your rental. If you want to try a different lake, ask first and we will usually say yes.

v.

Money, fuel, and time

Every price on this page is before tax. Wisconsin sales tax of 5.5% is added at checkout.

• 21

  Rentals are paid in full when you book.

• 22

  Cancel more than 14 days out and you get 97% back, less a $25 administrative fee. Inside 14 days it is a rental voucher instead of cash. Inside 72 hours there is no refund and no voucher.

• 23

  Changing a booking carries the same $25 administrative fee.

• 24

  Late returns get a 15 minute grace period. After that it is $25 from 16 to 30 minutes, $50 from 31 to 60 minutes, and $100 plus the hourly rate once you are more than an hour past.

• 25

  The pontoon comes back with a full tank. The Ranger comes back at the level it left. If it does not, we fill it at $5.49 a gallon and add a $10 refueling service fee. If we deliver and pick up, you cannot fuel it yourself, so we top it off after pickup and charge just the gas used at the current pump price, with no service fee. That charge lands on your card after the rental.

• 26

  The security deposit is a 100% hold on the card on file. It is a hold, not a charge.

• 27

  A rinse down is on us. If the boat needs real cleaning after your day, the minimum is $100.

• 28

  Delivery and pickup together is a flat $80 to lakes within 30 miles of Phillips. Friday through Sunday we can come any time of day. Monday through Thursday it may be after 4:00 p.m. before we get to you. We run to Park Falls, Prentice and Butternut among other spots. Anywhere else, ask and we will tell you straight.

• 29

  Our boats may carry GPS tracking. We would rather say so here than have you find out from the paperwork.

vi.

The lake itself

• 30

  Slow no wake near shorelines, docks, swimmers and other boats. The exact distances are in the handbook that rides along in the boat. The loons will thank you.

• 31

  Drain everything before a boat crosses to a different lake. Wisconsin invasive species rules are strict for good reason. Draining is how a lake stays the way you found it.

• 32

  Fishing licenses come from the Wisconsin DNR. Buy yours before you get on the water, not from the boat at 5:40 in the morning.

• 33

  Pack out what you brought. If you bring back somebody else's trash too, we notice.