Vacation Boat Rentals Reviews

Capt. Bob & Linda - I would like to take a few moments to express my sincere appreciation to you and your staff for providing such a quality product and experience to my family on our recent vacation to Cudjoe Key, FL. Prior to making my reservation with you, I contacted some locals for recommendations, which upon a little due diligence proved to be about 30% more expensive than your company, while providing a very inferior product - smaller, older hulls, older two-stroke outboards, minimal navigation equipment, no outriggers ... - all of which caused me to do some of my own research. Happening upon your web site and viewing the listed boats and their equipment, initially led me to deem it too good to be true. I called and spoke to Captain Bob, who after a few minutes of conversation, I intuitively knew was the real deal. Together we settled on a boat that would best suit my families interests, both diving and off-shore fishing, and agreed upon a price. At the agreed upon time, I met VACATION BOAT RENTALS LLC's delivery person, who had trailered the boat up for my rental. The delivery person was very knowledgeable, and made certain that I understood the color GPS mapping and basic workings of the boat. He then gave me his cell # and made it clear that he would be there for me if I had any questions etc. Many people go through the motions nowadays , but with your dock hand I knew he was sincere. To sum it up, I received a boat that exceeded my expectations, and service reminiscent of a bygone era in America. I might also mention that I was the envy of every other boater in our compound, many of whom admittedly paid much more money to the local rental outfits for a boat(s) unfit for comparison at any level. Needless to say, they all now have your contact information. On balance, VACATION BOAT RENTALS LLC is truly the exception to the adage that," if it appears to be too good to be true, it probably is." Thanks again for helping to make our vacation everything we hoped it would be. Best regards, Tim Dearing & Family

Tim Dearing
Lexington, KY
June, 2009

I think this makes 7 out of the last 8 years for us renting from you guys (didn't make it down one year).    Love the boats and great service.

Thanks,
Keith Rodden - Evansville, IN - March 2013

SIMPLY THE BEST, we rented from Capt Bob for the second year running and this year he delivered all the way to Key Largo for us. The boats are fantastic and his service and prices are the best in the Florida Keys. A big thankyou to Capt Bob and your crew.  See you again in October.

David & Cathy Willoughby
United Kingdom
May, 2008

We cannot say enough about the great sevice and great value offered by Captain Bob and his crew. We did a lot of boat rental checking while in the keys, and Captain Bob offers the best value and the best service by far. Stop looking around and wasting your valuable time - rent from Captain Bob!!

Keith & Tina Weber
Aurora, CO
December, 2008

I have been going to the Florida Keys for over 30 years, often renting or chartering. Some of our rental experiences have been good and some have been very bad. Our rental experience with Vacation Boat Rental has been the best ever. The 27 Sea Chaser we rented from you was an excellent boat. It was well maintained and had all the options a fishing boat should have. We were especially please with the service and professionalism of your staff. You and your staff really made us feel like your utmost goal was for us to have an enjoyable experience and we did. Look forward to renting from you again next year.

Ken Kishishita
July, 2007

I have not even made it down there yet. But Capt Bob has gone out of his way to ensure that my trip in May will be a success. Capt Bob has shown more respect for the customer than all of the other boat rental companies. He is sincere and takes his time in explaining everything that you need to know. Thanks Bob!!

Bill Gilman
Tipp City Ohio
April, 2006

Captain Bob,

I finally have a few minutes to let you know how much I appreciate you, the dock crew guys, and young ladies at the reservation desk who made our Keys fishing trip one of the best.  The 22 foot Seachaser we rented was in top condition and the driest boat I've ever been on.  (I used to own a 25 foot Mako, soaking wet at the end of an average day and your knees felt like you jumped out of a 2nd story window, I'll say no more).  Having the boat delivered to our dock and pick it up maximized our time in paradise.  Also, thanks for the fish cooler.  We filled it twice and always brought home fish.  I'll be contacting you early next year as we finalize our plans to visit the Keys.

Thanks again to you and your crew.

Terry Sexson

Bouse, Arizona

Very Good Buisness! I rented a boat for the week from Capt. Bob and had a great time. The boat was delivered on time and was nice and clean and had all the equipment you need for a week of fishing and diving. I gurantee I will be renting from you again. Thanks for the great time and I'm already missing the Keys. I highly recommend Capt. Bob Boat Rentals!

Kevin Newcomb
Charleston, WV
June, 2007

Message I rented a boat from VBR and upon arriving I was informed that the boat had encured engine trouble. Trying to get parts from all over FL. Capt Bob and his team decided to replace the existing motor with a brand new one. This saved my vacation with my kids! I want to thank Capt Bob and the crew for an outstanding job servicing your customers. I will rent from them again and would recommend VBR to everyone.

Al Manning
Dayton, OH
June, 2007

I just wanted to drop you a quick line and say thanks for a great experience. The crew was more than helpful on setting us up with the boat and putting us on some productive fishing spots. While we didn't have the exact boat we originally booked, the twin center you provided worked out great. The boat was in GREAT shape and ran well in some pretty choppy water that day. All in all it was probably a better choice (than the 25 cuddy) given the rougher seas. We will definitely be passing the good word along about Vacation Boat Rentals to anyone coming down your way and certainly will be seeing you again the next time we visit Key West.

Allen Bullock
Plainfield, IL
May, 2008

We have rented the Sport Craft twice in the last 6 or 7 months. I have rented from several others in the area and will say that Capt. Bob does every thing in his power to deliver what he promises. Great boat, fair price and excellent service. On top of all of those he is one hell of a nice guy.

Jerry Meisner
Schoolcraft, Michigan
February, 2006

Message It was our first time to the Florida Keys. (what a great place!) I chose to rent a 22' Sea Chaser with 150hp outboard from Captain Bob. It was really a great boat; heavy enough to beat through the waves in comfort. We stayed in Islamorada, and Vacation Boat Rentals trailered the boat to us for $100 (which, now that I know how far it is, is REALLY reasonable) We rented fishing rods for the whole family for a very reasonable price. We had a GREAT vacation and I'd highly recommend renting from Vacation Boat Rentals! Thanks, Guys!!!

Brent Glenn
Windsor, Colorado
April, 2008

To Captain Bob Robinson

I just completed an 11 day rental from your company.

Thank you so much for providing such a nice rental experience.

Everything was great!

The boat was excellent and the price was just right. Thank you so much.

You are blessed to have a great dock crew who delivered the boat to us.

They were wonderful.

From the way they went over everything on the boat with us to their kind manner they were great.

Kim was also wonderful. She is just such a pleasant person to speak with on the phone and attentive to every detail.

I will recommend your company and look forward to renting from you again.

Gerald T Grode Jr

I want to thank you for a most enjoyable boat rental experience.  You have been so helpful throughout this process.  Mostly I want to thank the guys at the dock.  They are friendly, courteous, and extrememly helpful.  They provided me with a wealth of information on handling and docking the boat and they did it with patience.  The Dusky was a fantastic boat, too.  An enjoyable boat rental experience is hard to come by -  you guys did it with flying colors!  I can't wait to come back.  Thanks again!

Michael Wasicko - Finksburg, MD

July 2012

We just finished up our annual keys vacation and as always we rented a boat from Capt Bob. This year we rented the 27 Sea Chaser. What an amazing boat, twin 200 E-tecs, dual livewells, Taco outriggers, and a color plotter. If you fish far this is the boat for you, extreme power and very responsive wrapped in a fuel efficient package. Again Capt Bob was great to deal with. I strongly recommend Capt Bob and his boats. Thanks again Bob, see you in Dec.

Pat Lamb
Orlando, Fl
June, 2007

Now that I am almost fully recovered from the trip, I wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed it. The Cape Horn ran well in some rough seas, and we sure appreciated the fine service and prompt attention given to us by all of your dock hand crew. Thanks again, and we'll see you next year! ps those Suzuki's were very enonomical on fuel.

Wendell Grayson
Louisa, KY
May, 2009

A big thank you is due for my recent rental. I admit I was very nervous about committing to a full week rental boat, but everyone I dealt with was great and the boat performed flawlessly. I look forward to renting again next year...

Pete Nemeth - Coral Springs, FL

July 2012

Great time fishing! Wanted to thank you for the great time we had with the boat. It was our first time fishing saltwater and had no problem getting around and catching fish. It was perfect for bottomfishing and trolling, we even did some snorkeling too. It makes it easy when you can even rent your poles from the boat rental as well. We had everything we needed and had a blast. The electronic navigation system makes everything pretty easy too. Everything worked great and we really enjoyed it! The dock crew was great and very friendly. Hope to come back soon.

Paul Adams
Greenwood, IN
February, 2009

Captain Bob and staff, I would like to thank you for the great service. I just completed my second rental with you guys and I wasn't disappointed. Even though the weather was terrible,I wasn't disapointed with your service. Your "guys at the dock" are amazing. One of your men was sorting things out at the fuel dock (major hassle) and then running down and docking boats at the other end. The drop off guy went over the whole boat with us and didn't leave until we were completely satified. He even went over the outrigger use. They both thanked us for our business numerous times. As a "field services" business owner with 20 guys on the street, I know what I want to see from my people and your guys have it. I don't remember their names but I'm sure you know who they are. We'll be back soon and will rent again from Vacation Boat Rentals. Keep those young men happy, they reflect very well on your company. Randi Barra ACE Environmental PS: 5 mph winds and $1.00 / Gallon fuel would be nice. Can you get working on that too! Thanks again.

Randi Barra

Oneonta, NY - March 2013

One of the smoothest operations I have ever dealt with in the keys for over 40 years.Very easy going staff and owner that you can tell really appreciate your business and got us out of there in about 30 mins.There are many flakes and jerks working most of these rental places but Capt Bob is down to earth and treated us the way we wanted to be treated. Already planning our next trip. It was my girlfriend's first time and she can't wait to go back.

Bob Francis
Hollywood, FL
April, 2009

Capt. Bob. We had a ball last week. Your are the best boat rental company on the Keys. We are bragging to everyone how you drove 40 miles one morning at 6 and replaced the live well pump. Then when a motor blew a belt,you were there with another boat when we got in. Boats were set up great for fishing. We'll always come to you for fishing boats.

Ken Portanova
February, 2006

I just wanted to thank you and your staff for our boat rental a week ago. We rented one of your 22' Sea Chasers and this boat was perfect for fishing both inside and outside the reef! I have rented boats at various outfitters in the Keys over the past ten years and your boats are by far the nicest I have rented! The boat was equipped with everything (gps, outriggers, livewell....) needed for fishing in the Keys and we had an absolute blast fishing for five days. We are already planning next years trip and look forward to renting one of your boats again! Thanks Again.

Simon A. Reeve
December, 2007

Captain Bob, We had our annual fishing trip in July and rented your 27' Sea Chaser. We had a great time and caught some nice fish. I really appreciate the reliable service and the great boat you provided. You guys do the Boat Rental business right. We look forward to seeing you guys next summer.

Steve
August, 2007

Hey Captain Bob,

We spoke last week while I was in the Keys aboard one of your rental boats.  It was an awesome boat.  Thank you for graciously accepting my frantic call when the motors wouldn’t turn over.  It was early, and I hesitated to call, but the boys on the boat (my husband, brother in law and nephew) were all being super stubborn and refusing to ask for help!  As you stepped us through the problem, it turned out to be pretty simple.  I appreciate your help and the great customer service.

Kay Wolfe - Atlanta, GA - June 2013

Capt Bob.. We really did enjoy meeting you and the staff at Vacation Boat Rentals this past week. I know the rental business is very difficult at times but you and your staff took excellent care of us and we really had a great time. We will be back in a few months to do it all over again. Meanwhile here are a couple of the photos of the nice Dolphin we caught while using your boat and gear.

Rob Wallgren
Buda, Texas
May, 2008