Vacation Boat Rentals Reviews

Dear Capt. Bob, Just wanted to drop you a line to thank you for coming to our rescue after being let down by a 'popular' rental company in Islamorada. We have been renting boats in the Keys for 10 years and without doubt your boats, prices and customer service are the absolute best!! I just wish we found you years ago! Never had a boat with a fresh water shower before....that was fantastic after snorkelling & diving. The company we rent our apartment from were also very impressed by your service and will be including a link to your website on their internet site. Once again, I can't thank you and your staff enough and we will be in touch soon for our next visit. Superb Service!

Gareth & Sarah Pinckard
Isle of Man, British Isles
June, 2008

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

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 have been a boat owner for over 20 years, since I moved into Florida I have decided to rent & think about buying. Been to many bareboat rental businesses. Met Bob last year, and been renting with him ever since. He's got less price and more equipment than any other I have known or used. Regardless of that it is Bob seriousness, kindness, and the way he treats customers, what keeps me returning. Been there five times, and planning my next visit between August and September. Will not buy for now. Keep the good business going Bob.

Jose Guzman
Miami, FL
June, 2009

thanks bob great boat great service see you next year

Nick Hiscott
Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK
June, 2009

We recently rented a 22' Sea Chaser with several rods/reels.  The guys who delivered the boat to us in Key Largo, went over all the details, and set us free.  We had a great time.  Temps at home were in the teens, while in the tropical keys...70s-80s in January!  The boat, engine and equipment were in very good condition.  I would recommend your company to friends, and did recommend you by name in the review of the house we rented.  Thank you for a seamless transition into vacation zone. 

E. Hoffman - January 2013

Sapphire, NC

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

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

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

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

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

We rented the 27 Sport Craft last month for a week. I just have to say Capt Bob was great to deal with and the boat was exactly what we were looking for. (not to mention all the great fishing areas on the GPS)We already have another week booked for this May. Thanks Capt Bob, and thanks again for the gear!!

Pat Lamb
Orlando, Florida
February, 2006

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

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

We just finished renting a 25' Dusky from you guys (2nd year in a row). I wanted to thank you for another great rental experience.  The boat was clean and handled well. Although we did not use your dock, the guys were very responsive to calls I made with questions and they even made a house call to fix the live well.  Thanks again and I look forward to renting from you soon.

Mike Wasicko - Finksburg, MD - June 2013

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

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

Captain Bob, Just wanted to thank you and your dock crew once again for a great experience. Your customer service is unequalled. We look forward to next year and our third straight year of renting from Vacation Boat Rentals.

Keith Rodden 
Evansville, IN
April, 2008

We just rented the 27ft ProKat 2008 2660Center Console from Captain Bob. All I can say is what a boat. You ride high in it, rides smooth and it doesn't matter what seas are out there that day. That boat was great for the family with kids of all ages. The boat has a excellent ladder off the back of the boat. Great for diving! We will be going to Captain Bob for all our boats needs and hope to get another ProKat next time we are down in the summer!

Rusty Monette
Orlando, Florida
March, 2008

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

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

Message Great boat at a reasonable price. We had a two day rental from Captain Bob. We were staying up the canal from his rental place and he let us take the boat up to our slip so we could just go fishing in the morning with out spending the time with the paper work. The guys on the dock had all the hot spots set up on the GPS and all we had to do was follow the map. The fishing was so good we had to leave the lines out of the water just to eat a sandwich and the boat performed flawlessly. Returning the boat also was easy, we just filled the gas tank and dropped it off the last evening. We will be using Captain Bob's boats again next year.

Joe Mesoros
PA
January, 2007