Amelia Island Boat Rental

As other reviewers said, was rented a boat that the starter/ ignition had to be jimmied to work, was given little instruction on how to operate the boat, in a casual , flippant manner, and had to ask for a map of the waterways last minute before we left when I saw none was in the boat. The map was black and white and not really easy to read, and I asked for a color map and was told they are expensive so they did not have those. We have rented boats in Hilton Head, Tybee Island , Lake Alllatoona, and the Bahamas, and have always been given a color map and patient instruction on the boat we were renting, as each is different. That was not our experience here. We have never had any incidents in any other boat rental and this has been our only negative experience . We felt from the start we were not welcome and did not feel like they wanted us there renting their boat. The only helpful and gracious employee was the gentleman with the long grey hair who apologized for our bad experience when we had to be towed back in when we only used an hour of our trip due to running up on a shoal. We waited long enough and the tide came in and it got us off of it, but by then they came to tow us and told us we had to take the boat back. I was understanding and didn't ask for my money back and took my lump and moved on , but did want to come here and say that had more instruction been provided and a clear to read/color map that we would not have run up on that shoal and lost 2/3 of our trip. I'm sorry now that I did not read the reviews and just trusted a local business, as I see we are not alone in our experience. So thanks to the gentleman who worked there with the long grey hair , who was so professional and kind to us, as he was the only bright spot on our trip.

Absolutely horrible ! My family and I rented a pontoon boat from Amelia Boat Club for a day trip with the family. However, our experience was far from enjoyable. We were given the keys to the boat without any instructions and discovered that the gas gauge and depth sensor were not working. The dock hand assured us that the tank was full, but only the navigation worked accurately after the manager, Robert, fixed the depth sensor. A few hours into our ride, the engine shut off. We called the office and told them that we thought we ran out of gas but they said that it was impossible since boats that are rented for a whole day always come back with some gas left in the tank. We were then instructed to drop anchor and wait to be towed. After 40 minutes of being tossed around by the waves and trying to keep an elderly person and an autistic child hydrated and cool, Robert arrived. He inspected the motor and confirmed that indeed, we did have gas but the gas pump was not delivering fuel to the motor. Robert towed us back to the marina, a slow and bumpy 2-hour journey. On the way back, he mentioned in an amused way how this season he has towed boats almost every day, up to four boats, in one day alone, because they’re always breaking down. Upon our return Robert assured us that we would be refunded for the remaining time prior to breaking down. However, we were charged an additional $232 on top of our initial $744 charge the next day. When we called Robert, he informed us that it was for towing and gas because the boat had run out of gas - despite him previously confirming that there was gas in the tank. We reminded Robert about the broken gas gauge and how we were told that we had nothing to worry about because we had a full tank of gas prior to leaving. When asked to speak with the owner, Robert reached out to him and the response was, that’s too bad, the charge is staying. Overall, we are extremely disappointed with our experience with Amelia Boat Club and feel that we have been treated unfairly. We would not recommend this company to others.

They gave us a pontoon boat that had a broken gas gauge, but Robert, the manager, assured us that the tank was full. Four hours into our whole day rental, the motor shuts off. Robert came out and looked at the motor and told us that the gas pump was not working properly but reassured us that there was gas in the tank. Once we got to the marina, he told us that we would get reimbursed for the hours lost on our day rental. A day later we get charged an extra $232 for the towing and gas because now Robert says that the boat was out of gas. Shady business.

Robert Nix was very knowledgeable and informative about all the boats and waterways. He is a very kind individual who will take time out of his day just to answer questions that you may have. Amelia Boat Club is awesome! They are getting all new boats in and I love the fact that you can rent boats or become a member of the boat club. The boat club pays for itself after the first couple uses and it’s so much fun to bring my friends and family out there on the boat! The office is very clean and well-kept too.