Frequently Asked Questions

Retro Boat Rentals has a variety of boats, times, and prices.  Click on the Book Now button or here to see all the options.

We have two locations for our boat rentals. If you are renting a boat at our main Water Street location for Retro Boats, you may NOT bring your own alcohol. We are a bar and restaurant, so alcohol can be purchased at The Old Boat House/Retro Boats and we provide a cooler and ice at no charge. There is also food that can be purchased, but you are welcome to bring your own food, just no outside coolers, it makes it awkward to search your cooler for alcohol. If you are renting one of our Pontoon boats located at our other dock on Union Street, you may bring your own alcohol, coolers, food, etc. There is a bar near these docks called the Red Dock, and to-go drinks or food may be purchased here if you wish. All state of Michigan laws relating to the consumption of alcohol on boats apply.

The Kalamazoo River is a no-wake area, so our Retro Boats, Donut Boats and Duffy Boats (all electric) are meant to go around 4mph. Our Pontoon Boats (gas powered) can go faster only in Kalamazoo Lake, but also must remain at a no-wake speed on the river.

No, most of our boats are not speedboats, so no towing. Kalamazoo Lake is a small lake and for safety reasons we also don’t allow towing behind our Pontoon Boats.

Unfortunately, no. We have a beautiful channel, river and inland lake where our boats can travel. But because our boats are small and electric, it’s not a good idea to take them on the open waters of Lake Michigan. The Pontoon Boats are also not safe to take on Lake Michigan. We go over a map and show you exactly where to go, so there’s no stress.

Our Donut Boats and Pontoon Boats are great for swimming in the Cove area right before Lake Michigan. Some of the Retro Boats are better for swimming than others, that’s indicated in the description when you book, and we recommend the 3 hour option if swimming is a part of your plan. Our Duffy Boats are not easy to swim out of, but we do provide a swim ladder in case someone in your group wants to jump in.

We provide a bluetooth speaker at no charge to enjoy for your ride.

You will receive a refund for inclement weather cancellations ONLY, and we make the call. We recognize it’s not fun to be on a boat in the rain. There are no refunds if it’s just cloudy and cool, our boats are great with a sweatshirt and blanket, trust us!

There are NO refunds for cancellations that are not due to rain, but we are willing to work with you to re-book an appointment. If you must reschedule, please be considerate and give us enough time to re-book that boat ride, otherwise we lose out on an opportunity for someone else to take the boat out.

All of our boats are dog friendly; we LOVE boat dogs! Our Retro Boats are small, so keep that in mind if you have a bigger dog. We can recommend which boats work best for big dogs. Please just be considerate and bring a towel to protect our seats from claws.

We ONLY allow fishing off our pontoon boats, there is NO fishing off our Retro, Donut or Duffy Boats.

If you are renting a boat from our Retro Boat location, there is on-street parking, but spots fill up quickly on the weekend. A great option is to park at the high school where there is a shuttle from our Interurban bus service. It’s $1 for Adults and $0.50 for Senior Citizens 62 and older, children under 12, or persons with disabilities. Call 269-857-1418 to be picked up. If you are renting a pontoon from our other dock on Union Street, there is a large parking lot with plenty of parking.

Yes, we have life jackets in all sizes, infants to adults.