Frequently Asked Questions

Our customers drive their own boat. We do not offer captains for hire.

A boater’s license is NOT required for our electric boats, which include our Retro Boats, Donut Boats, or Duffy boats. A boater’s safety certificate is ONLY required on our pontoons or tritoons IF the driver was born AFTER June 30th, 1996. If the driver was born before that date, no license is required. To obtain a boater’s safety certificate, go to www.boat-ed.com

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) must also remain at a no-wake speed on the river and Kalamazoo Lake. Our Tritoons are our only boats allowed on Lake Michigan, which is the only area where boats can go full throttle.

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 Pontoons or Tritoons, even on Lake Michigan.

Our only boats allowed on Lake Michigan are our Tritoons. We have a beautiful channel, river, and inland lake where all of our other boats can travel, which includes Retro Boats, Donut and Duffy Boats, as well as the pontoons. We go over a map and show you exactly where to go, so there’s no stress.

Our Donut Boats, Pontoons, and Tritoons are great for swimming in the Cove area right before Lake Michigan. Some of the Retro Boats are better for swimming than others, which is 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. On calm days, the Tritoons can be anchored to swim in Lake Michigan.

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

Customers have the option to purchase Cancellation Protection. This allows you to cancel your boat ride up to 12 hours before your reservation for a full refund. If you do not purchase Cancellatiion Protection, you are allowed to rebook or obtain a credit for your boat reservation up to 7 days before your reservation, after that, there is no refund unless there is inclement weather. If it is raining at the time of your departure, we will provide a full refund or help you rebook your reservation.

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.