Vernon is one of a kind! We had been working together to plan a birthday party for my sister in Jan 2020...well, because of the Pandemic, we had to place it on hold. Vernon was very accommodating and kept in communication with us for ~18 months! FINALLY in July 2021, we were able to use the boat and celebrate my sisters wedding! It was the most perfect day on the water. Definitely recommend renting a boat from here. Vernon was so responsive and amazing to work with!

Vernon is one of the nicest and most qualified people to be running a boat company! He quickly taught us everything we needed to know to drive his pontoon and was very helpful and understanding whenever we had questions. The boats were super nice and clean and overall we just had an amazing time! He really is the most affordable boat on the market so if you want to have an amazing time and save some $$$ then you should definitely consider renting with him!

Vernon was extremely communicative and helpful throughout the entire process from booking to the day-of. He explained everything very well and was extremely responsive. He was also kind enough to forward names of potential captains to help me out. He went above and beyond to make sure our event went smoothly!Our group (bachelorette party) had a blast! I would recommend using Rent Chicago Boats again!

My friends and I booked a 3-hr pontoon ride for a night w/ fireworks and the experience couldn’t have been better. Vernon is a master of his craft and holds high standards for captains, as he should.He thoroughly explained the nuances of the watercraft and key tips and tricks on how to have a safe and enjoyable experience. Needless to say, my guests and I were very satisfied with our time on the water and intend to reach back out to ‘Rent Chicago Boats’ the next time we want to ride the Chicago River!

We had the best time at Rent Chicago Boats! We were with Melissa’s party for a bachelorette party and Vernon couldn’t have been better. He took time to explain everything on the boat and made sure we got out and returned safely and easily. Thanks so much Vernon! Telling everyone to rent from here.

Had a great experience with RentChicagoBoats and Vernon. There were 8 of us (including 4 children) and we rented a boat for 2 hours (along with a Captain, who we paid separately). The whole process of booking online, finding the location, paperwork and pushing out on to the river was really straightforward. I would recommend this to anyone and plan to use it again in the future.

I had the most amazing experience with the company! Vernon was very helpful and made himself available for any question we had! I would recommend 8 hours because time flies when you’re having fun!!! 😁

We had such a great time!! Super helpful getting us ready to go. Beautiful boat day. We’ve been back before and we’ll be back again.

We all had a really great experiencing renting the Granny Pontoon for a few hours with Rent Chicago Boats. The boat was in great condition and Vernon was very accommodating.

I rented the Grandpa Pontoon to celebrate my girlfriends 30th birthday. We rented it in the PM to catch the sunset views. Vernon was our captain and he was very accommodating throughout the entire ride. Vernon recommended a great route to enjoy our time to the fullest and even pulled the boat over so we could cut a cake! Definitely a great experience and will be coming back to Rent Chicago Boats for my boating needs!

Ive rented the granny pontoon from RCB for two years in a row to celebrate an anniversary. The booking process is super easy, all the information you need is readily available, and the folks working at RCB are incredibly responsive and helpful! The entire process from start to finish felt clear, straightforward, and well-guided by RCB. I liked it so much I came back a second time, and will be going back next year as well.I noticed some reviews here are calling out Vernon, and want to say that if you are respectful and courteous with Vernon, youll get the same right back. He has a ton of experience and knows what hes doing, and is running a business trying to keep people safe AND get them on the water quickly and responsibly. Does he have a big personality? Absolutely. But youll get back what you give, so if you show up with a bad attitude and try to take it out on him, youll see that he doesnt tolerate disrespect. And as a person who has worked many customer service jobs, I give a strong side-eye to anyone who excuses their abusive behavior by saying the customer is always right.Thank you for everything Vernon, see you next year!

Boats are clean with friendly and experienced Captain. We enjoyed especially during fireworks display.

BEST way to see Chicago! Vernon was very thorough and such a great resource for navigating the waters! The boat was clean, beautiful, and functional! We will definitely be back!

Am also not the person to leave reviews but in this case i must since this man, the “CEO” Vernon made my blood boil no person should be treated this way. I politely called to get some more detailed information on boats/pricing as soon as he answered the phone in his rude tone of voice immediately said “go to the website thats what its there for” and i responded but i am on the phone now you still wont give me information he continues “no im not going to do that” “i can text you the website” and continued with a rude tone, i immediately hung up to get myself out of that situation. He then texts me the website but with the first thing saying in the text “you didn’t need to hang up on me”. Me not knowing he is the CEO. Called to speak with a manager/supervisor, so they they can know how rude the phones are being answered and still to send that rude remark in a text when all i did was call to get info. Why have a phone number if you automatically send people to website and are too busy to answer phones. I said i would leave my review and he thought since he apologized it would make everything better, my point was not to receive an apology but to show future customers how this business is being run. Social media/ reviews nowadays can make or ruin a business

This is by far the best experience I have had in Chicago.We hired Captain Vernon and his grandpa pontoon for an evening excursion. The pontoon style boat was a great way to see chicago from the river.We brought great food wine and fun music. Danced our way along the River.There was plenty of room and heaps of fun.Captain Vernon was an amazing host. He really let us have the best experience.An absolute must do!

Really bad customer service. Associates dont know how to deal with their clients at all.

Vernon was a great host and went above and beyond our expectations! He accommodated the stormy weather we experienced and made sure we were safe and comfortable with the conditions. His pontoon and the views along the Chicago river are worth every penny. We will definitely be repeat renters for a long time!!

Great experience, I recommend it! Fun to see Chicago from that perspective. The rental process was a little extensive but understandable so get there 1 hour early to not eat into your cruise time.

I was wary after reading other reviews, but decided to give Vernon the benefit of the doubt. That proved to be a huge mistake. We booked our 2 hour trip a week and a half in advance. Vernon called us the afternoon before our scheduled date and notified us that he was going out of town and would have to come to the marina the morning of our 6PM reservation to complete the paperwork. We agreed despite the inconvenience. When I arrived he spent 45 minutes belittling me. I guess he thinks customer service doesn’t apply to a “coast guard captain”. After meeting at the marina we agreed to send a copy of a boaters license, we were busy showing friends the city and missed his initial text, but replied w a copy about an hour after he reached out. I guess he missed our text as well because he called shortly after to notify us our reservation was cancelled for “lack of providing proper certification”.Vernon not only ate into our time to show our friends the city by having us meet him that morning, but also ruined their trip by canceling last minute. I consider myself a very patient person but I do not put up w people who act like Vernon. I’m sure he will try to respond to this w his distorted version of events. Do not make the same mistake I did and believe him. AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS.****Vernons response, as expected, is entirely false. I would point out his many inaccuracies, but arguing with someone of his incompetence is futile. I can’t stress how terribly run this company is. His petty responses to the many complaints in his reviews should be all the evidence anyone requires. As previously stated. Avoid Vernon and Rent Chicago Boats at all costs. There are much better options, and people to work w in this industry.****

We had a wonderful river ride and Vernon was very accommodating with our sudden change of schedule. We will definitely be returning customers.

Very terrible customer service. I called to just ask some quick questions about general prices for the future when the restrictions are lifted and as soon as they picked up the phone they immediately stated “Due to the mayor we can’t rent boats” in a rude tone. They didnt say “hello” or “how are you doing” and just assumed that I was trying to book a reservation. You need to learn how to speak to potential customers who help fund your business and give them a chance to speak before drawing conclusions. Nobody should spend their money with an establishment that cant even have general common courtesy. If you would have allowed me to speak and listen once I did speak you would know that every question I had was related to “after” the restrictions will be lifted. Please people do not spend your money here I pray that this place never gets back up and running.

The very rude customer service and very unprofessional. The person I talked to on the phone when I called back because I didnt hear him the first time said being a little impatience arent you I am getting a lot of calls. Then when I asked to speak to a manager he said that he owns the business and he will refuse me service based on me letting him know that I did not hear him and I dont appreciate him being unprofessional. I did not recommend dealing with this manager or this company because it seems like they are very unprofessional and rude. I have no business in being dishonest as I am a physician visiting Chicago and this is the worst experience I have dealt with in my life.

Our renting experience was wonderful with great customer service! I called 1st thing in the morning and the captain assured us to drive on on and he would put us on Granny the pontoon nice Easy and relaxing is how we wanted to few the beautiful city of Chicago! My husband and I brought our elderly parents with us and his dad cant get around the best, our captain made them feel so comfortable and immediately helped my father in law down the stairs and into the boat safely! We finished paperwork and inspection with protocols in less than 25 minutes just my husband and I Then when we were finished he had us get our parenta from the AC in our truck so they would be comfortable the whole time! The captain truly cared about the safety of his renters, and that made me feel good! We chose the 3 hour ride and it was so relaxing to view the city from the water. I was nervous when it was the to dock the boat because I had only done a pontoon rental 1 other time. I told him I was nervous and he assured me I could do it! When we were ready to ce in the captain called me and talked me thru THE WHOLE DOCKING EXPERIENCE!!! without him I honestly couldnt have some ot! He provided me with JUST the confidence that I needed to get my family to the dock! He is the true definition of customer service excellence!! We will continue to rent through this business! If you want a nice rental with ease and assure you are safe definitely rent thru them!! You will not be disappointed! We walked away with smiles all on our faces and memories to share! Thank you Again

Vernon is very communicative and professional. He was very helpful with any questions, concerns or arrangements we asked. The boat was very clean and orderly. I will definitely suggest and rent from this company again 😊

Vernon was very accomdating, made my program work we used the grandpa which was fun. Well done. Thank you.Jim

Would not recommend renting from this company. Vernon’s customer service was terrible. There are plenty of companies to rent from, go elsewhere!

DO NOT rent from this company!