10,000/10 for Harty’s Boats & Bait! I rented a pontoon with a group of friends, yesterday, and could not have asked for a better experience. Amazing service, gorgeous pontoon, and a beautiful lake! We had a blast swimming off the pontoon. Joe was the most fun! He went above and beyond to make sure our group had a great day! Go for the boats but stay for the laughs with Joe! We can’t wait to come back. Thanks again!
Rented one of Joe’s pontoons with a group of friends yesterday and it was a lovely experience from start to finish! Beautiful boat, gorgeous weather, and friendly customer service from Joe made for a perfect day! We will definitely be renting again!!
Awesome! They took great care of us!!!!!! Wonderful beautiful evening on the lake.
Joe Hardy & his staff are very helpful, friendly & professional. Joe, the owner himself has even gone out of his way twice in the last few years to help us by volunteering & assisting (at no charge) with a boat, a trailer, at the Boat launch, or whatever, just because he was nearby & jumped in to help!! Service is excellent & it doesnt get any better than that!
Awesome little bait shop. Extremely helpful and nice guy to b.s. with.
I am 68 years old. Although i have not had to rent boats for quite a few years, i can say i rented boats from hartys rental when i was in my 20s. They were exceptional then, and i have had friends rent from them since. I am sure the folks i rented from have since retired. Still, i am very happy to see that they still go on. Thanks guys..
I usually dont usually write review. However I am being forced to write the reviews after renting boat from Joe. Never on time. Says open on the door but MIA. I understand the fact that the owner can choose who he rents the boat to. However, it is unethical to rent boat based on people ethnicity. After dealing with him several times, I can say this for the fact that he feels easy renting boat to people of his kind. He is passive aggressive, and like to make sarcastic comments about people ethnicity. All I ask is. please treat me equally.
We’ve lived in the neighborhood for 16 years, and finally got around to renting a pontoon for a 3 hr lake tour. Why did we wait so long?! Joe is great, the boat was amazing and we got to see the lake from a whole new perspective! It was a great day for our family!!! We will do it again!
Had a great time on a beautiful pontoon!! Very well maintained and super clean. Pontoons look brand new! Very friendly and prompt customer service! Can’t wait to get out on the lake again!
By the sound of his voicemail message, I thought he seemed like a nice guy, but when I got a call back, he was a little rude and didnt seem like he had the patience to offer me information. He also just hung up abruptly after I responded I would further contact him. My family member also rented his pontoon a week ago and also mentioned how he was short tempered with them. Unfortunately, we will not be moving forward with renting through Hartys Boat just by first impressions. Also based off of another one of his reviews, Im honestly hoping that is just how their customer service is and that it is not based off of other factors.
I rented a boat from Joe once earlier this year and I never will again.The positives are the boats are very nice and you can tell he takes great care of them. We also had a beautiful day to enjoy on the waterThere were many negatives about our day, and the overarching theme is the owner Joe has almost no trust in his renters. I told him I have driven pontoons for 15 years. He proceeded to lecture me on when and where I can put the top up, how many RPMs to drive at, how far to stay away from shore, etc. I can see he is just trying to be protective but it put me off that he didnt believe in my ability.He pointed out there was a bottle of vinyl cleaner on the boat and told us to keep it clean. I get that he doesnt want people to trash the boat, but I am not going to use a specialty vinyl cleaner and wipe down all the seats...cmon, that is what I am paying for. If I wanted the upkeep of a boat I would buy my own.When returning, keep in mind we had 8 people on this boat, we got swamped on the front by a huge wake from a ski boat. It happens often on a busy lake with a loaded pontoon boat. I even took the wake at a 45 degree angle to ensure it wasnt a lot worse. I pull into the dock, and it turns out Joe was watching me with binoculars, and told me next time to take the wake at a 60 degree angle...not a great way to talk to a paying customer.To top it all off, once I docked the boat, he told me Hey, pretty good for a white guy. I dont even know what that is supposed to mean but its just a stupid thing to say.Overall, I have nothing against Joe, he can keep doing what he wants to do. I sure wont be back and I will never recommend anyone to rent a boat from him. Pay the same amount or a little more and go on Lake Minnetonka.
Great experience renting a pontoon boat- the boat was great, very clean, and Joe was a great person to deal with. Highly recommended!
We had a great time with fishing boat rental. Boat worked well and the price was affordable. We caught fish. Will be back!
Great boating experience. The owner Joe was extremely helpful. I can’t wait to rent a boat with Harty’s again.
We had a wonderful pontoon rental experience. The owner was very helpful and the boat was spotless.
I lived on that lake for 18 years Hartys is always been a great resource for bait and tackle. Extremely convenient when you live on the lake.
Great experience, the pontoon was very clean and the owner was very helpful. We will rent again! Thank you!
Great place with great people. Wonder boat rentals that are perfect for your family or fun!
We found Hartys Boats and Bait the most economical pontoon rental in the twin cities, and Joe was more than courteous and kind to us. We had a Daughter and Grandson in from Northern Virginia for the week and, even though we didnt catch any fish, we had a wonderful 3-hour cruise on Medicine Lake. If we had brought Crappie or Walleye minnows with, I am sure we wouod have caught some of either.We will be back, and with minnows - and we WILL catch fish.Thanks for a great day on the water on a Brand-New pontoon !!
After reading quite a few reviews its very obvious that Joe need a few things 1 a class customer service .that class would teach joe people regardlessOf what nationality they are their still people and are to be treated with dignity and respct regardless of where they come from. When most of your negativityIs toward a certain group of people its obvious you dont what them there sorry joe you owen the bait shop not the lake and i will continue to fish 😉 😜
Extremely professional from the phone call to rental and on the way out. Been in customer service for over 35 years so I know good service when I see it, we felt like family.We are coming back.He also took the time to call me the next day to tell me how wonderful my daughter’s voice was at the ripe old age of 17. She is a recording artist and because of how friendly Joe and Gary were we were chatting and we told them about her and her YouTube page. Needless to say what kind of owner will take the time to call back and say that, a good one👍😀Thank youWould give them 10 stars if I could
I never see an owner like this in my life. He has pontoons available for rent but hesitate to rent out to me because he assumed that I don’t know how to drive one. He told me that I can’t go here and there and only go to the deep spot of the lake. He is such a fool. I don’t know how he still can own a business. I hope that his parents from above can guide him to be a better owner and not so cheap.
Got a top of the line, clean boat. Service was top notch, reservation and info over the phone was easy. Keep in mind that this is a small family business, so at Harry’s, they don’t outsource their reservations, don’t expect phone service 24/7.
The owner, Joe is always very friendly and helpful. One of my favorite destinations summer or winter.
Harty’s Boats and Bait is a great location on the lake with amazing service and friendly service. I was visiting from NY with my family and met up with the owner and some of his other patrons. My brother in law rents a slip there and he is always thankful for the experience he has had. They have great bait options and can help with all kinds of recommendation. Ask them a question and they can help you with any boating or fishing needs. I didn’t have a picture to share of his place, but I am sharing one of the fun we had thanks to his service.
I had customers in town from Georgia - wanted to take them on their first ever ice fishing experience. I called and talked with Joe hoping to get some info on a lake Id never visited - he was so helpful and gave me the information I needed to make the call. When I got to Hartys, the landing was clean and nice roads were cleared out onto the lake, despite a foot of snow. I stopped in for bait and thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with Mr. Harty. I was happy to drop some cash in the tip jar for maintaining the lake roads. What really blew me away though was when he called later in the day and left me a message, thanking me for the tip. What a guy!
Ive been renting boats from Joe Harty since I was a teenager. You can always expect friendly, knowledgeable service, and clean, well maintained boats.
Great place, nice mom. And pops bait shop. Friendly, helpful. And reasonable prices.I recommend them to all that need bait in that area. It is right on the lake. Google maps will help you find the store.
Very friendly and convenient. Wish they would stay open until the ice fishing season was over.
If you buy wax worm here, you need to open the box to check. I bought 2 boxes of wax worms and when we were at the lake fishing, we found out that 90% were dead. Joe is such a rude and seem like a very selfish and cheap business owner who would not care about customer but his own profits. If you need a boat rental, go to Minnetonka Lake. You will get good service and will feel welcoming. You also can use the boat for tubing and grilling. Renting a pontoon here is waste of money since he is not allow you to drive fast or tubing. In his world, accident is not welcoming to his boat rental so if you rent it here, make sure you are perfect with driving a boat and dock it right.He takes advantage of being the only one boat rental at Medicine Lake and cheat customer badly. I would never come back to his shop again.
Visited the shop a couple weeks ago. I was visiting my sister in Minneapolis. The owner was a super nice guy. Gave me some good advice and was able to put me on some fish in my few days that I was there. Good quality Shiners and Suckers aswell!
Nice place
Went there twice before closing time, closed both times, website and brochures have different closing options times. Hard to contact the owner, stood by and watched us try to get in and refused to sell us bait. Also the Amstar down the street has a wider selection of bait for much cheaper prices.
I came to this shop at 7:15am on a Sunday, his hours are listed as open at 7. This was my first time on medicine lake, fishing a tournament! No bait! Thanks bud!, good thing we had plenty of plastics. Nothing worse than a bait shop that isnt open during advertised hours.
I rented a 22 pontoon here on Sunday from 10am-4pm. The folks at Harty are very friendly, and the prices were reasonable. The pontoon was also like brand new, they obviously take great pride in their business. I will rent from them again. Thanks Ann!Update 8/29/18: we rented a pontoon again earlier this summer and had another great experience. Well be doing this every summer going forward. Thanks Joe!
You know how hard it is to find bait around here??? I needed bait after hours and the amazing owner opened up just for me! He even helped me navigate Medicine Lake, and Im not a very skilled fisherman, but with his outstanding help even I stood a good chance! Ill be back for sure! This is an great family run bait shop!
Joe treats me like family
The owner has been very helper, and allow us to go through his entrance to enter the lake. He had clean a big area near shore for lots of cars to park. Very kind and helpful.
I spoke to Joe over the phone, and he said he had the highest quality bait to catch catfish. You know what? There isnt catfish in medicine lake. So what was the point? I even used one of his boats, and it almost sank. Can you believe that? Insane! Bad boat! Sad!
We enjoyed one very beautiful day on Medicine Lake thanks to Hartys Boat Rental. A much needed day spent with family all out to enjoy the day and catch a fish - The pontoon we rented was emaculate!! Tks guys you made our day awesome
Came here with my family. Will never come again. We are Muslim and my mom wears a headscarf. He clearly treated us differently than his other customers and was cold and unhelpful. He hesitated to rent a canoe to us. He clearly did not want us on his property. While we were leaving, he told us that he had heard some very bad things about where we come from but our family was very nice. This type of customer service is unacceptable and downright shameful.
Terrible customer service and seems like a slippery operation. Had to play phone tag forever. Guy wont provide prices over voicemail I guess and refused to give me pricing when we talked too. Site advertises all slips 20, accommodate boats up to 24. Moorings 14-22. Guy says they cant fit my 22 boat. Whats the deal here?
Great bait shop!! Very kind owner and staff. Always helpful with any questions you have and even opened up for me on Christmas day!! Now what other bait shop does that, huh?
I called to understand if we would be able to get boat reserved today. The guy said he is in his truck and was not willing to discuss anything. Would not give time frame as to when he would be available. Not very friendly. Not very professional. Not getting my business.
The owner is an an unbelievably rude jerk who enjoys instigating arguments. Avoid this place like the plague it is.
Every time I get my bait from Joe Im always greated with a big smile and a laugh. Great prices on bait and an average fishing report but top notch service every time I stop.
Just had another wonderful day on the lake with the family! The pontoons are always clean and the owners and staff have always been great.
Nice little bait shop, poor customer service.
Made an reservation for a boat rental 1 week in advance, we drive all the way from Bloomington only to find out the boat and bait shop is closed. We give the guy a call twice only for him to call back to say, I tried calling you yesterday to tell you were not gonna be open due to weather and I dont need a radar when I can look out my window and hung up on me. Very very unprofessional
Always a fabulous time!! Family business.. Great lake.. Bait shop rocks!
Called Joe, informed him I needed a boat for four people and he said that the boats he had couldnt hold four people. All good but thought I saw on his website that it could. When mentioned he said i was wrong, I informed I couldnt use him then. He said whatever and hung up......10 minutes later he texted me for some reason to say i should check the website again because i was wrong and rude. What a child. Dont use this guy, not worth it.
Joe is the best! Highly recommend his shrink wrap work for winter storage.
Amazing service and so close to home.
Always very friendly & take great care of us!
Poor customer service...couldnt get any info on the phone ....... Dont waste you time at this place...
Accidentally hit the door with my boot on the way out and the owner starts to throw a fit like a spoiled little kid. Go somewhere else if you dont want to deal with that nonsense.
Ive been renting boats from Joe since I was a kid. The boats are always clean, the service is always friendly and professional, hell even tell you where the fish are!
One star, only cause ZERO is not an option. WORST customer Service ever. If there are too many customers in the store, he will tell you to get out. Who does that? I go out of my way to avoid this place. DO NOT GO THERE!!!
Not a good business, we drove all the way to see this place after seeing paper ad.The owner doesnt pick the phone, and totally disappointed the way he handles customer and he turned us down as though he is not interested in doing business
Harty was tardi so there was no fishing for Marty
Good place to buy bait. Good guy.
Great to have a bait shop close to medicine lake.
Said it was open today and drove all the way from Maple Grove because our usual baitshop was closed, only to find they were closed and not answering the phone. Went up and tried the door. Nothing. What a waste of time. Owner should think about updating info on their website.
Says they were open today drove 20 minutes to get here and they’re closed
This store charge 20% tax when I bougt the bait there. Guys avoid this place ever.
Great customer service Joe is nice good bait
Great place to stop to learn about Medicine Lake fishing spots.
Hartys has what you need for bait and tackle. Good honest people
Good place for in town bait on the shore of Medicine Lake.
Best bait and great customer service!
Old fashioned, great tips and fishing service
It sucked very mean service just a bad place in general!!!
Stopped in last night and got bait and a fishing report from Joe.Caught six crappies in 41 ft of water. Real windy!Hope the weather cools off so we dont lose our ice...Dan M
Awesome location, friendly service!
Shop not open 3:30pm on a Thursday, says its open until 5pm online.
Absolute trash.nobody was there
Great service.
Never open during store hours. Constantly closed when they say they r open.
Good price for boat rental
Great people and access
Not open till memorial weekend?
Good service
Great people
- Address:1920 E Medicine Lake Blvd, Plymouth, MN 55441, United States
- Site:https://hartysboatworks.com/
- Phone:+1 763-546-6711
- Boat rental service
- Monday:7am–5pm
- Tuesday:8am–5pm
- Wednesday:8am–5pm
- Thursday:8am–5pm
- Friday:8am–5pm
- Saturday:8am–5pm
- Sunday:7am–5pm
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