Driving down the Overseas Highway, you’ll often see cheap boat rental Florida Keys ads, usually featuring smiling, bikini-clad, evenly-tanned people and frolicking dolphins. They’re all clearly having Type 1 fun.
The truth is more complicated. Generally, most Keys’ visitors will go on a larger tour boat or will find a private boat charter to take them out. If you’re an experienced boater, hitting the water in the Keys on a rental boat can be a special treat. But even then, boating here is challenging and can be dangerous. Shifting sandbars, coral heads hiding just the surface, and quick-forming squalls can make Type 3 fun or worse.
Here’s a look at the types of Florida Keys boat rentals available, what you need to do to rent one, and how to ensure that you and the family have some type of fun.
What Kinds of Florida Keys Boat Rentals Are Available?
If you’re looking for a boat hire in the Florida Keys, chances are you’ll find only two types: pontoon boats for sandbars and bayside or small center console fishing boats for the oceanside. You can also rent jet skis or kayaks from various operators, but these fall into their own categories.
The type of boat you pick will depend on what you want to do with it. Finding the boat to suit your mission is important if you want to go on your own fishing charter. Shallow skiff for the Bay, or deep-vee for offshore? You probably won’t take a rental boat out into the Gulf Stream (they generally err on the small side), but you might take one to the reefs for bottom fishing. It’s got to be big enough to carry your gear and beer, plus big enough to handle whatever weather might pop up.
Nearly any boat will do if you want to snorkel, dive, or just cruise. Vee-bottom bay boats or center consoles are favored by the locals here because they ride well in a little chop. No matter where you go, you’ll experience a little chop on even calm days. Pontoon boats are really only good for cruising the shallows and sticking near shore. Even then, things can get too sporty for them quickly, so they’re a fair-weather-only deal.
Most boat rental FL Keys operators offer half-day or full-day rentals. A handful of places will rent boats long-term; if you happen to be renting a house with a dock and want a boat for a week or two, you are in town. For most rentals, you pick the boat up and return it at the marina, but some will drop the boat off at your location.
Who Can Rent a Boat in the Florida Keys?
Pretty much anyone can rent a boat in Florida, but it obviously helps if you are a little older (usually over 25, the same as most car companies require) and have some boating experience. In all honesty, if you’ve never boated before, the Keys probably aren’t the best place to start learning. Navigation, weather, and, well, the ocean makes it tough for beginners.
If you were born after 1988, you are required by Florida law to have passed a safe boater course before you can operate a powerboat. To meet this requirement, you need to complete an online course. There’s a simple course for a temporary 90-day permit or a longer course that gets you a lifetime safe boater ID card. Ironically, the 90-day permit course costs about $8.99, while the lifetime card is free. What’s more, the Florida course is accepted in most states nationally. And, if you already have your state’s card, chances are it’s accepted in Florida.
The Florida Keys boat rentals you choose will have their own requirements. Be sure to check the websites and see what they require before booking. Generally, renting a pontoon or fishing boat in the Keys is much easier than getting a bareboat charter for an overnight cruise.
List of Keys Boat Rental Providers
Here are a few spots where you can get a boat rental FL Keys.
When you book a rental, you’ll get a quick briefing from the operator about where to go, the weather that day, and who to call if you have any trouble. They’ll also ensure you have all the paperwork in order and the safe boater course is completed.
Captain Hooks Boat Rentals, Marathon, Big Pine, Key West
Lower Keys Boat Rentals, Little Torch Key
The Problem with Florida Keys Boat Rentals
The first problem with going out on your own is your lack of local knowledge. The Keys are one of those places where you need to do A LOT of exploring before you get the hang of it. There’s no way you’ll hit the best spots on your first trip out, even with the recommendations of the rental agents and your friends online.
The next thing to think about is navigation and the weather. This comes back to local knowledge, but if you’re an experienced boater, you can probably handle getting out and back. Navigating the Keys means not running aground and knowing the big tides and sandbars. The weather determines where you can go and when. Overall, it’s a challenging place to just hop in a boat and go out for the day. It’s certainly not your lake back home, that’s for sure.
If all that sounds more stressful than your family vacation needs to be, you’re not wrong. The best policy in the Keys is to hit the water with a local and let them do the driving.
Captain Zak at Casual Monday will handle all the details, allowing you to enjoy the ride. Tell him where you want to go, and hit the water without stress. Oh, and his boat is much nicer than those ragged-out rentals. It’s a Type 1 fun sort of situation with Captain Zak.
