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BOAT RENTAL TAMPA |
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Phone: (727) 326-7391 Email: Contact US4927 U.S. Highway 19, New Port Richey, FL 34652 |
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How far in advance should you book a boat? During the week 1-2 days is normally fine. On the weekend 3-4 days in advance to get the boat you want. Holiday weekends (4th July, Memorial Day, Labor Day) book 10-14 days in advance. What do you mean by Non-Refundable Deposit? Deposits are only refunded in the event of bad weather. All day rain, high winds or when the coast guard has issued a small craft advisory. You have the option of receiving a full refund or rescheduling your day. After all, it's not your fault if mother nature has a hissy fit! If you CANCEL FOR ANY OTHER REASON, your deposit will not be refunded. However, if your plans change, you can reschedule (with 48 hours notice - except holiday weekends), and you can use your deposit towards anything else we do, such as sailing charters, kayak or CraigCat rentals or even the Windsong T-shirts we sell. We will hold your deposit for 6 months before you totally lose it. If you reschedule or postpone your rental less than 48 hours before the booking, YOU LOOSE YOUR DEPOSIT, and you will be required to pay another deposit for the new date. More info on this in our guidelines. Do your rates include fuel? No. We charge you for what you used at today's pump price plus 50 cents per gallon. How old must I be to rent a boat from Windsong? You must be born after January 1, 1988. If you were born after 1/1/1988, you must have a Florida Boater's Safety Certificate or state equivalent. Can I buy bait nearby? We sell frozen bait right at our marina. Can I buy food nearby? Yes, there is a Publix Supermarket only a block away. Where can I buy beer? Either at Publix or a gas station within walking distance. However YOU CANNOT BUY BEER ANYWHERE ON A SUNDAY BEFORE 11 AM. Plan Accordingly. Oh, and the driver of the boat must stay sober - .08 it's the law!
What times can we depart? Summer (March thru September): Half day Morning: 8:00am - 1:00pm if you want five hours. Arrive later if you like, but you must be in by 1 pm. Half day Afternoon: 1:30pm - 6:30pm. Full day: 9:00am - 6:00pm. Winter (October thru February): Half day Morning: 9:00am - 1:00pm. Arrive later if you like, but you must be in by 1 pm.
Half day Afternoon: 1:30pm - 5:30pm.
Full day: 9:00am - 5:00pm. 8:00am is way too early. Can I leave later? Maybe. If it is a Fri-Sat-Sun reservation then get your lazy butt outta bed and be on time. If you want to sleep in - choose the afternoon slot. Weekdays - Monday through Thursday there MAY be more flexibility depending upon reservations. Ask. What if I arrive late to pick up my boat? Too bad, so sad! You are required to be at the docks at your scheduled departure time. No discount. No ifs, no ands, no buts, no nothing. Don't argue. Come back in on time. What if I return the boat later than the agreed return time? The late fee is $10 per 15 minutes. Our people work long hours and if you keep them away from their families even longer, expect to pay the overtime. Oh, and don't speed down the channel trying to get in on time, the speeding fine issued by Marine Patrol is more than $10 per 15 minutes! A LOT MORE! Come back in on time or pay the late fee with a smile on your face. I've scheduled a half day morning and am having an AWESOME time! I don't want to come in and want to stay out longer. What now?
CALL US! If the boat is NOT scheduled
you can keep it out and we will charge you the extra hourly rate upon return. If the boat IS scheduled and
you are late, late fees apply. How many people can we load on the boat? The boats are rated according to weight. (See above). If you have small children, then extra people can come along. Add up the estimated weight of the party including any coolers and equipment. If your party consists of LARGER people, plan accordingly!!! Like the airlines, we have a scale!!! Overweight boats WILL NOT leave the dock, and NO, you can't pay for extra baggage!!! Can I pick up my friends and family at another dock? NO! We are required to ensure the boat is not overloaded and the only way we can do that is to have everyone board at our docks. You may not pickup additional passengers at another dock.
SUNSCREEN! HATS! SUNGLASSES! Beach towels, snacks/lunch. Lots of water and soft drinks - the sun and saltwater will dehydrate you in no time! Feel free to bring beach chairs, umbrellas, snorkel gear (also available for for rent). YOU MUST HAVE A FULLY CHARGED CELL PHONE ON AND OPERABLE AT ALL TIMES! We made an EXCESSIVE MESS of the boat. Is there an additional charge? Yes...and No. If you want to clean it up we'll provide buckets, mop and soap. No charge. If we have to clean your mess then we'll charge a $75 "PIG STY" fee. Shame on you and you instantly go on the the "NO RENT LIST".
You can add a Porta Potty for $50 (this price includes us cleaning it when you return - and NO, you can't clean it yourself for a reduced price - we've tried that one before!!). All boats have privacy areas except: "It's My Ponty" and "Ponty Riffic" Other Options: 1) Hold it 2) The Gulf of Mexico is your "bowl" 3) That's it! No other options! Pee on our boats - You own them. EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!! Why is the Porta Potty so expensive? The $50 rental fee is actually split. $25 goes to Windsong for the rental and the employee who has to clean the porta potty gets the other $25. This is the only way we can get our staff to clean your you-know-what. If I didn't use the Porta Potty and return it empty do I get my money back? No. That's like renting a movie and taking it back the next day saying you didn't watch it and want your money back. They don't know you didn't watch it and we don't know you didn't use the potty and dump it out. We are going to clean and sanitize it anyway. How deep should the water be when I anchor at the island? Here's our guideline: If you can stand next to the boat and pee without people seeing you pee, you are anchored in the perfect depth for the boat! This means you are in about 2 1/2-3 feet of water - crotch height, basically. How does the fuel charge work? We provide a full tank of gas, we check to see how much gas you used when you get back and charge you market value plus $0.50/gallon to cover the oil used. You MAY NOT gas up the boat yourself, because it takes a special mix. Charge of $300 if you do, as you will probably have trashed the engine. How much fuel can I expect to use? If you go just to the island and back, most our boats will use between 4-6 gallons depending on your load and how heavy you are on the throttle. Double that if you go exploring down to the light house.
Contact us by cell phone for specific instructions. The best place to be in a storm is anchored at the island taking shelter under the shade top. Pontoon boats are generally NOT targets for lightning and our summer storms pass very quickly. If you are delayed returning to dock by a storm you WILL NOT be charged overtime fees. Your safety is our utmost concern. However, if you then use the storm as an excuse to party on at the island well past your return time, we WILL charge you overtime fees! Our office has radar, we KNOW when the storm passed the island.
What happens if we don't pay attention to the tides
and our rental boat gets beached? Your checkout person will advise you of the tide swing of the day. If you don't pay attention - you are up the creek without the proverbial paddle. If we have to send another boat out to fetch your butts and one of our poor staff members has to sit on your boat until the tide comes in 10 hours later, they need to be paid for their time and gas, so there will be a $250 charge added to your credit card. Stupidity unfortunately, has its price. You can avoid this charge by keeping an eye on the boat and water AT ALL TIMES and letting the anchor lines out as the tides drop AS ADVISED PRIOR TO DEPARTURE! What happens if we break something on the boat? You break it, you bought it! The State of Florida does not allow us to sell boat insurance, so be careful not to break or lose anything. Click HERE for a list of charges for items lost.
Yes! However, you are still responsible for any damage your party might cause, such as tears in the upholstery, cigarette burns, etc. Plus the best snorkel spots are in a NO BOATING ZONE for self drive renters as they are tricky to find with loads of underwater rocks. Hire a captain, no problem he/she is allowed to take you there. What happens if the boat won't start when I need to come in?
Call us IMMEDIATELY! We will talk you through the basic checks to
make sure the correct starting procedures have been followed - AS
EXPLAINED PRIOR TO DEPARTURE. If this
does not work, we will send a boat out to tow you in. If on arrival we
find that the problem is "OPERATOR ERROR" (you didn't follow the starting
procedures) then a $50/hour
What happens if I get lost and cannot find my way back? You will be provided with a GPS. Call us if you get lost and we will talk you through using the GPS to find your way to the marina. If you still can't figure it out and we need to fetch you and guide you home it is a $50/hr charge. Using a GPS is not rocket science! I have never driven a boat before, will you rent to me?
Certainly, but you will need to arrive a little earlier
so we can give you a quick boating lesson. This takes 10-20 minutes depending on how quickly
you get it. Plan to
arrive 30 minutes prior to departure. You may also consider the online
Florida Boater's Safety Course before you arrive. Click
HERE.
May I go out on a sunset cruise? Yes, but you will need to hire a captain. Being out in the dark can be very confusing and dangerous for a person who does not know the area thoroughly. What happens if I am late returning my boat? $10/15 minutes late fee. You have a 15 minute grace period. Keep an eye on your watch and get your butt in on time!
Yes, however... - Pet(s) count toward your total weight allowance (remember we have a scale!) - Pet(s) MUST have a leash and life jackets are recommended for your animal's safety - We DO NOT provide life jackets for animals - $25 sanitation and hair removal fee, unless you rent the 20' Standard or 20' Fun 'n Fish, which do not have carpets, and are pet friendly. The $25 is charged on all other boats even if you say your pet is "non-shedding". - Owner responsible for ALL damage caused by pet - State of Florida requires pets on island MUST be on a leash at all times
- Please remember fresh water and a bowl for Fido! May I fish from the pontoon boat? Yes, but you need to bring your own fishing license. Florida law states you must gut fish on land. If you get fish blood, bait goo and guts all over our boats see "Excessive Mess" FEE above! Fishing rods are available for rent. If I come in early will I get a refund?
Depends. If you came in early because you didn't like
communing with Florida's nature or got too much sun, then NO WAY! However,
if the weather turned and WE INSTRUCTED you to come in early then we will
In conclusion... The secret to a great day on the water with Windsong Boat Rental is COMMUNICATION! You have a cell phone, call us! We are happy to guide you and advise you. By now you have realized that Windsong is fun and has a sense of humor and we really want YOU to have fun too! However, if you break our stuff, our sense of humor disappears very quickly!!! See our Hall of Shame Now go ahead and read our RULES and GUIDELINES
Areas our New Port Richey location is close to: Boat Rental near Tampa, Boat Rental near Clearwater, Boat Rental near Clearwater Beach, Boat Rental near St. Petersburg, Boat Rental near St. Pete Beach, Boat Rental near Palm Harbor, Boat Rental near Tarpon Springs, Boat Rental near Holiday, Boat Rental near New Port Richey, Boat Rental near Port Richey, Boat Rental near Hudson, Boat Rental near Spring Hill, Boat Rental near Hernando. Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando counties. We are 2 hours drive from Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando. HOME | PONTOON BOATS | KAYAKS & CANOES | RESERVATIONS | SITE MAP Boat Rentals Tampa Bay | Kayak Rentals Tampa Bay | Sailing in Tampa | Jet Ski Rental Tampa | Canoe Rental Tampa Beach Camping Tampa Bay | Beach BBQ Party | Birthday Party Tampa | Boat Trailer Rental Tampa | Cheap Beach Wedding, Fl Big Pontoon Boat Rental | Fishing Boat Rental Tampa | Boat Rental Gift Certificates | Corporate Events | Bachelor Party Idea ©Copyright 2002-2011 Windsong Boat Rental, Tampa - Web design by Longman Computers |
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You make a reservation either by phone or online.
You pay a non-refundable $75 deposit via credit card (either online or over the
phone) to confirm your reservation. NO deposit, NO reservation.
We don't "pencil" people in, don't bother asking - our
computerized reservation system does not have a pencil mode! 
See above.
What do I bring?
Where are the "facilities"?
What if a storm comes while we are out on the
water?
If I hire a
captain am I resolved of relieved of responsibility to the
boat?
charge will be added to your credit card
to cover our time and gas. Once again, stupidity has it's price!!!
May I take my dog with me?
pro-rata your time on the water.