We received a very thorough explanation of the boat and the area. She directed us to a a little... read more
We received a very thorough explanation of the boat and the area. She directed us to a a little... read more
Have been renting boats here for 4 years and love the customer service and how much knowledge they... read more
I made a reservation with Maya over a month in advance for a boat. We were informed the day before that the boat we reserved was not available at the original location I chose. Maya said she had another boat available at the Summerland location if we wanted to drive 20 minutes down the road. This was slightly irritating since I specifically rented from the Big Pine Fishing Lodge location since that was where we were camping and it was easier to get to the open water from there. We started to go through the lessons of maneuvering the boat (which was bigger than we rented originally) and the engine started to give us warning sounds. After the associate called her he informed us that she was not comfortable letting us go out on the water especially since the waters were suppose to get rough later in the day. This was not the case since I checked earlier and it was to calm more as the day went on. After calling her myself I was told that out of all her 25 boats none were available for us and she would not put us in an unsafe vessel. I asked how she could not have anything available and as a business owner how could you not make sure something is working if you know there is a reservation that far in advance. She was rude and said she couldn’t help it if the boats were not working. She suggested another rental company (Aqua Boat Rentals) and said there was nothing she could do. Luckily I called Aqua and they had something for us and were great! As for Big Pine Boat Rentals…. never again and I would suggest staying away if you plan on trying to book in advance. Plus, the boat was pretty beat up as it was. By the way, the water ended up being beautiful and calm! (see pics)
After bailing on a sketchy looking boat rental operation in Summerland Key, we called this place on a whim, and I'm so glad we did. Maya sprang into action and got us on a boat within the hour. The craft was in great shape and the price was right for what we were looking for. More than anything, though, Maya took great care of us.
I'm an experienced Lake Michigan boater, so Maya was never condescending but helped me immensely with the nuances of Keys boating, particularly around some of the narrow channels.
In short, she's our Keys boat rental agent for as long as we keep visiting. Thanks, Maya!
For the third year in a row we have rented from Maya at Big Pine Key Boat Rental. This time was a full week. The equipment works great. The first year we had an issue with the rental and Maya quickly made it better. When she asked why we hadn't asked contacted her earlier I told her I thought the engine was a little quirky. She explained that she can't afford to have quirky equipment because of the variety of experience that rents from her. After that I realized that her equipment was top notch. We haven't had an issue since.
We used the boat daily, heading both to the back country for fishing and the ocean side for snorkeling and diving. We had a 22' Cat with 150hp 4-stroke. We caught tarpon (among other fish) daily fishing a deep cut next to a flat. Then we headed out to Looe Key to snorkel the reef. It was a great boat for both uses. I would recommend Big Pine Key Boat Rentals to any friends that head to the Keys!
WE had been shut out 4 times in a row in attempting to rent a boat at the Navy Sigsbee Marina so tried this on a lark.
The rental is on Summerland Key at milepost 24.5. They have a lot of power boats available that start at $225 for the day which is reasonable.
We rented their biggest Boat the Pursuit and the total cost for the day gas included was $337.48. WE had a brand new 250HP outboard motor that ran like a dream. Plenty of power but also ran very good at low speed. They obviously take care of their machines. The staff was very friendly and we were out all day. Our return time was 530 pm. Plenty of fishing available as well as swimming. We caught our limits in snapper. We also caught grouper which were not in season yet.
If you like to fish and want a great experience.....try this out. You will like it.