FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. Do I have to have a boating safety certificate to rent a boat?
A. Were you born after 1988? If so, than yes. Safety is our top priority!
Florida Law requires that any person driving the boat who is born AFTER 1988 to have completed a boater safety course. This course can be found through the BoatUS site below or can be completed in Key Largo during your visit.
We reserve the right to deny rental to anyone, at anytime, for any reason.
Q. What are the check-out and check-in times?
A. The check-out time for a FULL-DAY rental is 8:00am, and the check-in time around 4:00pm.
The check-out and check-in times for a HALF-DAY are 8:00am - 12:00pm or 1:00pm - 5:00pm
Q. What if we are late or can not make it in time for the morning check-out?
A. THAT'S OK! Just please let us know immediately.
We understand that things do not always go according to plan and traffic in Southern Florida can be terrible! It's why we prefer boats and the open ocean.
We only ask that you coordinate with us so that we can be there when you arrive.
Q. What is the 'boat orientation'?
A. During the check-out process, you will be asked to fill out a rental waiver and a Florida Friend Staff Member will take you on a tour of the rental boat. During this time we will show and familiarize you with the boat's safety equipment and amenities.
This process only takes about 10 fun-filled minutes.
Q. Do I need a fishing license?
A. You do if you want to go fishing.
It is your responsibility to know the local fishing laws and regulations, as well as come prepared. The boats do not carry any fishing license, nor do we sell them. We also do not sell bait or tackle. But don't worry! There is a bait and tackle shop just 5 minutes up the road.
Q. Does the boat have a GPS?
A. They certainly do! All of our boats have a fully loaded GPS marked with all of the local reefs and wrecks in Key Largo, as well as all other safety equipment such as marine radios, life jackets, anchors, emergency supplies, and more. We even have a sweet Bluetooth radios on every boat so you can listen to your favorite tunes while you cruise.
Q. Can we scuba dive from the boat?
A. Unfortunately, due to the inherent risk of scuba diving, we cannot allow scuba diving or any activity involving ‘compressed gasses’ …It’s an insurance and safety thing.
Snorkeling, however, is 100% fine and totally recommended! There are many beautiful reefs to see in Key Largo waters. We even have all the snorkel gear you need available for rent, such as masks, fins, and snorkels! We will even show you all of the different reefs that you can visit and snorkel inside of John Pennekamp’s Underwater State Park on the boat’s GPS.
Q. If I rent a boat for more than one day, do I have to bring it back each night? (We do offer DISCOUNTED RATES on 2-day rentals or longer!)
A. The benefit of bringing the boat back to us, instead of keeping it at your place of stay, is that we will clean and re-fuel the boat for you each evening. Just let us know what time you plan to be back and we will be there to accommodate the best we can. We want you to enjoy your time out on the water, leave the tough stuff to us! If you have a multi-day rental with us, we are also more lenient on time.
We do however, let you bring the multi-day rental to your hotel/condo/AirB&B overnight if it is in an approved marina or slip. Just let us know where you would like to keep it and we will let you know if it is an approved slip location.
Please keep in mind that the rental-agreement you will sign expressly forbids the use of our boats for night operation. We ask that you follow that rule and only run the boat during daylight hours.
Again, safety first!
Q. Do you have a cancellation policy?
A. Yes. Please read below.
For full and half-day rentals: Full refunds are provided with an advanced notice of at least 48 hours prior to the start of the rental/reservations date. Please note that any reservation cancellations within 48 hours are non-refundable.
Holidays, Holiday-Weekends, and Mini-Season: During holidays as well as mini-season, you will be required to pay in-full at the time of booking. Reservations will be non-refundable.
Please note: Sometimes, due to weather, we are required to cancel or post-pone your reservation for your safety. If this is the case, a full-refund will be provided.
Q. Do you supply fishing or snorkeling gear?
A. Heck yes we do! We gladly offer full snorkeling sets, which include: Mask, Fins, and Snorkel. We also have several fishing rods available for rental as well. They have 12 lb. line and can be great for patch reef fishing. Each set of snorkel gear is $10 and each rental fishing rod is also an additional $10.
More information on our rental gear can be found by clicking on the button below!