We had rented a pontoon for a Sunday. I was told there are only FULL day rentals and no half days. I had informed them we wouldn't be arriving until 11:30 and would be losing the first three hours of renting that we pay for. Yep! Full day fee no matter what. Whatever, fine we will pay the full day. We went from 11:30-5(losing the first three hours we still paid for). When we returned the boat I was told a white bumper is missing from the boat. It was in the front seat storage but I was still needing to pay an additional $40 to cover the "lost" bummer. So no I was charged not only for the three hours while it sat at the dock not using gas but now I have to pay for a lost bumper that's really there? What the unused hour fees couldn't have covered the bumper fee?? RIP OFF! And the gal who checked us out wouldn't even hear us out. NEVER would recommend this place for renting!! They just want your money vs even considering that maybe the customer is right?!? Don't worry Ding's dick will respond. I a well aware I paid for a full day when I didn't use a full day. That's not my complaint. Poor customer service!!! they had plenty of left over funds we didn't use to replace the bumper. We do have pics of the boat prior to us leaving the dock so the bumper was wasn't there so it wasn't lost in our time. The fact you're not even willing to work with a customer means it's all about how big your wallet can get anyway. We also had an injury in the water and if they truly are customer friendly where it the first aid kit on your boats? NONEXISTENT! The snarky email response this morning was the best to top things off. This place stinks! read more

7/18/25 We had such a fantastic day! Alex and crew at Dings Dock took such great care of us. We had family coming and going at different times during full day rental. They were very kind about us redocking for multiple pick ups. The set up is flawless. I would absolutely recommend treating your family and friends to a boat rental from Dings Dock! read more

Rented a boat on July 21, 2025. I could not believe how efficient everything was. From the phone call about renting, to the explanation about rules, the boat, even gave us a map. The young men and women that work here were amazing. I would give the entire experience a 10++++++. Thank you everyone read more

Good place overall Had a lot of fun Clean water Not all murky Enjoyable to be at Good experience overall! read more

Ding's Dock was the best!! Communication was great, prices were reasonable, the staff was fun and friendly, and the owners were super sweet to us and thanked us personally after our voyage. We even got a post card in the mail a few days later thanking us once again. I mean...come on. Who does that any more. Ding's wow'd us for sure. We can't wait to visit the chain again! read more

What an amazing experience we had. From the initial phone call to inquire about a pontoon rental and until the return of the pontoon rental, the service was extraordinary. From the young lady who checked us in to the young man who navigated us into the what seemed so narrow space possessed outstanding customer service and directional skills. We were provided a map of locations to lounge on our floats without being a hazard to other boaters. We could not have had a more wonderfu and relaxing day then we did. Definitely will be renting from Ding's Dock again and highly recommend it to others. When we got home there was a postcard from Ding's Dock thanking us for renting from them. Now, that's a way to ensure return customers. read more

Great childhood memories of Dings Dock and the "Chain". We have rented from Dings twice now and have been very pleased. Great pontoon rental. Helpful and knowledgeable staff. read more

Ding's Boat Dock - Boating Near Me - Waupaca, Wisconsin

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We have have been regular customers of Ding's Dock for pontoon rentals. Have always had a great experience, and enjoyed our rentals. The prices are reasonable for a day of fun with family and friends. The owner was responsive to an email I sent, and resolved an issue we had during our last rental. Definitely would recommend to anyone looking to rent a pontoon. read more

Rented a pontoon for four of us for a half day on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Everyone was polite and solicitous. The pontoon was not a luxury craft (we sat on plastic patio chairs) but we were comfortable. Hired Billy to take us out and spend the afternoon with us. He was knowledgable about the lake and we felt safe. All in all a very enjoyable afternoon on the chain of lakes. read more

We couldn't stop raving about how fantstic our day was. We rented a 20' pontoon for a full Friday but due to stormy weather didn't go out and decided to take a raincheck. Ding's Dock allowed us to upgrade our Friday rental to a Saturday rental for Labor Day Weekend with only a week's notice. The 5 employees I interacted with were all so knowledgeable and kind. We brought our own camping chairs to use on the boat instead of the plastic patio chairs they proivide and the 5 of us were so comfortable. There are a few different restaurants you can dock right up to for lunch and Ding's Dock employees are happy to direct you to them as well as some other fun things to see around the chain o' lakes. Highly recommend, will definitely be back! read more

Our family of 15 came with an hour drive. We had a reservation. We saw there are plastic chairs on the boat, so we asked nicely why are there plastic chairs. In a matter of 2 seconds the owner lost his mind and said "I don't want to do business with you". His wife was nice enough to talk with us, but his attitude was wrong and he didn't want to talk about why he got angry. There was no reason, and his attitude was no way to run a business. After everyone talking to his wife, she ultimately did not give us the boat. Horrible experience and most racist place. His name was Phil. If I could rate it 0 stars, I would. He has no experience running a business or any knowledge about customer satisfaction. His wife was also just standing there. read more

If I could zero stars I would.. the good value will end up costing you in the end. I rented a pontoon for less than 6 hours, we were charged us $500 on top of our rental fees. For "pressure washing" the deck (food scraps) and a propeller issue. We weren't provided with a broom or any type of cleaning instrument. The water is also incredibly shallow if you're not familiar with the lakes, we got stuck twice and both times stopped the engine and pushed ourselves out. Most of the time we were in sand bars and not in the boat. Owner was incredibly nasty when we tried to discuss the egregious charge. Will never ever go here again. read more

Ding' Dock is an overpriced pontoon boat rental for what you get. After the boat ride a worker and the owner examined the propeller. It felt demeaning and awkward. We were then charged an additional $200.00 for a cheap propeller. The owner would not believe us when we said we did not hit a rock. The water level was so low by their departure dock that we got hung up in sand within two minutes. This was NOT a positive experience renting a pontoon at Dings Dock. read more

Do you enjoy getting out on the water? Do you prefer lesser known, smaller places rather the massive expanses of Lake Michigan? I have found you a spot just don't tell everyone about this sweet location in central Wisconsin. This is a destination spot plain and simple. You won't see any signs off the highway directing you here. Even if you made it to Waupaca County and the city of Waupaca and drove around you may still never find this place. They do not do very much advertising on a large scale basis but they depend on word of mouth. Whenever someone asks me about a different getaway, I always recommend this place for some outdoor fun and adventure. They are well known for their three hour guided boat tour of the Chain O' Lakes and canoe trip down the Crystal river. It is a very affordable and fun way to spend an afternoon. They also offer canoe rentals, boat rentals and have a restaurant and a picnic area right there too. Like any outdoor recreation area, this place is going to be busy during the summer months, especially on the weekends. Ding's is no exception but you are not going to get the elbow to elbow crowds here that will take away from the experience. If you do come up here in a BAD time of drought, please call ahead as the level of the river may be too low to canoe or boat. read more

Great pontoon! Started every time, nice ladder, chairs and even extra gas can. Only trouble was a few grumpy staff. JJ checked us in and went over everything clearly. Also helped us out later in the week when we traded in our original sharp and rusty anchor for one in better shape. We had made an arrangement, confirmed both in writing and by phone, to return the pontoon Sunday morning. When we did, were greeted by a surly middle-aged man (?Dan) who abruptly approached me wanting to know if we were leaving town. I was confused both by his manner and his question, and asked why he wanted to know. He stormed off and apparently told my husband they usually don't process returns Sunday morning. He then stormed past me spitting out "meet me up there, sweetheart, and I'll check you out". At that point, "sweetheart" was clearly not a term of endearment. I was checked out by a young blonde woman who seemed to have difficulty understanding what among the credit card deposit, cash refund and previously written check, (all involved in the transaction) I wanted to review before stepping away from the window. Summary: good boat, grumpy people (with a fee notable exceptions). read more

Not a great experience overall. The place was wonderful and service was okay. The boat ride over was quite enjoyable and the first 10 minutes of canoeing was great...until you hit that unmentioned mile of 6 inches of water. Yeah, 2.5 feet in some spots...but then only 6-8 inches in others. There were also way too many obstacles in the river, too many low lying branches, and far to many times where the canoe got stuck or sunk. Would not recommend for anyone who is looking for an easy time down the river, nor would I recommend this to any couples whose combined weight is over 300 lbs. read more

I found it very peculiar several years ago kayaking down the Crystal River and every time I encountered many people who were stranded or needed help because they rented these dinky row boats from Dings Dock that were suppose to take them down the Crystal River. These little boats were obviously NOT meant for that river. Some people were crying and afraid. I witnessed this 4/4 times when I went down this river. To top it off, the owner of Dings Dock SELLS T-shirts that say "I survived Dings Dock or Crystal River(something of that sort)", so this jerk knows he's renting out unsafe equipment! So I would never recommend or give the Dick from Ding's Dock any business! read more

If you are OK with walking a bit of the way, it's an OK ride. The canoes are really banged up, and I can see why as the creek/river's level was less than 1' in many places. For the $ 16.25 per person we paid, it's not too bad. What WAS an issue is that our Boy Scout Troop talked to someone on the phone TWO times and was NEVER told that they don't take credit cards. Really?!?! In this day and age?!?! That's just being cheap and not accepting that taking plastic is a cost of doing business. So I was directed to use their ATM (they have to get a cut of the $ 3 fee I was charged) that had a $ 200 withdrawal limit. Hmmmm, want to guess as to the bill total? Um, yeah...$ 195. Guess it's a good thing we didn't have another 3 or 4 Scouts go on this trip. The financial aspect alone is enough for me to say that we will NEVER (and I mean NEVER) go to this place again. Join the 90's and start taking credit cards. You're not in the backwaters of the world. You're in a relatively large tourist area. You're not putting money into your equipement...might as well accept the expense of taking MC and Visa. read more

If i could give it zero stars i would. we lost a $20 anchor and made us pay $158. It was disgusting. Employees are terribly rude and should not be in customer service. I am highly disgusted by this business please do not spend your money here. read more

Quite certainly the worst experience of my life. Expect to flip the canoe over every few minutes, injure yourself on rocks, and get fiberglass all over your body trying to flip the canoes back over. Did not enjoy a single moment of this experience from the second my friends and I climbed into our canoes. read more

This was the most insane experience of my life. The employees were the rudest people I had ever met. I work in customer service and if I ever talked to a customer the way we were talked to I'd expect to be fired. Do not waste your money here. We wanted a fun family weekend for the 4th of July and they ruined it. To travel from Texas to see family and be talked to like that is disgusting read more

Unfortunately I cannot leave less than one star. What they call canoes can loosely be described as fiberglass coffins. The "river" that you are dropped at, it is hardly deep enough to be a creek in most places. If you are over 200 pounds, do not rent these canoes because you will spend most of your trip trying to pour out water. Way too many dangerous trees and jagged rocks in this "river." Took over 5 hours to complete this trip from hell and would not recommend this to my worst enemy! read more

Don't waste your time at this place and try to find somewhere else if you want to do some rental boating. Management was extremely rude. The equipment is even worse than you would expect (canoe trip). Bad experience overall. read more

The canoes were in terrible condition - ours was leaky and filled with water instantly. And the water wasn't even close to being deep enough in the creek. After pushing the boat for 30 minutes through ankle-deep water, one member of our party gave up and walked back. They refused to refund our money. Those with a working canoe did have an ok time, but even those drug on the bottom most of the trip. read more

We went here for a school field trip and I'm honestly blown away by the lack of information they give. The canoes, if you can even call them that, were fiberglass boxes riddled with holes and cracks. Our canoe tipped constantly and was always filling with water. They gave us no warning for the terrible path. It was filled with rocks and fallen over trees blocking the river. If they are aware of the riptide and strong current of the water they surely didn't make it known. This was, all in all, a unnecessarily long, dangerous, and overall unenjoyable experience. Would not recommend. read more

To be fair, I was not a Ding's Dock customer. I was eating lunch next door at the Indian Crossing Casino and two ladies with me (in their 60's) had difficulty getting back in to my boat after lunch. I told them to just walk next door and I would pick them up. The Ding's Dock staff was horrible. They yelled at me that I could not pull up to their dock. My mother and aunt needed to get off their property. I think that they would do well to remember the golden rule. read more

Had a pretty good experience here. We rented a 20' pontoon. It worked fine but the boats are just flat with cheap plastic lawn chairs and no comfortable seating. They said this was typical of rental places. They were ready for us and check in was fine. The guy who went over everything with me was nice but just was flying through all of the instructions and warnings about rocks and getting stuck, etc. Maybe most people he deals with have driven pontoons but I hadn't. He would have known that if he had a conversation with me but instead he was just rattling off all the guidelines and warnings without really looking up. The main thing was that the boat worked great despite it's datedness and we had fun on the water. The girl who checked us in at the end of the day on the booth couldn't muster any sort of smile but overall a decent experience. Disappointed in the 5% fee for using a credit card. It's 2018. We know you get charged fees as a business by the credit card companies but 99% of businesses don't charge their customers a fee. read more

Terrible experience. The canoes are horrible. Extremely shallow water. Spent most of the trip walking because our canoe kept getting caught on huge rocks. Many trees are down throughout the course of the trip. There were NO signs of direction that would indicate that you are going the correct way. Spent close to 5 hours struggling to complete this "trip". Huge waste of time and money. read more

Our group had no complaints about the pontoon really just the staff... the middle aged man who checked us in when we got back was rude and never even looked at our group just mumbled something nasty when we didn't have our back tie ready to hand him right away when bringing the boat in. Only 1 older lady said thank you when we were driving out otherwise everyone so stressed out and didn't go out of their way to talk with you or make you feel welcome. We'll go back to Taylor Marine from now on. Too bad... it used to be an awesome place. read more

Ding's Dock has made a name for itself through its world famous Crystal River Canoe Trip. For a paltry $20 you can experience the beauty and serenity of the Crystal River. The dock's run down sign that hasn't seen fresh paint since Monica Lewinsky was in the Oval Office really sets the tone for the rest of the trip. Hop aboard the pontoon but be careful on your way, there may be the odd rusty nail or loose plank on the dock. One wrong move and you'll be knee deep in water or have a tetanus filled nail shoved up your foot. Climb aboard the "meticulously maintained" pontoon. No matter how large you canoeing group is the deckhands will make sure you all fit onboard. I'm not quite sure how they legally let us cram 40 kids on it, but I'm not one to ask questions. 10 minutes into your peaceful ride across the charming lake, the Captain gives a quick talk to the passengers. He starts out by explaining that you are canoeing the river at your own risk. If you weren't worried about the condition of the dock or the fact that the pontoon you're riding on has slowly been sinking, then you are sure to start panicking now. He also gives you key directions for your journey. After your pontoon Captain deftly maneuvers the craft to the mouth of the river, he will hop out and start unhitching the canoes you have been towing along. Don't worry about looking for a quality canoe - there aren't any. These canoes have more holes in them than a block of swiss cheese and have been in service since 'Nam. The canoes also come with a complimentary dose of water already sloshing around inside of the canoe. This is to prepare you for the adventures to come. Once you hop aboard your canoe you will immediately realize that the sides are extremely low to the river and take on water very easily. Not to worry, because you will have plenty of opportunities to empty the water out of your canoe since you will be getting swamped so much throughout your trip down the river. The river lures you in by having a easily navigable entry way that even a landlubber could cruise through with ease. Once you hit the first set of rapids, it's game over. Your canoe will scrape along every rock possible and make a worrisome noise each and every time. Don't feel bad if you damage the canoe, Ding will have his crew patch up any holes following your trip and they won't even charge you extra for the damage. You are likely to get your canoe completely filled with water during the rapids. Hopefully you're wearing an old pair of shoes you don't care about, because you're going to have to hop out into the river muck and use all your strength to flip the canoe over and drain the water out, all while the river is raging around you. Paddles and life jackets sometimes are lost to the river, so if you see one floating along be a good Samaritan and snag it so you can hang it in one of the numerous trees laying across the river - that way your fellow canoers can reclaim their lost gear. About 1/3 of the way through you will come to a bridge with 2 tunnels. If you're like me, you listened to every detail of the Captain's directions and remembered that he said the incorrect tunnel would be blocked off. Hopefully that's not what you were banking on, because it isn't. The left tunnel will guide you to safety while the right tunnel leads you down a waterfall to injury and/or death. After a quick portage (or waterfall of doom) you continue to follow the river through more rapids, this time they are lined with trees that are lying horizontal to the water. Nimble canoers can duck under these fallen trees. The not so nimble can try to duck under them and pop their heads up early. This may result in possible concussions and/or large, unsightly bruises to the forehead. If you manage to dodge the logs, you're sure to swamp a few times in the next sets of rapids. Not to worry - by this point will have so much experience fixing your swamped canoe that you will be an expert at it. There is known to be an old man that roams the banks of the river while wearing nothing but tube socks and a pair of silk boxer briefs strewn about his ankles. If you manage to avoid the unfortunate sighting of the Naked Man, you will encounter some more rapids, which by this point you either really love or really hate. Either way, victory is near and about 30 minutes after the forks you will see the beach head with a Ding's Dock sign to greet you. Pick up the wired telephone that is attached to a pole and it will connect you straight to Ding at the dock. About 15 minutes later, a van that hippies probably peddled drugs out of in the 70s will come to pick you up. Load up your gear and enjoy the ride back to Ding's Dock. Dry off, buy a t shirt, and hopefully you brought some duct tape along that you can use to remove all the fiberglass from your skin. I give the Crystal River Canoe Trip a solid 5 out of 5 stars. It has everything - adventure, danger, and slightly questionable legality along the way. read more

This place is the worst. Do not go here. Bill. Is not customer friendly go to any other bar / restaurant / rental on the chain of lakes. My family will never come here again and we will pass this message on to all family and girl and boy scout groups that we know. read more

Not only were the bathrooms unavailable (we had to go to a restaurant nearby to go), the staff was extremely rude, the canoes were disgusting, and overall the experience terrible. I couldn't believe they were still in business with how rude they were, and we had to have exact change for the canoes. They wouldn't even give us an extra life vest for a friend who was sitting in the middle of the canoe. NEVER going here again. read more

We did not rent from Ding's Dock, but one of their employees (possibly owner?) was very rude to my family and I today. We were trying to pick up two family members at the dock, unaware that the dock was private property. Instead of politely informing us of this, we were rudely yelled at in the boat, and the two family members on shore were not even allowed onto the dock to make other arrangements. When they started to walk away, this employee rudely followed them and kept yelling at them that it was private property. One of our family members on shore has a disability and needed time to regroup and figure out where she could be picked up. We live in the area and will definitely not be doing business with Ding's Dock nor recommending them to friends visiting the area. We expect a higher standard of professionalism from area businesses. read more

Had a very poor experience with a boat rental. Relatives in from out of town..thunderstorm. We did not spend an hour on the lake...Their policy is no refunds for weather. We were told on the phone that if we came and the weather turned on us, we could come back the next day. when the lightning started, we were told that the person who told us that did not have the authority to allow for that. My understanding is that a credit will be offered toward another trip.......only after much arguing....The kids won't be back until Christmas....If I were you I would go to Beckers. read more

Rude, misleading and a horrible time. We specifically asked about water levels and we're told it was great. We walked at least 3/4 of the trip. Upon complaining we were told the sherif was called, we waited but he never showed. Save yourself a terrible experience, don't go here! Ever!!!! read more

I want to start off immediately and say how inconsiderate and disrespectful of a business this place actually is. I was out on the water with my family enjoying the day, when my aunt started to have a very upset stomach and needed find somewhere to dock because she really needed to use the bathroom. We "attempted" to approach Ding's Dock and even before we were within 50ft. a staff member comes to the end of the dock and asked how he could help. We'd informed him of our"bathroom emergency" and how she needed to get to shore, his exact response was " my boss is kind of a dick, he wouldn't go for that." More than surprised, we'd told him we'd buy something just so we could get to shore, he then somewhat smiled and said "sorry." This is a horribly managed business and doesn't deserve to operate on such a beautiful waterway. I'm making sure that this message gets heard and I have family who keeps there boats there... no more. Even though I didn't have a direct experience with the service they offered, this business deserves nothing better than to show there true colors and how bad of management and staff they have running that so called "business". If you want to enjoy a good time on the water and be treated like a valued customer, avoid this place at all costs. read more

I tend to be kind of confused when I read reviews that rated 5 stars like some on this site. This is just straight out not fun, the only reason I didn't rate it one star is because to some extent its not completely this business's fault. My main problems with the whole experience is the lack of direction and the fact that the river itself is somewhat dangerous. First the direction, you are given oral directions before you board your canoe, basically the guide says go left, portage and then go left again, which seems easy enough, but with this river having some structure as a predetermined path, I expected to have no doubts of which way to go, but I did. Next, the danger... About 40 minutes in you reach the spot right before the portage, the reason for the portage is there is a 4 foot drop which for a possibly weaker canoe partners might be hard to navigate away from. (Maybe they could put bars there?... The Canoes are very hard to steer, if you can at all) To be honest, most of the river is a blur so I'm not able to really give you the estimated times on the bad parts, but there are about 5-10 depending on how heavy you are. (If possible, I suggest one adult and one child, this keeps the weight down and your clearance under the canoe larger) Our canoe was fairly heavy, and we definitely had to get out at least 10 times. I understand how some people would want this trip to be an adventure and figuring out how to handle the problems themselves, but some signs on where there are less rocks would really be useful. Some spots you have to literally scrape the canoe on both sides, and pray you still get through without tipping or having to get out. Also, there are numerous fallen trees and limbs going across the river fairly low, and you really have to duck. About the worst part, is when you come to a very small bridge, (again I can't remember exactly how far in) The current pulls the front of your canoe to the left, BUT you only have about 4 feet, and the canoe is about 6.5 feet long. We tipped, got flipped in front of the canoe, the canoe slipped loose and scraped us along the rocks for a while, and then finally passed us making us run up the river, slipping on rocks falling, hitting your knees constantly, to try to catch it. Then whenever you tip, the canoe WILL fill with water, forcing you to find a rock to prop it against while you try to flip it to drain the water. This can get tiring when you do it 20-30 times. So maybe as an alternative, when we stopped to portage, we noticed that theres a place that must rent bikes, (because we saw so many people riding past us on bikes) so, if you absolutely must go up here, I strongly suggest you consider biking over floating in a fiberglass boat held together by duct tape.... Note: If you actually go, bring duct tape, your knees will be filled with fiberglass by the end. read more