I have been sailing with Pinnacle every summer since 2003 when my wife gave me a season's lease as a Christmas present. They offer a program that more then meets my desire for sailing beautiful, well-equipped yachts on short daylong sails with all the convenience of Monroe Harbor in Chicago and with none of the headaches of ownership. A few comments: PROFESSIONALISM: At the time i joined in 2003, Pinnacle had just a few yachts in Chicago. I was initially overwhelmed with the caliber of the personal, professional attentiveness of the staff to every question, concern and need. Remarkably, as Pinnacle has grown considerably with hundreds of captains now in the program on the east coast and in Florida in addition to expanding in Chicago, the level of personal responsiveness is absolutely undiminished. The Pinnacle team is a class act. The SHARED LEASE EXPERIENCE: I fully expected that sharing a yacht with 9 other captains would sometimes result in finding the boat a bit messy or in some disrepair on occasion when showing up with friends and family for a day on the water. To the contrary - the yachts are meticulously maintained with a weekly once-over by the staff. And the captains in the program are extremely attentive to leaving the yacht in pristine condition for the next captain on the schedule. In 8 years, I have never boarded my Pinnacle yacht and found any evidence of someone else having been on it; OK, one time i arrived and found a cold sixpack of Blue Moon Ale left in the cooler and a Jimmy Buffett cd in the deck - - - woe is me. The respectfulness of the captains in the program for each other is a real asset - and leaves you with an experience that this is really your yacht and yours alone. The SYSTEM : Managing the sailing schedule is a piece of cake, thanks to an extremely usable website with features that easily support the occasional trading of scheduled sailing days between and among the captains. For the most part, you only know the other captains on your yacht via email exchanges through the website - and their courtesy and responsiveness to each other is always evident. The Pinnacle group goes out of its way to ensure an equitable balance of sailing days across weekdays/weekends, days/evenings, and over the entire sailing season. It's all smooth as butter. The YACHTS: Beautiful Jeanneau yachts - - over the years, i've sailed their 34', 37' and 45' yachts out of Monroe Harbor. All are well rigged, fully equipped and fitted, and well-stocked below with all the supplies one needs. More of a boat than I would ever or could ever afford owning on my own - - all for one lease price. They are spectacular. Overall, can't beat it. I have friends who own sailboats and who hardly ever get out on the Lake as often as I do on my leased Pinnacle yacht. Those who truly enjoy the maintenance, the upkeep and the wintering of a sailboat - - well they have a leg up on me, because i get none of those pleasures. I just enjoy sailing on a beautiful yacht with none of those other headaches - and the Pinnacle option allows exactly that! read more

I'm originally from the Mid-Atlantic coast and living in Chicago the season is rather short in comparison. So why would I own a boat here when I would be spending more time and money with it in storage and maintenance than sailing it? I have been with Pinnacle Yachts for over five years and the cost per sail and time enjoying the yacht has not even been close to the cost or maintance time of owning one. Sharing the boat with fellow captains is not the negative you may even expect. My experience is the high degree of cooperation and communication available between Captains to trade days, offer to help each other out with change in schedules or special events. There is always something to learn and the great backgrounds and resources provide a wealth of information. And when winter arrives, I am fortunate that I have found a group of captains who have become great personal friends through Pinnacle's Caribbean Flotilla. As far as maintenance is concern, any sailor I meet takes pride in their boat and maintaining it to be an enjoyable experience. Pinnacle has cleverly decided to have a fleet of all Jeanneau Sailboats and Sea Ray Powerboats making maintenance personell very knowledgeable and parts very economical. So correcting issues is fairly hands off except to write a note in the captain's log or phone in an issue for immediate attention if needed. All boats are reviewed weekly for any maintenance issues. Cleaning up a boat after yourself is just respect. Although Pinnacle has locations in other cities, it is nice to be able to use the network to sail a boat in Stamford, Annapolis or Miami when traveling out of town. This a dream model worth exploring if you have the desire to go sailing or boating while your schedule is on the go in or out of town. read more

Pinnacle Yachts is outstanding company with a unique value proposition. You get plenty of access to a top quality boat without a long term commitment for a small portion of what it would cost you on your own. But you need to be prepared to follow the rules about cleaning up after yourself. The company has a crew that cleans and maintains the boat every week and they do a great job of it. Each person is also required to tidy up after themselves just like it were your own boat. If you don't, you will hear about it from the company. They are on top of it when it comes to members living-up to their cleaning obligations. The vast majority of people do their part and are glad to see the company stepping in when needed. But those who don't can get a bit ticked-off when pinnacle follows-up with them. So if you're thinking about joining, know that you will need to do your part to keep the boat clean. The program is so fabulous it is worth this small effort. read more

My wife and I joined Pinnacle almost three years ago with one share, four years later here we are having committed to, at our peak, three shares. Not only are the Pinnacle boats kept in outstanding condition, but the logistical efficiency of the broader company is truly impressive. Boats are washed, well maintained, scheduling is easy and user friendly, and fellow-participants go above and beyond to sort out scheduling (via their online based platform for trading and claiming slots) to fit respective time desires. In fact, I can think of few companies which possesses the ability to simultaneously offer outstanding customer service, logistical efficiency, and value. Most importantly, however, Pinnacle is run by hard working, honest, fair business people who aim to serve their client. It is that fact, more than all their other strengths, which makes Pinnacle a winner. read more

I owned a sailboat of my own for about three years, but finally got tired of all the maintanence and I didn't have much time to go out so I sold it. Two years later I came across Pinnacle Yachts and knew that it was perfect for me. It has all the perks of owning a boat without any of the work. I have been a member for two years, and am I thrilled for the upcoming season. The boat (a 45foot Jeanneau) is in pristine condition whenever I arrive. If there is ever a problem the on call maintanence staff is just a phone call away to fix the problem. They are friendly, professional and quick. Pinnacle's scheduling system is genius. It is fair and I was able to pick timeslots that fit into my schedule. My experience with Pinnacle has been great. Can't wait for another season. read more

We have been sailing with Pinnacle Yachts for six years now and could not be happier. Our boat is fantastic with every option and is kept in near perfect condition. The only other people that use the boat are members that we have come to know over the years, with a new person or two joining each season. They are all really good people who care for the boat and respect each other. Pinnacle has a professional staff that maintains and cleans the boat on a regular schedule. These guys are "Johny On The Spot" whenever you need anything. Having leased a yacht from Pinnacle; we would never go back to owning a boat ourselves again. Overall a great experience and a great value for the money. Highly recommended! read more

The experience we had last season with Pinnacle Yachts was outstanding. My husband and I had been trying to find a fun activity the whole family could enjoy, and we decided to lease a share on a 37ft Jeanneau with Pinnacle. It was the best decision we made all summer. The boat was always clean and maintained. I felt very safe having our younger children aboard, because Pinnacle really makes safety a priority. We came into the program with no sailing experience, but the training we recieved from our licensed captain was amazing. She was so friendly and professional and really made us feel like sailing pros by the end. Sailing with Pinnacle was the highlight of my family's summer! Can't wait for next season! read more

I've been a member of Pinnacle for three seasons now. I am excited for this coming summer. This season my husband and I are leasing a power boat out of 31st Harbor. I took my colleagues out on the boat with a chartered captain. It was a very last minute plan, but Pinnacle was responsive, and they were able to pair me with a captain right away. The night was wonderful and everyone was so impressed by the quality of the boat and the professionalism of the captain. My colleagues are still raving about how much fun they had! The company is responsive and professional. I highly recommend Pinnacle, it is a great investment for summer fun. read more

I looked at all the other lease share programs for power boating in Chicago and decided to go with Pinnacle because of their price, professionalism, and scheduling system. I am happy to say I have thoroughly enjoyed my first season with Pinnacle, this summer exceeded my expectations. The price for such a high quality experience is more than worth it. I called the head of the company and he patiently and.thoroughly answered all of my questions. I also like their scheduling system. Of all the other companies I looked at Pinnacle's seemed the most fair, and I was happy with the time slots I received. Can't wait to renew for next year. read more

I have been a member of Pinnacle Yachts since 2004. I have always been impressed by their attention to detail, professionalism, and their beautiful fleet. The timeshare experience has been very rewarding. The boats are very well maintained and whenever I have my time ,it is like having my own sailboat without any of the outside resonsibilities and costs. The scheduling system allows for trading and communication between captains. Evening sails are beautiful and add to a great experience. I would recommend Pinnacle Yachts to anyone who loves to sail. Jeff read more

If you are looking for a fun, family friendly summer activity Pinnacle is a great choice. They provide training for their boats so you do not need to have prior boating experience. They take care of all maintenance - Pinnacle staff responded to any issues we had very quickly and the boat was always very clean. Overall it was a great summer for us and we will be back for next season! read more

They make it all so easy. Newer fleet. Outstanding service. Perfect for someone who wants to experience the luxury of very nice boats/yachts without the hassle. Unless you are VERY experienced, their instruction is well worth the price. Patient instructors and excellent depth of knowledge. The best in the business. read more

Warren Koehler is an absolute train wreck of an owner and I would't do business with this company the guy is a complete ass calling a business and swearing because he cant remember where he bought a sealant... dude your an asshole!! learn to talk to people you P.O.S read more