I am extremely disappointed with our experience with Red Tide Boat Rentals. During our trip on their double-decker pontoon, the driver--who is also the owner, Craig Slaughter--hit a powerline.
Striking a powerline with a tall vessel is a critical safety failure, and the impact resulted in genuine physical harm to my family. My wife suffered a painful hematoma that lasted over a month, my son experienced head and eye pain for several weeks, and I was left with a lasting scar and head pain for weeks. On top of that, we have incurred over $700 in medical expenses to ensure my family is okay after the impact.
What makes this even worse is that Craig actually lives further down the river we were navigating. He even left a voicemail claiming he and his wife double-checked everything the day before--yet he still managed to drive a high-clearance double-decker boat directly into a powerline on a route he should know intimately.
Rather than prioritizing passenger safety or taking genuine accountability, his response was completely unprofessional. To make matters more frustrating, because no one was taken away in an ambulance or died on the spot, the game wardens didn't treat it as a serious incident to pursue further--leaving us to deal with the physical, emotional, and financial impact on our own.
When renting a boat, safety should be non-negotiable. I strongly urge potential customers to look elsewhere before booking with Craig Slaughter or Red Tide Boat Rentals. read more