Rented twice in the past 2 weeks. Mike the owner was a pleasure to work with and Bobby the dock manager was informative and extremely helpful. The boats I rented were older, as is true with most rentals throughout the Keys. However, they are very well maintained, and the engines ran exceptionally well and the GPS and marine VHF worked perfectly. The waters around the Islamorada location were absolutely beautiful. I am going to try to rent again before we head back north, and we will definitely be back again next year! Thanks Mike and Bobby for a great experience. Bob H. read more

I'm a little late on my review, but I really wanted to make sure I gave a shoutout to Sand Dollar Charters in New Smyrna Beach because they were fantastic! My friends and I rented a pontoon boat back in August, and I'll definitely be going back to them whenever I'm in the area. Booking online was super easy, and even though they were crazy busy when we arrived (we're talking full-on running around getting everyone set up!), they were still friendly, helpful, and apologetic about the short wait -- which was only about 15 minutes. They took the time to go over everything with us and gave great directions for getting to Disappearing Island, even providing a map. The boat itself was spacious, clean, and easy to handle. The docks were wide and simple to pull in and out of, and the location was perfect -- right in the middle of the Intracoastal, making it easy to head either north or south to explore, find islands, or stop at nearby bars and restaurants. The only small downside was parking -- it's a bit limited, and you have to park a few blocks away. But we just unloaded at the dock first, then parked the car, no big deal. A slightly better sign would help folks like me (the "bubble heads" ) find the place faster, but once you're there, it's smooth sailing! Highly recommend Sand Dollar Charters in New Smyrna Beach -- friendly people, clean boats, and a great experience all around! read more

We rented a pontoon boat for the day. The staff on the dock were friendly and helpful, but the boat was not in good shape. Torn seats cushions, no radio and none of gauges were working. You have to pay for the gas ahead of time so there is no way of knowing how much gas was used for a refund without staying and asking the attendant how much they put in. We did that and NEVER received the refund. It was promised a couple times, but no refund. We love NSB and have had a lot of fun on the water there, but I would not spend my money on sand dollar boat rental again. Find a friend with a boat or go to the beach. You can rent a nicer boat with everything working for less in other areas further south and on the west coast. read more

Rented two deck boats for half a day out of Breezy Palms location in Islamorada. Joel was very accommodating and Bobby at the deck very helpful. Boats were great to get a large group out to the lighthouse for a beautiful day of friendship and snorkeling! read more

if I could give it a zero or a negative number I would. Boat was in desperate need of maintenance. The prop was all chopped up no radio no cupholders holes in the canopy a real piece of garbage. stay away. read more

Absolutely horrible experience. Rental boat was junk, bad prop would not plane out. No compression on motor, lucky the boat went 2 mph. On return only rude response from manager it's a rental! And we know the problem and we might replace the motor. Any boat rental place would be better than these thief's. read more

Pleasant folks to deal with. The boat needs a bit of maintenance, and be sure to document fuel use. We were charged for 6 gallons and maybe used one because they forgot to zero the trip meter. read more

Horrible customer service. If I could give 0 starts, I would choose that option. My wife & I drove 2-1/2 hours to this place for a boat reservation that we had made the day before. When we showed up, we were told that our boat was inoperable and they had no other boats available. The only thing the owner offered me was a full refund (which was pathetic b/c that's a no-brainer). He got extremely rude and cussed at me. And at one point, he started coming at me like he was going to throw hands and fight. They are a POS company, and please do NOT book with them or you could be highly disappointed and frustrated like I was. read more

The staff was helpful and super accommodating. Best pricing in town they also have several locations. Can't wait to rent with them again.

BEWARE of a possible fuel deposit scam. Sand Dollar's invoice includes a $45.00 fuel deposit. The credit card charge that includes that deposit is processed prior to boat usage. In my case, after the boat was returned, I requested an accounting of the fuel usage and was told that the tank would not be filled until the next day. No final accounting or invoice adjustment was made. There was no way that $45.00 worth of fuel was used. Looking back on my credit card charges by Sand Dollar in 2024, the exact same thing charge was made with no final accounting. read more

Great staff. Jay, Joel and Joe are really easy to book with and get you off on the water quickly and easily. Highly recommend renting here!

So do yourself a favor and ask questions about the boat you're going to get. We got a piece of crap pontoon boat. this thing was falling apart anywhere you touched it. Couldn't even climb back on to the boat from the front because if you grabbed onto the frame of the boat, you would end up bending the frame off the boat. It was like they wrapped the boat in aluminum siding. No cup holders, no radio. Motor wasn't running right and made it take almost an hour to get back. Prop felt like it wasn't spinning at times I will definitely look to rent somewhere else next time. read more

1st: The address is wrong. This place is located at 10480 Overseas Hwy. The phone number is 951-377-1143. The boat we got was certainly not what was pictured or described when we reserved. There was plywood covering a rotten portion of the floor, the gas gauge didn't work, the face of the radio was missing, and there was a trick to getting the boat started. The boat did get us around, but we didn't feel comfortable straying too far given the gas gauge and overall sketchiness of the boat. Rent at your own risk. read more

Sand Dollar Boat Rentals - Fuel gauge didn't work, it stays on E. - Boat Charters Near Me - Key Largo, Florida

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A few times renting with Sand Dollar and will continue You won't find any other boat company like this.

Do not rent from Jeff Wentzel at Sand Dollar Boat Rentals in Islamorada. I booked a 21 foot Fundeck month in advance. Called when we arrived on the Island to confirm and 24 hrs before our rental, Jeff called to let us know the FunDeck needed repairs and was not able to rent it out. He recommended a 22' AquaSport that was bigger and was not able to go back in the back in the back bay area. When we picked up the boat, it was not cleaned and had fish bait in the cooler that had been there for days. Jeff gave me 5 minutes of "here's how you operate the boat" and went off to another customer. The boat was too big for my use and was not set up for a family to use as well as my abilities. I returned the boat 30 minutes later and Jeff offered to refund my $1190 dollars. He said he needed a few days and the refund would show up in my account. That was in Jan of 23 and now it's June of 23 and he's told me by email and text that he would refund my money as soon as he could. I have copies of text messages. Still no refund. I even offered to pay for the first day or pay for 1/3 of the 3 day rental but he said he would refund the entire amount. I've called and left several messages but no response. Take time to read the reviews. He's done this to several other renters. Recommend going somewhere else. read more

I called 4 different boat rental companies. Sanddollar was the only one who responded. great website. boats are a little dated but functional. Great guys. read more

Excellent service and very friendly! Highly recommend and will visit again! Had a great time with family and friends! Felt safe and had peace of mind in the water ! read more

Thank you so much for a great day! Great customer service and follow up. We really had a great experience overall.

We rented a hurricane boat for our family of 10. We arrived that morning and we were told that the boat that we rented had broken down the day prior, yet never received a phone call for us to change our plans. We drove nearly an hour that morning, just to arrive to that news. Our only option was to reschedule for another day or take a pontoon boat. All 10 of us were standing there, we had 8 kids with us so we opted for the pontoon boat. It was not a great experience, the pontoon boat table was broken and had sharp edges on the table several of the kids hurt themselves that table. The boat stalled on us several times while we were driving and there were also several times where we could not get it started. We called into the dock to report it. We felt so put on the spot when we arrived with eight children the fact that nobody called us to give us an option or for us to change our plans when our boat that we rented had broken down was really upsetting. I also emailed them the day after we rented to try & rectify before leaving a review & I got no response. I would not recommend this company. read more

It was one of my besties birthdays and we rented the biggest pontoon boat they had to fit 10 of us comfortably. We booked 2 weeks ahead of time and it was so easy and carefree. On our actual booking day everything went so smoothly. Our boat was spacious, clean, and very comfortable. They go over all safety and ocean rules with you and show you where to find everything on the boat. They supply you with a GPS system to help you get to spots and of course find your way back. We already knew which sandbar we wanted and had mapped it out so it was so easy. On the boat they have a charger which now a days comes in handy. The boat went faster than we thought and it was smooth sailing. When we finally got to the sandbar to anchor was simple and we enjoyed the whole day. The front and back of the boat have a door to get in and out of the boat and a ladder to get in and out of the water. We spent our day jumping in and out and off that boat and at the end some of us sunbathed and took naps. We had so much fun there's discussion of doing this once every month. And with the awesome pricing for a whole day they just cant be beat! read more

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we had an absolute fantastic time. spoke to jeff several times before we came to islamorada for a fun weekend. the boat rental was located right in front of our room at breezy palms resort.. we rented a 21 ft fun deck boat. had heard about the islamorada sand bar so we wanted to make a day of it.Steve set us up and showed us how to navigate the waters which in some places were very shallow. Could not have asked for better weather and great time. Thanks jeff n Steve.. would highly recommend and will rent from them again when we get back to the keys.. Thanks Mark... read more

Sand Dollar Boat Rentals - Chilling on the sandbar.!! - Boat Charters Near Me - Key Largo, Florida

Very disappointed with this place. The staff at front desk lady very rude. Also they fudge with gas gage to rip you off and make you pay for gas you don't consume. The place is so filthy. They rented us a 22 ' foot pontoon with a broken ladder and my friend got cut trying to get back on the boat. ****BE AWARE THERE IS NO GOOD SNORKELING AT ALL******* The Pontoon boats are not allowed to go to any good reefs..... The boat we rented was filthy with old smelly bait with flies all over the bait well. ****DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ********** If I could give no stars I would read more

Called the night before my 50th (I know, great planning!) and Jessica told me that they still had a Polar 18 ft for USD 285 per day. I took it immediately because everybody else was booked out. Arrived this morning on my big day and to my great surprise Joel was able to upgrade me to a very comfy pontoon boat. In short, we had a BLAST! Gorgeous day, very nice boat, very easy to drive and handle. The tour that Dave recommended was excellent and we found our way easily using the GPS. Snorkeling, admiring the mangroves, fish and jelly fish, and lots of birds. Highly recommend this place ! read more

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Amazing customer service and incredible value and beautiful boats! The team at Sand Dollar went out of their way to assist and accommodate our family this weekend. There was an unprecedented high tide which resulted in us having to wait nearly two hours to leave (9am to 11am) since you have to clear under a bridge to get to the intercostal. The team checked in with us often, explained our options, extended our time, and did all they could to improve the situation. I highly recommend you rent from Sand Dollar. We know we will be back! read more

What an amazing experience! I wish I could remember the name of the lady and the gentleman that helped us get situated, I can't thanked them enough for their service and kind heart, you guys are top notch and offer outstanding customer service. They didn't only switched us to a different boat but also helped us load and unload our belongings..not to mention, upon our return to the dock, I forgot my phone on the boat...the gentleman ran to us and handed it back! I gave him such a big hug! THANK YOU! Can't wait for our return! Get your boat rental from Sand dollar charters! You won't be disappointed!!! You are all the very best! Blessings! Keep up the good work! read more

Sand Dollar Boat Rentals - Boat Charters Near Me - Key Largo, Florida

The boat was a complete piece of garbage. Continually overheated through the whole time we had it, next to impossible to steer, gas gauge didn't work so we had no idea how much gas was used. We will never use them again, be warned !! read more

Myself and friends rented their 20 ft Aquasport. It was clean and ready upon arrival. It ran great and was spacious. I booked the day before (it's the off-season) and spoke directly with Joel. He suggested the boat for our group and was easy to communicate with over phone or text. Steven was the gentleman taking cars of the boats the day of. Very friendly. I definitely suggest this rental company if I'm the area. read more

Jim was great. Gave us a great Tri-Toon and was so helpful he even helped load our belongings on and off the boat. Their location is great to access water both north and south. read more

Worst experience it's a scam. The GPS do not work and gas gauge always stays at full. The trick is they tell u the fuel is topped off. So the way the charge u is by putting gas when u come back. You dont see them put the fuel at any time. They charge fuel at 5.40 a gallon. If you dont know where you are you cant get back home guess what the gps doesn't work. So that's a rescue charge. Good luck bad company. Ps that's on all the boats they have. Make sure you ask to see the fuel I got stickers for 300 hundred dollars extra from the 350 for rental read more

Sand Dollar Boat Rentals - Boat Charters Near Me - Key Largo, Florida

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Not the best boat rental experience, but not the worse either. Great staff!! Todd and Richard are wonderful. Very helpful. So why 3 stars? The boat. Yes, we rented only a day in advance and lucky we got a boat. Boat was in good shape but old. The GPS worked, but definitely had issues. Good thing I knew where I was going. The main reason for 3 stars, the steering on the boat. At times it felt that the wheel wasn't even connected to the engine! At faster speeds it worked better. But guess what!!!!??? Steering is most important when in a no wake zone. A little rough going between markers and under bridges. A 4 to 5 star next time with a more modern boat!! read more

We rented a boat for Mother's day for 4hrs. They say that time goes fast when you are having fun. I thought renting it for 4hrs was going to be too much but time went by so fast that we didn't even feel it. Little that we know we had to head back, it's worth every penny and every second I swear. We'll definitely rent again. The staff was super friendly. read more

We have been a recurring customer of Sand Dollar for several years. The staff is always friendly and helpful! We will keep coming back!

Chris & Jeff we're very helpful when we went out. They explained all safety features and the boat ran great. We had an awesome time and will rent from them again. read more

Sand Dollar Boat Rentals - Beautiful day - Boat Charters Near Me - Key Largo, Florida

Friendly staff. Fleet a little more Oder but sufficient. Kept track of us. Little choppy today but still fun. We will use them again and highly recommend them. Great job! read more

This is the first negative review that I've ever left, as I'm a pretty easy going guy. Please do yourself a favor and read the negative reviews carefully and not make the same mistake I did. The renters who talk about the "fuel scam" are not spinning yarns. It's apparent to me as I look back that the fuel gauges not working are a common problem. We were told that the boat was full and just fill it back up when you return. The gauge read full and the owner told us that it should take 8-10 gallons at the end of the day. We did not go more than a few miles away and did a lot of snorkeling (not running the boat all over). When we went to fill it at the local marina the gas cap was stuck, and required a tool that was not on the boat. On our way in the engine began to sputter as if it was running out of gas. The marina helped out with the cap, which was not tethered and spun off into the drink. 21 gallons later the boat full and returned to Sand Dollar. We expressed our issue with the amount of fuel that the boat took indicating that the gas gauge never moved. We were offered a $60 refund for the fuel which we were happy with and thought was fair. Turns out that was just a way to get us to leave and never had any intention of honoring. A week after retuning home I emailed Sand Dollar asking about the refund and indicating that we enjoyed our time on the water otherwise. We have not heard back and have not been given the credit agreed upon. I implore you to look elsewhere if your considering using this company. There are many others in the area. Steve J read more

Amazing boat rental experience . I highly recommend using them! thank you so much we had a great time and the boat size was perfect!!

Crew was easy to work with and the boat i rented ran great. Hidden fuel charges are ridiculous.

We had a fabulous day on the water on the pontoon boat we rented from Sandollar boat rentals. It was such a great experience and so easy from online registration and payment from beginning to end. We will definitely not there again. read more

My family and I had another great experience using Sand Dollar Boat Rentals. The reservation process is super easy, and our requested boat was waiting for us when we arrived. Boat was in great condition. Staff did a commendable job explaining all the safety and operating features of the boat to ensure we had an enjoyable, but safe, day on the water. Prices were reasonable. We will definitely be using Sand Dollar in the future. read more

I rented online and they took my money the same day, which I thought was extremely weird and not like other boat rental places I have used in the keys. I rented the 28 ft NauticStar. The cost was almost $900 for the day and that did not include the extra $172 in gas as well. To start everytime I interacted over the phone with the people that answer the phone they would hype up the boat as I was concerned with the only 1 photo they had online. They kept saying it's the Cadillac of boats and it has everything you could imagine etc etc. Well come to the week of renting I called the owner in reference to the high wind forecast and we agreed on following up 2 days later to check the forecast again. He never answered. As a group of experienced boaters we moved forward. When we checked in we were told make sure you tip us. Multiple times. The person who went over the boat had no idea how anything worked and didn't go over any of the safety features with us. He also told us the wash downs weren't working either. There was a caution light for a faulty sensor that he told us to ignore. The boat was in bad shape. Cushions were tore up, they didn't snap down, it was missing the table for the front, they failed to mention the transducer fell off the day before so the sonar and depth finder didn't work, the anchor was bent and the windless system didn't work so there was no sand bar. The boat is hard to operate and list pretty bad. I mentioned this to the lady at the desk and she said she does t know anything about boats. I text the owner and again he never responded. They also failed to mention that the gas gage wasn't working properly so I basically had to trust them that the boat was full when we took it even though it read 3/4 full.. Do not use this company. read more

Sand Dollar Boat Rentals - Boat Charters Near Me - Key Largo, Florida

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