RENTER BEWARE!! While Ship Harbor Yacht Charters boasts that their "primary mission at Ship Harbor Yacht Charters is to offer the highest quality bareboat and crewed yachts available at the most convenient marina location for our charter clients" and THEY CLAIM "From check-in to checkout, experience the special touches that make Ship Harbor the best choice in the Pacific Northwest. Ship Harbor Yacht Charters rewards you with comfort, safety and a staff that is second to none." THIS IS NOT TRUE!! The experience we had recently while renting the Looby Lou sailing vessel is that the last thing on Ship Harbor's mind is a good experience for the client.
The Check out and check in experience was horrible. The owner, Mark, checked us out and was rude and didn't allow us to talk and point out anything that is wrong with the boat (in order to not be responsible when we return the boat). I was going through the inventory list with him which they provide and have us go on board prior to reviewing with them... First, nothing was in its proper place for us to find and verify that the items were there, this made it difficult to get through the inventory list. Then during the review process with Mark he interrupted us on several occasions and said that continually he didn't care about the items we were asking about. We explained to him that by having us go through an inventory list to verify items are there, provides an expectation that they are there when we get back. In that case, I feel it is important that the items are verified to ensure that we aren't blamed for something we didn't lose them... Mark's response to us was "I don't care. Don't waste my time if there is a cheese grater missing." If you don't need it, it doesn't matter. He was hasty in getting through the checkout process. He showed us that the gas was not showing as full and assured us that it was. He also said that the propane was full and one tank was almost empty and the other was completely empty. It turned out that the GUAGES did not work and showed 100% full no matter the level of propane. The boat was not cleaned before we took over, the cockpit was moldy and filthy, and the cabin had a number of items that were left over from other renters. The dodger that covers the cockpit to protect from sun and rain was very old and a mess, the zippers were falling off. It was so old that it didn't keep the rain out, it puddled and then dripped through at a steady pace. The poorly designed dodger was almost impossible to see safely forward so we had to put it down so we could see safely ahead. We simply put it down and up a few times like you would a window on a car. There were no issues with this and there was no problems to put it up and down. When we returned, Marc was the same rude and impatient person. We had expected him to meet us at the fuel station and then dock the boat for us (expectation that he set when we left). The harbor is very narrow and can be difficult to navigate. We also realized the day before when we filled the tank that the gas gauge when we took it out read lower than when we filled it up. Marc demanded that we fill it up and have the receipt for the fuel with the check in date on it and that we would discuss the discrepancy later. We were able to dock the boat with no issues and the first thing Mark noticed is that the dodger was down. He immediately berated us about it being down saying that we were not told NOT put it down however that is NOT TRUE even their paperwork says its ok to open and closes windows just NOT "REMOVE" any canvas, which we did not do. The purpose of a canvas dodger is for the versatility to have it either up or down and should absolutely be able to move it without this causing damage. During check in we ALL (including Mark) reviewed the dodger carefully and there were NO issues with it other than the issues that were ALREADY THERE BEFORE which were many, zippers broken, canvas ripping, seams coming apart etc. He is now blaming us that we put a hole in the dodger. He did a thorough review of the boat while we were there and COMPLETELY CLEARED OUR CHECK IN didn't point out a hole or any other issues about the boat and we left with the understanding that all was good. A week plus after our check in a charge on our credit care showed up for a dodger fix. Marc charged us $570 for a hole in the dodger without discussing it with us first. There is no way to tell that that hole was there before we left, or it happened after we checked in the boat... I can assure you that when we put it down and back up, you get an opportunity to see the entire dodger and I'm positive there were not holes in that dodger. So renter beware save yourself some headaches and consider another charter company. read more