I was on the web site and a little concerned. It mentions fishing only from approved fishing boats and I wasn't sure how much fishing we were going to do, but wanted it as an option. I also wanted the canopy of a pontoon boat to keep us out of the sun if we wanted and assumed fishing would be allowed only from their fishing boats (no canopies). When I called they said that fishing was allowed from some of their pontoons. As she put it "the older ones, but they're still nice with a little smaller engines." I booked one of those. I knew we would want to explore the chain of lakes, but might want to fish some too. It's not the easiest place to find, but when we got there and parked, the lady mowing the grass came over and told us where to park and meet her at the "Tiki Bar." She had plenty of information for us, a map, some likely fishing spots and gave us a quick tour of the boat. They take good care of their boats and want you to do the same. The boat was in great shape. I wouldn't have guessed it was one of the "older ones." The engine had plenty of power to explore. We went on a Thursday (yesterday) and the lakes were not crowded at all. The four hours flew by as we were having a great time exploring and doing a little fishing. If I had to complain about something it was the broken fuel gauge on the boat. It's a little unnerving not knowing how much gas you have when you're in the middle of a lake. They weren't trying to gouge us for gas (you pay for what you use when they fill up upon return). I think this is probably a pretty common problem with boat fuel gauges. read more

Our first visit. Staff are very acknowledgeable, but we waited to have our order for at least 15 mins. Server was distracted. Food is good but price is high of how much amount they serve. I wanted to have half bacon & sausage, server says they don't do it. I was hesitant to leave, then the fire alarm went off. It was very loud. Apparently the chef burnt something in the kitchen. Place is clean & it looks like it just got remodeled. Beautiful water view. Am I coming back maybe. But if I have to wait that long to order my food. NO THANK YOU! read more

We rented a pontoon boat two times and everything worked out well. Friendly people there. read more

Great place to rent from for adventures on Chain of Lakes waterways. My friends and I took out a pontoon boat for 4 hrs and had a great time. Everyone we interacted with was friendly and professional. Would recommend them! read more

Owners have been amazing and can't wait till my boat is at their marina this weekend... read more

Spring Lake Marina - Boating Near Me - Antioch, Illinois

I have been a customer to Spring Lake Marina over 10 years. I believe this is a family owned business and had a chance to talk to the owner several years ago. I gave them a four star rating because I think their prices are on a higher end compare to some other rentals in the area, but I still come back to them because they are so professional and their staff are really friendly and helpful. This past weekend we rented their pontoon for six hours and had to come back because we all needed to use the bathroom breaks, every time we come back they welcomed us and gave us new life jackets for our kids so they didn't have to wear the same wet ones. For those who do not like to use portable toilets, they keep theirs clean with seat cleaners, hand sanitizer, and it has a small shelf with cute silk flowers and toilet papers. read more

Service was great. Food was super fresh and hot and everything tasted so good. Inside was beautiful redone and good music choice.

What a pleasure renting from this business. Treated well, very thoughtful and thorough. Pontoon was perfect and a great value. Will rent from them every time we come up. read more

Spring Lake Marina - Great fun on fox lake - Boating Near Me - Antioch, Illinois

We had a great experience renting a pontoon boat from Spring Lake Marina. The staff were friendly and helpful.

It was my 60th birthday celebration with my family of 7. We rented the 24' basic pontoon . It was clean and comfortable but slow. I thought we had more horsepower than when I had rented it, but 60 outboard is what we got. Couldn't keep up with our boating friends The family is very friendly and accommodating We had a great day read more

See all

The pontoon boat was perfect, the staff was incredibly helpful and nice and it was a great experience from start to finish. We'll definitely be back! read more

They make it very easy to rent quality boats here. Every time we've done it we've had a great experience. Totally recommend this place.

We were so pleased with our boat rental. Great staff! Personable Professional Accommodating! The boats were clean and ready to go! We had the best Mother's Day!! Thank you Chris and staff! The Ponder's read more

The prices are a bit higher than some of the places from which I have rented, but the quality of the boats appeared to be a bit better. For example the Bimini top was relatively easy to put up and down and the boats were generally cleaner, although we rented on a Tuesday so that could be a contributing factor. They were pretty thorough in explaining the rules. The chain of lakes has more rules than a lot of other places from which I have rented as they can get very busy on the weekends, which can make it very dangerous. I didn't like that they forced me to buy a tow rope for the tube rather than just including it as part of the tube rental. I don't have a boat, which is why I rented, and I don't tube very often, so what am I going to do with the rope? The staff was not wearing masks, but there were plastic partitions at the check-in desk. read more

Great place and great staff! We rented a 20 ft. pontoon for an afternoon. The boat was in great shape and was very clean. The staff gave us a quick tutorial on safety and how to operate the boat. Staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. Told us where all of the restaurants were on the chain and where there was decent fishing. The boat ran great the entire time with no issues. Would definitely recommend Spring Lake Marina and I will definitely be back again. read more

We've been renting from Spring Lake Marina for years and their staff is always super friendly. They have a great fleet of boat rentals and we've never had any issues. Easy in and out and always a great time! read more

Second year we have rented from them and could not be any happier. Boats are new, clean, and it good working order. Pricing is very reasonable, staff is friendly, and their boat inventory means you have a good chance of finding a boat within a reasonable timeframe. We will be back! read more

Spring Lake Marina - Boating Near Me - Antioch, Illinois

We had a fantastic experience, staff was super friendly, professional and organized. We had 7 adults and 2 children on the Sweetwater 24' standard pontoon. We will be returning to rent again, thank you Spring Lake Marina!! read more

For my wife's birthday she wanted nothing more than to go boating. We had heard that you could rent boats at on the Chain of Lakes, and I started searching for Marinas. I had heard some horror stories about renting boats, so I was prepared for the worst. I called to make arrangements and they were very accommodating. I wanted a power or deck boat. They had one for me on the date I wanted so the reservation was made for the Saturday before my wife's birthday. On the Thursday before our rental I received a call from Spring Lake Marina. They advised that the boat we reserved had mechanical trouble and they would not be able to get the part to repair it in time for that Saturday. They offered us a rain check or because they canceled, they offered to refund our money. I explained that this was for my wife's birthday and I couldn't do it another day or weekend. We had plans on Sunday and we really couldn't do it another weekend. They then said that they had a brand new mini-pontoon coming in and that if they could get that running by end of business on Friday would I be interested in that. It wasn't what I wanted, but it was better than nothing. I said I would be interested. Spring Lake told me they would call me back on Friday to let me know if it would be available on Friday. On Friday they called me back and said that the mini-pontoon would be available so I could have that and they would refund me the difference. Again, not what I wanted, but it would work. Saturday morning when we arrived they told us there had been a change. The mechanic didn't feel comfortable letting the mini-pontoon out since it hadn't been sea tested yet, but they had a cancelation on a full size pontoon due to weather (apparently people on boats are scared of getting wet, it was calling for scattered showers). Due to all the hassle, they rented us the full sized pontoon for the price of the mini-pontoon! We ended up having a great day on the lakes. Mechanical failures happen, it's not their fault. They did everything in their power to make sure we were satisfied and we were. Spring Valley Marina will definitely get my business again. When you go there, and you should, keep this in mind. They run this out of their home. So when you get there if you think you are at someone's house, you are. Knock on the door before entering and wipe your feet. Also you have to drive through the parking lot and go around to the back side in order to find the entrance. It's not the restaurant that's there. Once you get there, everything else is a piece of cake. read more

If you want to rent a boat from a place that treats their customers with respect and has decent customer service, Spring Lake Marina is not for you. Spring Lake Marina booked our reservation and their representative, Amy, called me after charging my credit card to tell me that they had a "glitch" in their system and need to "upgrade" me to the 4 hour minimum for twice as more cost. I explained to her the situation and told her that your "upgrade" offer is not what we're looking for (I was also thinking why she called it an upgrade when we have to pay 2x more? Maybe she doesn't know what "upgrade" means...but that's a whole different topic) During our phone conversation, Amy politely reminded me that this unfortunate situation wasn't about the money, but a few minutes later she contradicts herself by telling me that she knows that she will get this boat booked for some other party for a 4 hour minimum that will pay the $500+. Was it really not about the money then, Amy? It sounds like you were trying to fish out money from our 14 people party who would've gladly spent a handsome amount of money to enjoy their time on the lake. But Amy only sees the dollar amount that she can reel in from her fishing pole to naive customers who probably will and have fallen for her "upgrade" offer due to a "system glitch" A well respected company, unlike Spring Lake Marina, would own up to their mistake and work something out to retain a local customer with a huge party of 14 guests....If you're looking for a respectable company, there are plenty in the area. I guarantee that you will be wasting your time and money at Spring Lake Marina as they will scam you with upgrade offers or claim false damages after you get off their fleet. Try "Your Boat Club" or "Bob's Marina" where you'll be treated with better customer service and also get a newer fleet of boats. See photo below for better choices. There is plenty of fish in the water, pun intended. read more

Great operation! Clean boats. Helpful staff. Great location. Highly recommend and will be back.

We had a great experience with Spring Lake Marina. We are new to boating and they were super patient with us to explain everything. Their explanation was super thorough. They also gave us a really good explanation of the chain of lakes, what to watch out for, what lakes were best for water sports or swimming. Very friendly. The boat was clean and in great condition. We rented the deck boat with a tube and water skis. We had a blast. Highly recommend renting from Spring Lake Marina. We will return and do it again. read more

We had the most wonderful time. The staff is extremely nice and helpful. We are planning on going back again. It was a great experience.

Fantastic experience! professional staff, boat in great condition, family and friends loved it.

This is the best boat rental on the Chain Lakes!! We got a pontoon for an afternoon and it was such a great boat! The service was incredible and they were incredibly helpful with getting us the right boat. They didn't try to upsell us or scam us with fees or anything like that, they just were so helpful! Can't recommend them highly enough! read more

Awesome experience! Very easy booking online and the pontoon boat we rented was very clean. Great way to enjoy the Memorial Day weekend. read more

Spring Lake Marina - Boating Near Me - Antioch, Illinois

I only write reviews for exceptional experiences. Rented a pontoon boat for the day - seamless process online - showed up and required single waiver form and proof of ID and we were off. Staff provided short and thorough instruction as well as hot spots in the lake. All round very professional staff and top quality boat - we will be back. Highly recommend. read more

We rented a pontoon for the first time from this marina and we were really pleased. The staff was very helpful. The boat was very nice as well. We felt very safe in terms of the response to Covid. Staff were wearing masks and everything seemed well cleaned. Shields were up for check in and everyone stayed a good distance apart. I definitely would rent a pontoon again from Spring Lake marina. It being our first time on the north end of the chain, my only suggestion would be to provide a flyer/handout with some additional directions for navigating from one lake to the next (along with the map posted) for those unfamiliar with the chain. But overall a great day. read more

I honestly can't say enough good words about this family run business! Being new to boating, I had a zillion questions and every time I called, the owner was polite and patient and answered my questions plus gave me extra info about the surrounding lakes which helped me to understand the area better. His daughter checked us in with ease and answered more questions and his son was a whiz at fully explaining how to operate the boat and what to expect when we left dock. Made it to Lake Catherine which was recommended for tubing and the kids were all smiles. We took a wrong turn coming back and I notified the owner we were going to be late checking in. He said "no problem". Got back to the dock and his son jumped on board to help steer to the pier and get us unloaded. A memorable experience for my family, can't wait to go back next year!! read more

Rented speed/deck boat yesterday. Experience was great. Easy to make reservations online. The boat was in good shape, the equipment was fine. Plenty of room for five people and a tube. People were extremely friendly and down-to-earth. Seemed like a family owned business. Received great tips in terms of where to go and where not to go on the lake. Very clear guidance given including safety tips. Chain o'lakes gets very crowded. Their tips made the best of the experience for us. Check-in/checkout process was quick and easy. Price was fair compared to other places we called. Would recommend this to anyone heading up to Fox Lake lake / chain O'Lakes, we will definitely go back there if we rented again. read more

We rented a Pontoon Boat from Spring Lake this past weekend. I selected this company after reading some negative reviews about additional charges being assessed upon returning your rental from some of their competitors in the area. Our rental went smoothly, our day was wonderful, their mascot "Simba" that greeted us was awesome, their location was easily accessible and the return process went smoothly with no surprises. We rented for 4 hours. We will definitely come back and use their boats again. read more

We had a fantastic experience on Father's Day! There were 6 adults and we rented the Classic II 24' Premier Pontoon. It was very clean and comfortable. The staff got us checked in and gave us an orientation quickly so we were in our way promptly at the start of our contract. The pontoon was easy to operate, all controls were in working condition. And it had lots of power to enjoy the day. It was well worth the price and we plan to go back with a larger group soon!! You won't be disappointed. read more

Fantastic people and fantastic rental experience. I have rented from many locations around the Fox Lake area. I generally rent pontoon boats. This was my first time renting with Spring Lake Marina and I definitely had the best experience with them. Their boats are newer, nicer, and cleaner than most places. They do not try to screw you on price. My group did lose one of the docking bumpers somehow... They were very nice about it though and only charged us 15 bucks to replace it. Most places would have inflated the price by hundreds of dollars I'm sure, but that's just not the kind of people that work at Spring Lake Marina. They are very kind, honest people. And their boats are exceptional. I will definitely be back. read more

I have very mixed feelings about this place. The lady who set up the reservation was great and very accommodating to our needs and I feel that they were very reasonably priced. The staff was also very nice and accommodating as well in the beginning. The boat was very clean But the motor kept going overheating on us. We were stuck in the rain and the winds started to pick up. We called the office and they were very quick to help. They sent out a boat to come find us But they never did. We managed to get back on our own. They apologized but said things like that are beyond their control. That did not sit well with me. I felt like we should have had our rental discounted since we spent half the time trying to figure out was was wrong with motor and it took us a long time to get back to the dock. We were just so happy that we got back safely so we didn't argue It. read more

Be careful we were charged post checkout for an anchor they did not have properly attached which ended up at bottom of lake. Can't be trusted to not run up ridiculous post rental charges. They took zero responsibility and have 100% attitude. Unless you r a sailor and can do a mechanical check of every single item on their old beat up fleet you will be paying to replace worn out parts. Beware! read more

Love this place ! Great service! New boats that are kept very clean! Family owned adorable place! I highly recommend this place for your boating needs :) read more

We rented a pontoon boat for the day, as we had a large crowd and wanted to spend the day relaxing on the Chain of Lakes. I have to say that everything about renting from Spring Lake Marina was terrific! They have a launch available for our jet ski, with the parking for our car and trailer included in the launch fee. The rate for the pontoon time rental was reasonable, and the boat was well maintained, both in appearance and operation. The staff was friendly and most helpful. It was all around an easy and enjoyable experience. Thanks to everyone at Spring Lake Marina! read more

Extremely friendly local business. Great service and highly recommend the boat rentals to anyone looking to enjoy a day on the lakes!

Amazing experience with Spring Lake Marina! The staff was incredible through the entire process - booking the reservation, answering questions, providing an overview of the boat - everything was wonderful. The boat was great and exceptionally clean. We will be renting with Spring Lake Marina again! read more

Came in here with a very large group, more than 50 people, on a weekday. We rented out 4 deck boats/pontoons and 3 speedboats. The boats were all about 2 years old. They were in great condition. The couple who own the place were very nice and helpful. We spent about 4 hours on Fox Lake and had the time of our life. Great time. I plan to come back again on a weekday. I enjoy the lake when it's not so crowded. read more