My friend did rent the boat. We came here easy parking the boat was ready for us. The young man went over instructions. They helped us launch the boat. San Diego pontoon is relatively easy and controllable. Good service and coming back. They were waiting for us, and they took care of docking the boat. Very good experience, everybody thought. Easy location. read more

Wow! Just walked out of Rockvam after participating in their boat club for 3 years . The customer service has gotten progressively worse while the price has almost doubled. Today was the final straw... boat was not ready or cleaned when we arrived, so asked it we could keep it out an extra 20 mins to make up for their being late. All the owner could do was accuse US of being late. We have brought 4 other families into this boat club and we are ALL going elsewhere next year. Literally zero customer service, nor can they acknowledge when they make a mistake. Dirty old boats with awful anchors and no repairs over the entire summer. Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere! read more

Awesome experience from the moment we walked in! My fiancé and I were going to buy a boat and someone recommended Rockvam. We stopped in, talked to the owner, and gave our info to be added to the mailing list. We were able to join 100% online and book a boat for the next day! When we arrived we were greeted by a friendly staff who helped us find our boat and teach us what we needed to know. We had a 4 hour time block and when we came back, staff were ready to help us dock and gas up. They actually did it all for us! Overall great experience and we already booked another for tomorrow :) I HIGHLY recommend. read more

Sunset Boat Yards - Boating Near Me - Spring Park, Minnesota

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This was our first summer renting boats from Rockvam. Although the young adults that take out the boats and dock them are great, management is not. There is no compassion or accountability. Multiple occasions where boats are not ready for our paid four hour time on the lake and we end up having to wait around and not get that time back. They chalk it up to being late due to "cleaning" but have gotten on boats with left over food, spiders, and cobwebs. I am dissatisfied and will not be returning next year. read more

It begins with an online reservation process entirely focused on letting you know how they can charge you if you do not comply with the terms. 10+ areas to initial online, confirming your understanding of everything from late fees, to ladder fees, to anything else they could think of. You repeat that process when you arrive. Why? We had the unlucky occurrence of having our boat exchanged at the last minute due to service issues with the one originally planned (and what we loaded our belongings on). They brought a "better" boat, dirty from the warehouse. I had to ask 3 times to clean obviously dirty areas, on tables and seating. When I asked if our time would be extended because of the additional time required to switch boats, the owner, (I presume) an older man, reluctantly agreed, but was not happy about it. Bottom line. These people make the experience - which should be joyful - a pain. It is not the younger staff, although it must be awful to work there. It is ownership. Renter beware! There are other options on the Lake. read more

I ended up taking the plunge and signing up for the boat club. The season is now over. I've read the reviews. Some were on point. Some were bs. - yes. There's a lot of paperwork to sign. And yes there are all sorts of clauses dedicated to what happens if damage occurs during the result of operating your boat. This is no different than a car rental. Dismiss any reviews that are upset about that. - Yes. The staff are comprised of high school/college kids. Honestly. It's a great summer job. Good for them. I ran into the odd times when the person I was talking to looked lost or didn't know what to do. A quick call across the radio and things were taken care of - either someone would relay the answer or come over to help. - I ran into a few instances where there seemed to be some reluctance by staff around changing a charge or accepting an exchange. No biggie. - The price of gas. It is what it is. - The price of the program. Okay. This one is not as straightforward. The best answer is that it depends how much you use it. If you have the freedom during the summer to take the boat out once a week...definitely worth it. Unfortunately our Summer didn't work out that well and we were not able to take advantage of the boats nearly as often as we wanted. Not Rockvam's fault. Just life happening. That said after performing a basic per use cost against the total price of the club it's clear that we would have been MUCH better off just renting on an as needed basis. So in sum: - staff was great, courteous and engaging - price point of club requires a careful review. - make sure you are going to use boats enough to justify the price of the boat club. read more

Coming all the way from Chicago, i was expecting a company that would accommodate us. Even though we made a reservation, this company was very rude and unhelpful. While it was a mistake on their part, they didn't get a boat or even try to find the right help. I do not recommend going with this company. There are way better boat yard companies that will be more customer focused. read more

Oh where to start. I have never spent much money with Rockvam because they do have a reputation. 1) Had my boat towed into Rockvam since I hydrolocked the engine on a Friday before Memorial Day. The service departed didn't really care I had water in the cylinders. They said they would "take a look" sometime next week (after my motor is rusted internally). So I opted to pull it out on there landing for $20 bucks. Yes they really charged me the $20. I used my own truck and trailer. 2) On second attempt to work with Rockvam....How much is a slip for a 26 foot Sea Ray? Oh that will be $5,700. Jeez. Really? 3) Gas prices.... wwhhatttt!! 4) Pontoon rentals = cash money for a crappy pontoon with a small anchor big island and smaller motors. No thank you Rockvam. read more

I would not recommend doing business with this Rockvam boat rental company based on business ethics and customer service. They stole our deposit even after we cleaned up our boats. We rented 2 pontoons and they made us put down a $400 deposit which is ok with me. I paid for the pontoons in advance and gave my employee the cash to put down the deposit. They would not give me my deposit back. It took 3 weeks - then they sent a check for $300 due to a cleaning fee we were never notified about. We cleaned all of these boats and emptied all of the boats out. Rockvam ripped us off. I would not suggest renting boats here. read more

We had a smooth transaction with Rockvam. I would recommend adding an additional 2 hours to the time block you have reserved. At the end of our reservation, we regretted our decision to not include the additional 2 hours for only $50 more. I will suggest having your party be there at least 45 minutes earlier than your designated take off time. There will be a lot of people and they have but a handful of staff members tending to each and every guest. This will cut into your reservation time. We didn't take off until an hour after our reserved time. Just a friendly reminder if you don't wanna lose your security deposit: please boat in between the buoy. I don't know if I missed that part of the orientation but damn, we weren't aware and hit rocks. Lmao. Also, they charge $2 for every minute that you are late. We legitimately were on time but towards the end of our reserved block, our engine started to die. We were losing power every time we were above 2000 rpm. We were basically the old grannies of the lake cruising into the dock at a slow rate. We did call into Rockvam to alert them of the issue. I can't recall if we were charged for late fees or not but they seemed understanding. Overall, we had a great time despite the many minor challenges that we faced. Lol read more

Recommend avoiding at all costs. They try to pin damage charges on you that you didnt cause. I joined the boat club this year and today they charged me $275 for "propeller damage from seaweed". There was nothing I could do as I signed a form in the office prior to even seeing the boat. Apparently this form means a damage inspection was done when clearly it is not, as the boat had garbage in it from previous use. The 18yo who did our "checklist" went through nothing, and I was still charged. Their fleet is old and instead of increasing costs they pay for repairs by blaming "damage" on club members. Take your business elsewhere. read more

I didn't see the negative reviews until the morning we were set to pick up our rental pontoon. Obviously, we were a bit wary. We were expecting to see a sketchy business as we pulled up, but it was actually very upscale and organized. They even had a banner that said National Award Winner, although I didn't read the details. For all I know, it could have been for their restroom cleanliness. The trick to a great outing is this: listen when they read over the liability clauses. Essentially, this boils down to one thing: bring the boat back in the condition you got it. Easy enough. Start off by taking photos of the propeller, corners of the boat, and upholstery before you leave so you're protected. Don't leave food all over the boat when you turn it in. And, above all else, keep looking at the giant sticker near the wheel that tells you what the different buoys mean. That will keep the propeller away from the bottom. That's all. We did have to pay for an extra gallon of gas (just over $5), but we went from one end of the lake to the other. And considering they have to haul the gas to a remote space and pump it out to the lake with all those restrictions, I don't mind paying a little more for a gallon. We had a fantastic time and a great experience for less than others were offering. Will def go there again. read more

Wow, there are a lot of negative reviews for these guys on here! I'm honestly very surprised. I'm not a sailing expert and granted, I have only rented a boat from Rockvam Boat Yards once, but I was very impressed. My family, friends and I had a really great experience with them today. Here's why... Making a reservation for a pontoon online was super easy. You pick your date, you select your boat (excellent descriptions of the different models / price ranges), you get to read a lot of very useful FAQs then you just submit your payment - BOOM. Done, 5 minutes or less. This morning on our way to the boat yards we got delayed by about 90 mins. We were supposed to pick up the boat at 10am, we ended up arriving at 11.30am. No problem. I called ahead to let them know I was going to be late, they told me not to worry. Simple. When we arrived they quickly checked us in, even though several families arrived at the same time. Very friendly staff behind the counter in the store, very friendly staff on the docks to check you into the boat, give you the tour, give you the safety instructions, explain the small print and the deposit etc. All good. Even though they had several families to get started at the same time it took a total of 20 mins to get checked in and away. The pontoon was immaculate. I would even say it looks brand new. Comfortable, fast enough, stocked with life vests and a 20 gallon tank of gas which was easily enough to last us all day. When we returned the check out process was easy. They checked for damage, they checked to make sure we left the boat in good condition and made sure we didn't leave anything. That was it! No hidden charges, didn't feel like they were out to make an extra sneaky buck with small print. The only thing I didn't like was that they charges us an extra $20 or $30 for a ladder for the side of the pontoon, to make getting out of the water easier. I thought this was silly and a needless extra expense. Besides that though, awesome. We had a really great experience. I'll be back for more! read more

This place is overpriced to have the staff be unprofessional. The guidelines that were emailed to me were pretty strict but hey run a busniess how you want to. Anyways, the email said to show up an hour before our departure, if we don't it will be considered a no show. We showed up and the staff was very confused... the pontoon looked old and had spider webs. Also I rented from 9:30am-5:30pm and the guy told us we had to return the boat back at 3pm. At least give us a clean pontoon.. i hate to say this but will not recommend :( read more

We rented a pontoon at Rockvam Boat Yards this past Saturday, and it was about as breezy as it gets. The boat we chose held up to 10 people, with plenty of seating and a roof towards the back of the boat so you don't get too much sun. The location was right next to Fletcher's on the lake, which was convenient for eating before/after. The service was also great! They helped us back our boat out of the dock, and were there to help us unload when we returned. read more

Honestly I had such a great experience! The service was amazing and people were so helpful. I recently just rented a pontoon and to saw the least I will be back again. It was way easier then I thought to rent a pontoon and they helped every step of the way. I got to meet the owner Jerry and manager Roxanne who were so sweet. I read all the comments on yelp and was septal to rent and I have no idea what anyone was talking about I had a great time! I went out with my family and they all said how great the service was and what a great time they had! If I could give more then 5 stars I would! Highly recommend! read more

We rented two pontoon boats from Rockvam Boat Yards to go out on Lake Minnetonka to have a memorial for our brother who passed away last year. The staff at Rockvam went out of their way to accommodate us. We appreciate their kindness and the thoughtful care they provided us. read more

Stole my credit card info and charged me a second time a month later. Do not give them your info... do not rent from them! Thieves! Good thing I check my bank account activity. read more

Too expensive. Metro lake marina is way better, cheaper, and doesn't charge for gas. Boat was nicer at metro too. Rockvam is ok but if you want to save money look elsewhere. read more

We tried to rent a boat last year and it was rained out so they kept our money. We then tried to rent this year and they have almost doubled their prices and only allow a max of 6 people. They are not accomodating at all, the manager was also not helpful, and we feel like we have been scammed with them basically doubling their prices due to COVID and only allowing half the people. I highly recommend going elsewhere. read more

HORRIBLE experience with Rockvam. They refused to honor the pontoon rental rate advertised on their website (that rate has now been removed) and confirmed twice by phone prior to the rental. Instead of $99, they said the rental would be $690! Roxanne, the manager, was contacted, and she also refused to honor the rate. HORRIBLE customer service. Find somewhere else to rent! read more

1189 dollars to replace alternator and to fix a loose seat, estimate asked for 6 times in a 4 day period...finally got a call when work was done, never got an estimate. We dry docked our boat at Rockvam, it ended up sinking because of the way they put it in the water (their practice is to rest the lower unit on their shallow access...a no no) ( the best is when they called us; " Sir, your boat is sinking ") ...of course they denied everything. Funny when we went to another mechanic and got insurance involved...all we had to say was Rockvam....that's when we learned what a shady operation it was. Last year was our first year boating, biggest mistake...doing business with Rockvam....crooks is an understatement . read more

Competent mechanics but very expensive. Slips are absurd expensive. Pontoons are in poor condition and spendy to rent. Gas is VERY expensive in part due to the extra taxes required for selling black gold on the lake. read more

2015 prices at $5.59 - who do they think that they are. When asked why he over charges for gas, Jerry said that he hasn't changed prices since last year. Banning against Rockvam! Spread the word, Rockvam is overcharging! read more

I rented a pontoon from them this past weekend (memorial day weekend) and had a pretty good experience overall. The online reservation system is slick. After reserving a boat they called to confirm the appointment the day before. Once arrived they had paperwork ready. The boat was in great condition. They went through each item on the boat with us. They warned us about what and what not to do. Where and where not to go. They took us off the dock and away we went. I will say that they presented themselves in a very great manor. I had guests in town and everyone was dressed decently and presentable. I've rented from other places where people are working shirtless and very sloppy. Pros: efficient service, organized, professional. Cons: expensive, VERY BUSY (probably due to the holiday weekend), Fuel is not included in your rental, boat motor was small. Would I return? Maybe depending on the occasion. If i needed a nice place that was presentable ya probably. If its just for me and some friends I'd look for something cheaper. read more

I can't tell you how much I love rockvam boat yards. They always have nice people working (cute too) and they always give me and my family the best experience. All of the boats I have rented have been clean and tidy. Also the people who work there are always talkative, friendly and have a smile on their face. With the customer service they provide and the quality I would definitely give this place a solid 11/10. read more

We were in town for work and had a day off. We decided to rent a pontoon boat and go on the lake for a day. When we read the reviews on Rockvam we weren't so worried. Sounded like we might get cranky team members. The prices were great so we figured we would give it a shot. I am SO glad we did! We had a EXCEPTIONAL experience. They were very, very friendly and took great care of us. They even gave us great service when we asked about fishing license. I would rent here again in a heart beat! Great job to everyone that was working Sunday 6/14. You guys rock!!! Don't listen to the other reviews. This is not what we experienced at all!!!! They are great! read more

Very surprised by the negative reviews these guys have!! The Owner of the club has been super helpful and friendly. The staff have also been extremely kind and helpful! I'm a club member so I can't speak to pontoon rentals, however my experience has been great! Being new to the area and being able to hop out on the lake with the assurance of a helpful, kind staff is worth it! Thanks again! read more

I contacted rockvam boat yards to do work on my cobalt i/o upper and lower unit inspection with very specific directions. Jerry the owner is who I would work through, he is a referral. He agreed to take a check or credit card for the work and warranty purpose's. I give jerry a list of what's not working in the i/o unit and how the motor runs fine when out of the water or in neutral but not under when plaining out. I believe and direct him to inspect only the I/o lower and upper unit to do the work. Just an inspection only. I set a parameter / limit of 500.00 for the inspection I am told all work done is under warranty. Fast forward. Jerry and his mechanic proceeds to take the whole i/o unit apart and pieces all over the ground and when I go in to check it out he has not sent me any pictures as promised or updated me in any way as I asked. I find the whole back end of my boat strewn over the ground and in mess The story I get is the engine cylinders 2 x are bad and the i/o unit has failed due to water intrusion. (I find out later the engine tests out just fine) add 500.00 and when all this is done they done even replace the spark plugs when they take them out. The bill for the inspection is 1427.00. His solution is repairing all the parts for over 5k and there is no warranty on the work. I cant believe it totally out of the park and reality he has me over a barrel WOW. This is a far different story than when I went in to have a 500.00 inspection. So I tell Jerry to put it all back together, and I will take the boat else ware. Jerry is pissed Jerry freaks out and tells me no I won't put it back together, now it's your problem buddy then he gives me the smile. I never asked for a tear down I asked for an inspection. I say why, jerry says we did the work. I say you did not do what I asked now I have an extra 1000.00 dollar bill for the inspection and a bunch of parts. I didn't ask you to touch the motor Just the I/O inspection Jerry is very angry. At this point I tell him to put it back together and I ll pick the boat up. Jerry says NO WAY. So I try to get out of there and pay for the boat with my credit card and Jerry says and I quote" you want your boat your goanna pay cash". And if you don't im kidding im goanna lock it down and call my buddy's the sheriff for you trespassing. Where do you think the cash went? I think Jerry is not happy to not get the 5 k verbal of the hip price that would have turned into 10k on the cobalt. That's my gut telling me to get out of there now. So I Jerry won't take a check, a credit card, American express, a certified check . Jerry wants 1427.00 in hard cash now. Or no cobalt. I go get the money in cash from Wells Fargo and jerry won't show his face to me, Jerry is hiding in the office. Jerry sends his son in law Dave to meet me at the boat. I think the son in law is in law enforcement and is packing. This Guy is big and very imitating no Kidding, Dave wants the cash NOW before I get near the boat or enter the shop. Sorry. All the parts and now corroding and in piles in the shop floor. I ask for bags or bins for the parts and I get a no with a smile, so I go get bags from the grocery store. We do a crude inventory I pay the son in law DAVE and he doesn't want to sign the receipt yet finally he does the stand up thing and signs. YEA They throw the parts in the back of the boat for the upper and lower units. And I take it else ware. In a word Jerry is a slimy person that does not do what he says, He lied to me, and had his best interest in mind, not mine, that's how I felt. Jerry Rockvam clearly had intentions to take advantage of me to the tune of 1427.00 and a boat full of parts, It was all peaches and cream when he thought he was getting the work, then Jerry Rockvam became very rude and abusive and did as much as he could to hurt me and the cobalt when I informed I was going else ware. Jerry would not show his face to collect the cash when I picked up the boat and Jerry hid in his office. He has his son in law do his dirty work. You can take from this what you want in this cautionary tale of Jerry and rockvam and how they do business. I felt cheated, lied to, manipulated. And left with bags of parts in the middle of boating season. Now remember Jerry would not warranty his work and worked hard to inflate my bill by 1000.00 and demanded cash, I looked in my wallet that day and I didn't have the 1427.00 on me, nor should I have. There are many fine places to have your boat work done by honest hard working people that do the right thing. Jerry was not one of them to me and my experience. I wish you better. Thanks for reading this Michael read more

Used to have in/out service years ago. No longer own a boat. Rented a pontoon online. Smooth, easy transaction. Check-in was easy. Enjoyed the day and returned it in excellent shape. Full deposit returned to us upon bring the boat back. Recommend and will rent from Rockvam again. read more

Took our boat in for service running rough have tried since June can't get it started and very disappointed in the service coughed up $1800 for nothing. Isn't running rough anymore doesn't run. Would not recommend read more

The fishing boats are filled with spiders everywhere on the boat! Out on the edge of the boat and inside the boat as well. Be careful cause you might just have a few spiders crawl on you and even bite you like it did me! It hurts like bee stings! The boat motors are generic as hell. It's a 2HP motor which takes forever to get to one place and the other. The insides of the fishing boats are not painted as well. So if you plan to go on a sunny day. Prepare to get baked in the boat! Because the aluminum is shiny and will fry your butt! If they took care of the boats and cleaned it out thoroughly. I might consider this place. But keep in mine. The customer service sucks, also! Stuck-up, fake smiles and you can hear the employees mumble behind your back! read more

I had a great experience at Rockvam over the weekend. Rented a Pontoon last minute and not only was it super easy, they were amazing to deal with. I'm brand new to the area and they took great care of me. I hear people complain of the motor size, for about 300 bucks for 6 hours or about 350 for 8, you can putt around the lake all day no problem. I had no issues with getting my deposit back at all and am planning on joining their Boatclub this week. I would highly recommend! read more

Worst service I have ever received. A 12 year old went through a checklist with us with no pictures of anything and a very rude woman checked us back in. She had no intentions on listening it seemed like she got off on doing whatever she could to keep our deposit. It's definitely worth a few extra dollars to not deal with these scam artists. Can't wait to get my lawyer involved. Again worst experience ever!!!!!! read more

Let me start by saying lake Minnetonka is a great lake to explore. Rented a pontoon for a day from rock vam. Small motor makes it hard to explore the lake for your $300 but we made it work. Staff was not friendly and a bit rude at times. When it comes time to dock the boat oh lord get the microscope out for inspection time took approximately 20 minutes. They also will take pictures of you enjoying their rental boats but will not offer you a copy. kind of creepy to take pictures of people in my opinion but it's your boat! I will take my money somewhere else next time. Somewhere that don't stalk you when your relaxing on their rental. Beware!!!! read more

We have rented here twice and have received horrible service both times. A senior staff member, was extremely rude to us and threatened not to rent to us because we reserved for 7 and showed up with 4. We paid for the same boat, so I do not understand why it mattered. We will never rent there again. read more

I wish I would have paid closer attention to the other reviews on Rockvam Boat Yards before I choose to go here! Now after going there and experiencing things myself, I can now only share with those reading to please take these negative reviews seriously! We rented two of their luxury pontoons for full days and it was very expensive but we were still treated very unfortunately from the moment we got there. We are all in our 30's but were treated like young kids and spoken down to, giving us lectures on how easy the white seats stain and you cannot set anything on them, how to drive, etc even though we had experienced boaters with us, etc. The next thing was their gas prices--- highest I have ever seen on Lake Minnetonka by far just like the mark up on their rentals. Then as we were coming back in to return the boats, another boat flew by us causing a wave to hit the pontoon door in which it knocked the panel to pop out of its grading very easily. Our assumption was due to a minimal wave doing this "damage" it has been popped out before. A couple that was with us owns a pontoon and grew up around boats in which they expected it to be a $100 or less in repairs and if we would have had a screw driver could have done ourselves in under 15 minutes. Yet due to this, they kept our $300 deposit and told me that I would be receiving a phone call within the next 3 days to review the damage and cost. Fast forward to 3 weeks later, me calling and leaving a handful of messages, I receive a bill for $575!!! They never called, reviewed the details or asked how we could move forward as buying a whole new door, would be less than this. Rockvam Boat Yards is extremely unfriendly, rude and overall an unethical company. I do not think I have ever written a negative review in my life but this one I had to take the time to do so please learn from us and stay away from Rockvam!!! read more

We had rented the boat for a couple weekends back and everything went fairly well. We took the top canvas down to enjoy the sun. When we got back the staff put the canvas back up and some holes were revealed- some very old wear and tear holes that were previously right along the support bars but had shifted with putting the canvas back. It was very evident that these were not puncture wounds or new tears, that these had been on the old boat for a while, however we were still charged for repairs. They are a cheaper boat rental company, however they make up for that price difference with unfair damage assessments. read more

We rented a little fishing boat for the day.....came in about 1:00 pm on a Monday and asked if they could give us a good deal....teenage girl at front said this is our deal all day long, attitude and not friendly service. The dock boys were great and very informative. The rest of the business and boats stunk! Our little motor boat had some troubles where we ended up stranded at a few points. I asked to speak to the manager at the end of the day and report the issues (also hoping she would give us something back $$$ for inconvenience or $$$ off our next rental to entice us to come back). But nope she said "oh thank you for telling us we will fix that for the next boaters!" Horrible customer service, decent price, but will take business elsewhere on Minnetonka next time! read more

My family and I rented a pontoon from rockvam today. At first all was well, we really enjoyed ourselves and felt all everything was great. Until we returned from the lake. As soon as we pulled into the dock two men came out and immediately began inspecting the boat. They told us we bent a seat, then proceeded to show us pictures that they had taken of our family while we were out on the lake through the day and said they had proof of us sitting in places we shouldn't have been. Mind you were had never once been told we were not allowed to sit on the sun deck. I'm not quite sure why they have that in the boat if you're not allowed to be on it, but that's their rules and had we been told that we would have known not to do so. Instead they tried to pin a bent seat on us by saying they had inspected it before we left. We were presented with the pictures as we attempted to collect our 200 dollar deposit. Looking back we should have read reviews, because several people have stated the same thing has happened to them as well. This place shouldn't be allowed to run this way. It has also been turned into the BBB 4 times. Next time I choose to spend my money on a fun relaxing day with my family I will definitely do research so I don't end up at another crooked place like this. read more