POLICIES AND GUIDELINES

1. Pontoon Boats - $75 deposit to confirm.  Deposits are only refunded in the event of bad weather.  Rain, high winds or when the coast guard has issued a small craft advisory. You have the option of receiving a full refund or rescheduling your day. After all, it's not your fault if mother nature has a hissy fit! If you cancel FOR ANY OTHER REASON, your deposit will not be refunded. However, if your plans change, you can reschedule without losing your deposit (with 48 hours notice if you booked on a weekend or holiday), or you can use your deposit towards anything else we do, such as sailing charters, kayak or CraigCat rentals or even the Windsong T-shirts we sell. We will hold your deposit for 6 months before you totally lose it.

2. You are a NO SHOW after 30 minutes.  CALL IMMEDIATELY if you are running late  (727) 326-7391 or you lose your deposit and we charge your credit card for the full amount of the rental.

3. No drinking and driving. It's the LAW! If you get a BUI (Boating Under the Influence) it goes on your permanent driving record. No kidding!

4. Boats may only be driven by the designated driver/s on the contract.  Drivers must be at least 23 years old.  If you are 18-22, you MUST PRESENT a Florida Boater Safety Card, or other state equivalent.  No Exceptions.  Take your test here.

5. Boats WILL be cruised at 3/4 throttle, not full throttle. Not only is this better for the engine, but outboard engines at full throttle are going to use a lot more gas, for very little extra speed. And yes, YOU pay for the gas!

6. BALANCE the passengers on the boat so it does not list to one side or ride bow down in the water. To many people in the bow converts the pontoon into a submarine, and that is never good!

7. You MUST have a fully charged cell phone on board and keep it turned on. We recommend you bring a zip lock bag as cell phones and salt water are not friends.

8. No towing of any boat for any reason.

9. No skiing, tubing or towing of persons in the water.

10. No diving or jumping off boats while in motion, as tempting as it may seem at the time.

11. No bow riding - all passengers MUST remain inside the railings while the boat is in motion.

12. No fires or grilling on boats - you may bring a grill to cook out on the island.

13. All passengers must board at our docks. No picking up of extra passengers during the rental.

14. No mooring at other docks.

15. Children 6 and under must wear a life jacket at all times while on the boat - it's the LAW!

16. Stay between channel markers at all times while in a marked channel. Remember: RED, RIGHT, RETURN.

17. Obey No Wake Zones at all times. If we receive a complaint from a Gulf Harbors resident that you have broken this rule you will be fined $150. The designated No Wake Zone is from our docks to the last house in the channel as well as 200 feet away from any anchored vessel or island beach.

18. You are responsible for your boat, motor, equipment and passengers. You break it, you bought it! Se our list of charges for any items lost or broken. And nope, we do not offer insurance.

19. When trimming up the engine, do NOT allow the propeller to come out of the water when the engine is on.  You loose steering and damage the engine.  We'll have a field day with your credit card!

20. Stay at least one mile from the mainland shoreline. Watch your depth sounder, when it reads 3 feet or less slow down and be careful. If you ding the prop, you will be charged $175 to replace it!

21. When a larger boat approaches you in the channel be aware that their wake could flood your boat, SLOW DOWN.

22. Stay away from Styrofoam balls and other buoys - these are crab traps that can rip up your propeller. And don't even THINK about retrieving those crabs - that carries a $5000 fine in the State of Florida!

23. If a storm comes in, call for instructions. Then make sure the boat is anchored solidly at the island and take shelter under the bimini. DO NOT attempt to return to dock during a storm.

24. DO NOT beach the boat. Drop a stern (back) anchor first, then set a front anchor ensuring that the boat is floating at all times. As the tide drops, move the boat out. If the boat is beached on an outgoing tide you will be charged $200 as we have to pick you up and leave a staff member to guard the boat for 10 hours until the tide comes in.

25. When dropping an anchor, yank on it first to make sure it is set - the grass flats in our area can sometimes jam up an anchor so it just skids and does not set properly the first time.

26. Rinse the mud off anchors before stowing them on board. If you tie knots in the anchor line, untie them before you get to the dock because we will make you untie them in front of everybody!

27. If you get lost, call for instructions. We will talk you through using the GPS to find your way home.

28. DO NOT call the Coast Guard on your VHF radio unless you are unable to contact us by cell phone and it is a life threatening emergency. We can get to you a lot faster than they can.

29. If your boat does not start, call us. We can probably figure it out on the phone. If not, we'll come and get you. If we find it was "operator error" due to you not following the instructions, you will be charged $75 per hour for our time and gas.

30. If you add a captain to your rental your are STILL responsible for any damages caused to the boat by your party.

Now go ahead and read our FAQ!

And for some examples of silly things our clients have done in the past visit the Windsong Hall of Shame!