We stayed at Whisperwood over the summer and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The owners were more than…read morehelpful and thought of every thing. Our cabin was clean and tidy. The lake is just serene. The boat we rented was a black lund, clean and ran perfectly. The food was plentiful and delicious and wait staff were very courteous. We can't wait to go back. We just booked again!

The place was clean and food was good,staff friendly. The mattress in our cabin (Lake…read moreView)desperately needed to be replaced. Cost per day for renting a small fishing boat were high considering the condition of the boats. Fishing boat fleet could use an upgrade to modern equipment (trolling motors ,seats etc)

We've been renting a boat here for the last 20+ years. We are always treated extremely well and the…read moreboats we've rented have been great. The owner, his family, and employees are reliable, professional, and they stand behind their rentals. We had one issue with one of the boats in all the time we've rented here and they took care of it quickly so that our vacation didn't suffer at all. I highly recommend Great Pond Marina if you are looking for a great experience renting a boat in Belgrade Lakes, ME.

awesome staff and inventory. extremely knowledgeable about the lake and all things boatread more

Individual camps, (not a campground per se). Rustic, some over 100 years. Right on the water,…read morescreened porches, private. Fireplace/wood stove, wood supplied. Kayaks and canoes to borrow or rent. Quiet, clean lake. Wi-Fi . No dishwashers, no cable, you are out there. Owners cool, accommodating, environmentally friendly. I've been coming here all my life, my wife since the 70's...she gave up beach vacations. The place is magic, has power.

I have been going to Wheeler's Camps since 1994. It is quiet, relaxing, refreshing. Cabins right…read morenext to the lake. Fireplaces in every cabin. Electricity and running water but, limited wifi. Pets welcome. The lake is a dream. The owner friendly and helpful. I keep going back every year. The best vacations out of everywhere I have ever been.

What great employees! Excellent personalized service at boat pickup. We'll use this company every…read moreyear!!!

It's taken me a little time to decide if I should write this review or not. What led me to write it…read morewas Facebook. More specifically, the Maine Boat Rental Facebook page. I'll get back that in a bit. I rented the boat I'm writing about from August 15-17, 2025. First I want to tell you what happened and I will provide facts supported with pictures Maine Boat Rental provided me (actually a video of the boat before I took possession and several pictures showing the damage they claimed I caused). After returning the boat, I received an e-mail on 26 August stating, "This email is to confirm a one-time charge in the amount of $251.74 has been successfully completed. The reason for this charge was $26.74 GAS FILL, $175 BENT BIMNI ROD SCRATCHES ON REAR AND FRONT OF BOAT, $50 ADMIN FEE FOR CC FOR SECURITY DEPOSIT and is associated with your reservation CC A5L-GDV. If you have any questions, please contact Maine Boat Rental at [207-313-6248] and we will be happy to assist you." I immediately called them and they said the Bimini rod was bent and there was damage to the hull of the boat. I asked them to send me the video/pics and they did. Me being me, I looked at the pictures and then watched the video (the one taken before I rented the boat). I ended up doing screen-shots of the video. I compared the screen shots with the damage they said I did, then put an Adobe pdf file together to send them showing that EVERY scratch, gouge, bent rod, etc., was already on the boat. I sent that file to Maine Boat Rental and asked when I was going to get my refund. About a week later I received an e-mail from Nichoal that said, "After spending a lengthy amount of time comparing videos and pictures, I have found that the bimni bar was bent badly during your rental and the cost of replacing that is over $1,200. I have also found that there are in fact new scratches on the boat the worst of them down to the fiberglass and will require a in-depth patching process to ensure water intrusion will not happen in the future." I asked her if she saw the Adobe pdf file I sent her and she hadn't (remember, she claimed to have spent a "lengthy amount of time comparing videos and pictures" - obviously not looking at their own Facebook page). I again sent the file which clearly shows the damage they charged me for was already on the boat. Once she realized I did my due diligence, she immediately refunded my $175 in damages. Now, what caused me to write this review. I was looking at other reviews and their Facebook page. Facebook has 2 pictures showing their ski boats all docked together (posted on July 17, 2025). The last boat (farthest from the picture taker) is the boat I rented. In that picture, taken almost a month before I rented the boat, is the bent Bimini rod. The bend in the bar clearly matches the damage picture they sent me. That was the icing on the cake. How many renters have been charged for this Bimini rod they claim is over $1200? I have yet to find a Bimini top for more than $500 but that's not the point. The point is unsuspecting renters are renting from Maine Boat Rental and probably getting charged for damage that was already there. They probably charged every person that rented this particular boat, July 17 through now, for that damage. Pretty crappy way to try and get more money from people. I mean, $1000 for a 3-day rental isn't enough? I just caution you, if you're planning on renting a boat from them, to take pictures of every bit of damage (bent rods, scratches, prop damage on the engine, etc.). In fact, make sure the person from Maine Boat Rental dropping off the boat is in those pictures so they can see you took them before you got the boat not after the fact. The pictures I've posted - higher resolution pictures = damage they said I caused / lower resolution pictures = screen shots I took from their video before I got the boat. For the record, I did rent from them (I am Sean M on the contract and fuel receipt).

We will never do business with this company again. Horrible experience…read more We rented a boat and it stopped working on the 2nd day. The owner test drove the boat, noticed it was slipping on turns. He took the prop off and said there was a problem. After negotiating with him, he agreed in writing to refund some of the money 2 months later, multiple phone calls, and 2 letters and no refund. He claims there was nothing wrong with the boat. Change of story and backing off on a promise. Not good!

We've rented from them several years. Usually pretty good but not very punctual. This year motor…read moredidn't sound right after a week and a half. Called and advised motor did not sound right. There was a scrape on one end of propeller. They drove it down lake to take it out. Then next day they said we must have hit something with dent in cylinder of propeller. We hit nothing and there was no dent when it was taken. The tech that took it was not very knowledgeable about lake. Next thing I know he's charging me 1900 for lower unit. Will NEVER rent from them again. Beware take pictures of everything if you have any problems. They will take your money!!

Gave me a price estimate of $150-$200. The boat sat in their yard for about four weeks battery…read moreended up being dead obviously because it was cold then charged me for an hour and a half of labor which ended up being almost $300 well he charged the battery would not recommend service here

Ronald was wonderful to deal with. You can tell he actually cares about the customer. I would…read morerecommend this place to anyone.

We took a 1960 Old Town runabout to Brightside for renovation and installation of an Elco electric…read moremotor with lithium batteries. Although the boat looked great after the restoration, it took far longer than it should have and we had numerous issues with the boat and the owner. We gave the owner $20,000 up front that was to be used for an Electric motor and lithium batteries however he used this money for other projects and then lied to us about why he didn't have the batteries. We waited for more than a year after the restoration work was done for the purchase and installation of the batteries. At first he said ELCO didn't have the parts due to the pandemic but then he admitted he lied and said he used the money for restoration work on another boat. He told us he could not purchase the batteries until he sold something. When Brightside did deliver the boat, it had never been sea tested, the steering cable was too long, the boat leaked, the lithium batteries malfunctioned, and the motor was installed so that it coulld gouge the transom if it was off center when raising the motor. It took Brightside over a year to fix the leak and they mucked about with the batteries for over a year but never fixed the problem. We eventually gave up on them, took the boat to a different shop and purchased brand new batteries. The work was done in less than 2 months. We paid Brightside about twice what the estimate was, but that can happen as you take a boat apart. Besides lying to us, the owner Shawn frequently shouted and hung up on us when we called him for updates. On the positive side, the boat looks good, the paint and varnish and renovation work appears to be OK. And the wiring for the lithium batteries and motor were done well. Some of the staff has changed since we took the boat there, so perhaps things have improved, but don't pay them the last installation until you have tested the boat. No matter if they tell you they can't make payroll without it. You need leverage.

Brightside Marine -- a poorly managed business with serious cash flow problems. They over promise,…read moreunder deliver, behave abusively and held our boat hostage until we arrived with a Sheriff and $2,200 in cash. This sad story started last summer. We brought our 17' fishing boat to Shawn Grant, owner of Brightside. He was knowledgeable and immediately diagnosed the problem. The transom was rotten. They could store and winterize the boat, and have it fixed by mid June 2022. Red flag #1: November 2021 we receive a call asking us to prepay for the storage/winterization, or they can't meet payroll. $1,189 paid by credit card. Red flag #2: After my husband telephoned several times, Shawn said, "Stop calling and bothering the help. Don't call us! We'll call you!" And then he blocked his calls. Red flag #3: Mid June 2022, the boat hasn't been started yet. They call with a new quote of $6,000 and request a 50% deposit. $3,000 paid by credit card. Red flag #4: Four days before we arrive, text comes in asking for another $2,000. They've "burned" thru the deposit and need more funds. The end's in site, so we again pay by credit card. Arrive in Maine 7/2. Boat not ready until 7/13!! In the meantime, no loaner boat available. Last straw, Shawn calls yelling about our interaction with the staff on why the boat wasn't ready on time. In a loud, threatening voice he said he was closing our account and would no longer accept a credit card. Show up with $2,200 in $100 bills. Pay in cash or NO boat! That's when we called the Sheriff, who thankfully went with us to get the boat. Turns out, this wasn't their first call about Shawn and Brightside Marine. And I suspect, it won't be their last.

This place is for anyone who loves the outdoors! White Water Rafting, Hiking, Tubing down the…read moreriver, and more. What really stood out was the outstanding woodwork in the restaurant & bar. We rented the King Pine log cabin for a birthday party. It sleeps 14+! I do have pictures that I will share but the beds aren't made because we were leaving & housekeeping does all of that. We all went to breakfast at their restaurant. Delicious & huge portions. Reasonably priced as well. There's a large hot tub, game room, swimming pool & pool table. Nice cozy couches in this area as well. The staff were some of the nicest people I have ever met. This is an all season place. It is definitely worth the trip!

Great tour guides and very fun time!! brought a large group and we all had fun with very good food…read morehalf way through.

I have been using Pinkham's Cove Marine since they purchased the company from Craig, there is…read morenowhere else I would take my boat. They are 100% trustworthy, prompt and provide stellar service. I keep my boat stored there for the winter, and they have my boat ready to go when I come up to Maine. I can not say enough about Russell Charleston and all the staff. You will not be disappointed. Been coming to Great Pond for over 40 years and I this summer my boat stopped working the second day here, and they had a tech over the next day, and I was back on the water that day! Not sure what was up with the review by BessMark, but I can tell you it is in no way my experience or the experience of anyone I know who trusts their boat to Russell.