Highly recommended from our family. We loved the boat and service provided for the boat. Kat and…read moreJeremy helped us with our reservation and with getting out on the boat. They were both awesome to deal with. Nice size pontoon boat for our family of four. More people could have fit on comfortably. 8 would probably be a comfortable amount at most, but you probably could fit more. Not sure more than 8 would be as comfortable. Plenty of room on the boat. We boated the entire day and even fished off the boat. The boat has a depth finder and fish finder as one unit on the boat. The boat seemed fairly new and in great shape. Plenty of comfortable seating cushions on the boat. It could have used more cup holders, though. Plenty of storage under the seats and cushions. We did several stops to swim while out on the lake. The lake is not very deep (Castle Rock Lake) so go more towards the center of the lake to swim. There it was around 15-20 feet deep. You could anchor there with no problems. Awesome ladder on the boat to get back in the boat from the water. With four in the boat, plenty of room to fish. Casting or bobber fishing. Fish finder on the boat was a nice touch. It helped find good areas to fish, but we had no luck catching any that day. Smooth ride while boating on Castle Rock Lake. Not many boats on the lake the day we were out on the lake. We didn't see many boats on the lake the whole time we were there. That's nice that the lake does not get too crowded with boat traffic. The boat has a Bluetooth radio to connect your phone for music and a nice music system for enjoying your boat ride. Overall smooth experience reserving the boat in advance and then getting out on the water. Kat showed us how to use the boat and then we were off on the lake boating. Seamless experience from reservation to turning the boat in at the end of the day. Highly recommend renting a boat from them on Castle Rock Lake. Just so you know, they operate out of a shack next door to the Shipwreck Bay Bar and Restaurant. The shack is located on the hill above their docks. There is a banner on the side of the shack that says Castle Rock Water Sports. That is where you start your day. For lunch while boating, the restaurant by the boat rental docks, Shipwreck Bay Bar and Grill, is great and so is the Dirty Turtle Bar and Grill just North of there via water. TIP: When filling your boat with gas at the end of your boating day before turning it in, go to the Dirty Turtle Restaurant/Bar down the way from the Castle Rock Water Sports docks. It's about half a mile or less North of their rental docks by water. The gas pump is by the Dirty Turtle Bar and Grill itself. You will have to pull the boat all the way into the marina by water and up to the dock right in front of the Dirty Turtle bar where the gas pump is at. Dock your boat there and go into the restaurant with your credit card. Tell the bartender that you want to fill-up your boat and they hold your card and turn on the pump for you. Go back out and fill your boat to full from the pump. The pump hose is pretty long and will stretch most of the way down the dock to fill your boat no matter where you dock it. After filling your boat with gas, go back into the bar and pay. They can put it on your card or you can pay cash instead. Knowing all this would have saved us some time, but we figured it out, finally. Enjoy!!!

The entire booking process went extremely smoothly and our pontoon boat was great. Jeremy was very…read morehelpful, and helped us realize that we were charged too much for gas. He was also very nice and gave us a quick tour of how to use the boat.

Fred at Smith II (now V2) helped us get our boat running after a long period of disuse, and even…read morefound us a buyer for it, netting us Blue Book after their consignment fee. No complaints.

I recently purchased a used snowmobile from Smith Marine. I was told they had gone thru it and…read morechecked everything out and that it was in great working condition. Owner told me it was his buddies machine. I drove over 1,000 miles to pick it up. Once home, after unloading it, I was not able to go a city block. I had to take it to a workshop to have it diagnosed. Fuses kept blowing. Mechanic found wires cut and burnt on backside of motor. Cost me $400 to get it repaired. Smith Marine said it isn't their problem. Owner says he took machine in on consignment (not his buddies as he originally stated). If you buy a used car, you usually get a thirty day warranty. Not a reputable dealer. I would not advise purchasing from this Marine as they do not stand behind products they sell.

We went on the Lower Dells jet boat adventure. This was our favorite part of our trip to The Dells!…read more The price for tickets is $37 per adult. But if you purchase them online you can get $6 off each adult ticket. The price is the same for the lower and upper dells tours. The lower dells tour seems to depart more frequently. The upper dells tour is a little longer. Parking was plentiful for the Lower Dells. There's bench while waiting for the next tour. Be prepared to be soaked. They don't sell ponchos. You will be drenched from the power stops. The spin outs are fun but not as wet. Literally every seat will be wet. No life jackets for adults but children are seated towards the center of rows and do get life jackets. Our tour guide Nate was great. He was very knowledgeable about the scenery. The rock formations are very pretty. Your tour guide gets very close to the rocks. One guy in the front row reached out and was able to touch it. It's a great activity to get a break from the heat. But you should have a change of clothes ready, a towel, a swimsuit on, or be prepared to go back to your hotel for a shower afterwards. It was well worth the ~$30 for the tour. We liked it so much we considered going on the upper dells tour the next day but the timing didn't work out since those tours are more limited.

Our visit to the Wisconsin Dells area began with a journey along the River Walk. To our left was…read morethe scenic Wisconsin River and towering above to our right was the tourist-trap laden Broadway. In between, the River Walk features stories of the citizens of the Dells from the past and present. The stories displayed along the walk perfectly lay out what the Dells are - A narrative of 'loving and protecting' the nature while operating an area that exists solely on the exploitation of said nature. This is where we meet our Upper Dells Boat Tour. The Dells Boat Tours leave from a handful of flights of stairs down from the River Walk to a dock on the river. An elevator from street level is available to access the docks as well. I brought our youngest down the stairs in my arms while my wife brought our other children down in the elevator. Arriving at the front of the dock I was refused a seat as my whole party had not arrived yet. I explained my wife was on route in the elevator and would be joining momentarily, this was met by the greeter with a "We know what we are doing." My wife explained when she made her way down that voyage on a boat was first come first serve and apparently the ability to sit served as a queueing mechanism. Sure! The boat ride itself? Comfortable enough. Old boat, river tour. You know what you are getting. The boat had access to two stops (Witch's Gulch, Stand Rock) for some interaction and up close views of the natural wonders formed in the area. At face value there, the whole tour was pretty good. Nice sites. About two hours of activity. To me though, the tour, and all of the Dells collapses underneath the weight of its own hypocrisy. The guide and captain both carried forward the "We know what we are doing" and "Loving and protecting nature" attitudes introduced at the beginning of this experience, while also contradicting themselves throughout. The tour references George H. Crandall, speaking lightly to his idea that 'No man can own the Dells' and his quest to purchase and preserve as much of the land as possible to promote stewardship over private exploitation. You are then dropped off at a raised platform hammered over the Witch's Gulch area to walk to a concession stand and souvenir shop built onto a paved area. Early on in the tour the guide points out and celebrates a carving into the rocks by Leroy Gates, an early entrepreneur operating Dells Boat Tours, advertising himself and his tours. Later in the tour at Stand Rock, security cameras and warning signs surround some exposed sandstone where curious tourists have etched initials over time. Also carved into that sandstone? Another concession stand where you can purchase a beer or a $55 sweatshirt. Now, I'm not encouraging carving into the rock but these messages feel mixed. Stand Rock also presented a bizarre presentation of a dog jumping over a 5.5 foot chasm up 46 feet in the air, to recreate a famous photograph taken by local H. H. Bennett in 1886. Bennett is celebrated for his early photography work documenting the Dells area and discovering many of the natural wonders. This beauty is yours because others before you loved it - and we honor them by hanging signs everywhere, selling slushies, and installing this safety net between rocks in case something happens when the dog jumps? One of the more disappointing tid-bits passed on by our guide was of the local Ho-Chunk people being formerly known as the Winnebago, which was a name they did not choose for themselves and was ultimately viewed as a slur. The Ho-Chunk had to fight for many years to have their name Federally recognized. This story was told in sort of a jokey fashion, with the English translation of Winnebago landing like a punch line. It was also mentioned later in the tour that one of the Dells Boat Tour vessels includes Winnebago in the name. Near the end of the tour we are pointed toward the Kilbourn Dam which is presented as a historic and wonderful achievement. The Dam split the Wisconsin River and raised the water level of the new 'Upper Dells', which concealed many of the natural structures H. H. Bennett had previously documented. He was a fierce critic of the Dam, and died the year it was built. I am not saying we shouldn't encourage preservation and take the opportunity in our lifetimes to preserve nature for future generations to enjoy. I have loved every visit to a National and State Park and we are teaching our children to do the same. What I would prefer, is that we pick a lane here. You either rally against defacing nature, or you pump tourists up and down a river to your concession stands every 1/2 hour. You know when you meet someone who isn't genuinely presenting as themselves and it makes the whole encounter feel weird? That is essentially the feeling I left the Dells and the Dells Boat Tour with. We declined leaving with a souvenir photo.

The owner was extremely friendly and even let us go out on the river, despite being 2 weeks from…read moreofficially opening.

Great place to go for relaxing and enjoying good vibes with friends. Staff is had the best customer…read moreservice Ive ever witness. Will be visiting again!!

Helpful and honest people with solid technicians. I was so impressed I bought a new outboard motor…read morefrom them.

Once again, a great place to have your toys services and to add more toys to the collection. A real…read moreMom and Pop business (Loren, the father started the business). I've visited the large Mega-Stores and to be honest, it's very impressive to see dozens of boats on the floor and more color choices than one can imagine. Being a small Mom and Pop shop that isn't their forte. Their forte is knowing their product and being able to answer questions ranging from the most basic ones to the extremely technical. Have a problem with your boat, ATV, UTV, or other toys, they can fix it. Heck, they even offer boat storage, winterizing and in and out service. They are even able to customize and add accessories ......that remote control windlass will really come in handy! After drooling over a new Pontoon Boat for over a month we decided to take the plunge. My wife Connie was nervous with transitioning from a speedboat to a pontoon and Curt (the owner) is not only going to launch the new boat, he is going to give my wife lessons on how to captain the new larger boat. (Sometimes it's better for the husband to step aside.....and let the professionals give instruction.....the old saying, "Happy Wife....)

The staff are all so friendly! It was our first time kayaking with a group of people. They did a…read moregreat job explaining and answering all of our questions. They offer many different options to take. Would definitely recommend them and we will be coming back!

The family who runs this are really great. Excellent canoes, beautiful stretch of river and perfect…read morecustomer service. Our time on the water was seamless and we got to truly relax and enjoy the majesty of the Driftless

Help with repairs, storage, setting up and bringing to dock. They were there whenever we needed helpread more

We have been customers of Johnson's for almost 20 years and have had nothing but a phenomenal…read moreexperience. The staff always goes above and beyond time and time again. We highly recommend Johnson's .

Myself and a few friends have been coming here for years. Always had a great experience with…read moreEVERYONE there. Even to the point that they even know us there. That's how good they are or that's how much we go there (twice this month alone). This weekend was the point that I decided to put in a review because of the people there. We usually rent a pontoon boat with a tube and have a BLAST! But even this weekend Jenna even rode by on a waverunner and asked if everything was ok while we BBQ'd on a beach. And it was, it's great to get that attention from a place that if I am not mistaken is family owned. But long story short everyone here is cool, from the rental desk to the people on the dock, to the guy directing traffic by the office. I'll be back here again many many more times to come. Also most likely at least once more this season alone. Worth the drive from Chicago!

Worst customer service ever!!! Asked where the boat rental was " well we have signs what dont you…read moreread them . Like excuse me?? Later talking to a friend on the phone. Mentioned "the parking is chaos?the parking was chaos? People were double parked. They had a guy directing traffic like 15 golf carts all over the Manager Yells" no it wasn't??...me "yes it was" her " cancel there reservation" a $500 reservation?? Ok Buy Felicia we are locals and we will never be back or recommend ever!! I have never been so poorly treated But after seeing other reviews, looks like this is their normal worst custom for service?! I do believe that a company would be so snotty and rude out of the gate!! Wow just wow!! This place is awful!!

BIG fan of this state park! Recently returned for a camping trip after not having been here in…read moreyears, and boy was it delightful. The campgrounds themselves are well-kept and honestly massive. Can't even imagine how many campsites they have. Ours in particular was in quite the open space with tons of grass, but there are plenty of options that are more wood-like and covered. Nice they have electric hook up options, as we were traveling with both tents and RVs. Hiking trails were awesome too, wow. Really enjoyed our excursions out and about, winding through the woods, rocky up-hills, and taking in the beautiful lake views. Also awesome? The beach and the attached gift shop/restaurant. Super duper well-kept. Tons of beach space (though it was still packed!) with clean sand and shallow waters, great for the kiddos. Also that gift shop is more of a convenience store- it's got it all! The adject ice cream shop was also enjoyed by everyone we traveled with. My only small gripe was the lack of garbage cans. I feel like this is some kind of state-park rule maybe? I don't know there was only one area with dumpsters and unless you trek over there, you're kind SOL with wrappers, ice cream cups, rubbish left over from your restaurant meal, etc. 100% will return here, whether it's for future camping, just hiking outings, or beach days.

Fantastic spot for hiking and swimming. Beautiful views and fun rocks to climb. Highly recommend…read morespending some time here and away from the craziness in the Dells.

Captain Kevin was the best! He took us up and down the river, pointing out things of interest, and…read moretook us to a great beach. He made our day a day to remember!

From the owner: One of a kind Tiki Pontoon in the Wisconsin Dells great for family/friends, guys/girls getaways,…read morebirthday celebrations, company outing, bachelor/bachelorettte parties, or for whatever reason!