Our family of 6 had a lovely vacation on #18 Lake Vermilion Houseboat. It was clean and everything was in working order. We were given a good complete orientation on how to drive the boat and where and how to moor for the night. We had the boat for 3 nights and stayed in a different spot on beautiful Lake Vermilion each night. We had great weather the first 2 nights and had no issues finding a site to moor. The 3rd day was windy and the water was choppy. Luckily, we had 2 strong teenagers to tie the rope to anchor the boat to shore. We appreciated getting a text from Joy and Kyle about the wind speed and direction that day. They told us a time to get our boat anchored and gave their recommendation on which spot to choose. Overall, positive experience for an adventure we had never done before. Thank you Joy, Kyle and staff!! read more

This is my favorite vacation. For us it is a week of rest and solitude. We sleep, hammock, read, hot tub, explore our campsites, play games, swim, and make ourselves really good food. We've had Kyle be our excellent fishing guide, bringing back and cleaning a Walleye feast. And, we know that there is still more to explore and do. The Soudan mine. The casino. Hiking trails. More. We will be back again and again. The boats: We've experienced 4 different boats. They're all clean and comfortable. Each has its strengths. They are easier to drive and park than you think. Kyle makes navigating the lake a breeze with good maps and easy to use GPS units. The campsites: Vary pretty wildly. Some are groomed. Others are pretty wild. Some remote. Some very near civilization. Some are rocky. Others are beach. Some are shoreline. Others are island(our favorite!). The people and the service: Kyle and Joy are the best. As mentioned above, we've hired Kyle as a fishing guide twice. One time he had to coordinate another guide and he was awesome. Scheduling responses are fantastic. Service to the boat is timely and efficient. And, emergency response is immediate and thorough (a very long story I'll tell you over a beer!). read more

Lake Vermilion Houseboats - Boating Near Me - Tower, Minnesota

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we rented boat # 20 which was perfect for 4 adults and 5 kids , but when we arived the boat was not clean . Mouse poop in the cupboards and fridge. the windows were filthy, and the water pump quit half way through our trip. No hot water ! The second we left the dock I texed him the toilet was leaking in the back back bathroom , with no response. the owner tried to make like it was my fault because we didn`t tell him right away at the dock. we asked him for more cleaning products because of the mouse poop and we left the dock and cleaned all the dishes ,cupboards fridge and counter tops. Bottom line he should have inspected the boat before we arived and made sure that it was clean and everything in working order. we did everything he had asked for ,down payment presign the agrement ,credit card on file and arrivel time. My suggestion for you would be to ask for a writen guarantee with 50 % off if it is not sea worthy . read more

Extremely poor and degrading customer service. I urge any potential customers to consider the terrible service that they may be getting themselves into. This review is specifically for the owner Kyle. My party and I arrived on Friday, July 6 for a weekend stay but decided to cut our stay short due to the terrible way we were being treated by Kyle. On our second day we had a problem when one of our bait cage ropes became tangled with our left motor and so we attempted to the best of our knowledge to extract it knowing that in boating things like this do happen and usually they aren't a big problem. We were in a small bay at this time and were close to shore but at no time were we in danger of actually breaching the shore. We decided to stop our motors and I went to cut the rope. Kyle and one of his workers arrived to help us out and they cut the rope for us and even helped us drive to our campsite. Everything seemed okay, we were told by the worker and Kyle himself that things like tangled rope happens and isn't a big deal. Kyle did not say anything else about the situation. The worker, after docking, took the keys and said that they would bring the keys over the next morning. About a few hours later, I text Kyle to see when we could expect the keys the next day because we wanted to make the most of our trip and have an early start. Kyle then responds by saying that we wouldn't be getting the keys back and that we could hire a driver because he doesn't trust us. I was shocked but wanted to remain civil and try to see if we could compromise since we paid to use the boat and not have it tied to shore, and it wasn't right that I was being told to pay extra for a service that we did not want. Kyle then escalates the situation and replies rudely and vaguely and then he refuses to answer any of my texts or calls. The next morning, I reach Kyle and ask him to explain to me why this was happening because we were really confused why he said he didn't trust us to drive the boat even though he himself told us the rope was not that big of an issue. After a few minutes of speaking with him, Kyle begins to yell that we signed release papers and that in his own words that means that he could do anything he wants. He then hangs up on his side of the phone. After this, I spoke with two of his workers and they themselves said they were surprised he was doing this as in their years of boating this usually isn't an issue. One worker stated to me that "Kyle gets like that sometimes" and that they felt bad about the situation but that they couldn't do anything because Kyle was the owner. One worker stated that he thought it would be fair to request a partial refund because we didn't get to use the boat. Eventually, since we were tied to shore and couldn't continue with our plans of boating around the lake, we decided to cut our losses and return home. One of the workers helped us boat back to the base. At checkout, we asked Kyle to explain his reasoning for not trusting us and why he was making a mountain out of a mole hill. He finally gave us 3 reasons, counting them off as follow: 1. We had disregarded him when he told us to stay out of a windy stretch of the lake. 2. He accused us of lying to him. 3. He stated that we didn't have any boating experience and that we were being recklessly dangerous. My replies to his accusations: 1. We had a map and we did our best to stay out of the area even though their website states the whole lake is navigable. 2. We had not lied to him, Kyle had called us to see if we needed help with the boat and at the time he called we thought we were fine and we told him so. Kyle then replies in his own words "even if you really didn't think you were lying, you were lying." 3. His company website specifically states and advertise in their faqs that it is ok for users with no prior boating knowledge to use their boats, and I was told several times by his company during my plans for the trip it was okay. I told him that if he had a problem with this he should have let us know all this information before paying and getting on the boat. I asked for a refund for the second day when the keys were taken away and we didn't drive the boat and thus was not getting the service we paid for. I thought this was a reasonable request but Kyle then takes out the release papers that I had signed and says in his own words again, "This paper here means that I can do what I want and you're not getting any money back. If you try anything with your bank, this will stop you. That's life." Kyle the owner of this company was extremely unprofessional and rude throughout my interaction with him. He seems to have some sort of anger issue or internal turmoil with power and I am appalled at his overreaction to my questions. It's a shame that what should have been a relaxing weekend away turned into having to deal with the worst and frankly strange customer service I have ever received from any business. read more

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The owner Kyle, is an absolute amateur when it comes to business. He doesn't know how to speak for himself and he runs alway from his problems rather than facing it like an adult. He WILL hang up on you just because he finds it not time worthy to speak and to negotiate, no wonder before signing the contract and everything, all he said before each bullets in the contract was "my lawyer says...". He doesn't trust his customers driving houseboats but rents it out to them and then gives them penalty (taking the keys away and leaving renters stranded on an island for 24hrs) just because he can, supposedly in his little mind. Keep in mind that the website clearly states no experience is required, but is worded differently "No special boating license is necessary, and we have seen a number of first-time boaters captain the boat like a pro. You will go through an orientation prior to your departure, covering the houseboat operation and maps." Overall Kyle is very unprofessional and shouldn't even be competent of running such business, if he can't make up his own mind and speak for himself, but to also respect his customers. I would beware of this place. Go find a business that will treat you with respect. read more

Lake Vermilion Houseboats - Boating Near Me - Tower, Minnesota

Unfortunately our family cannot recommend renting houseboats from here. The boat we rented was extremely old and in poor condition. The holding tank smelled so bad it was difficult to sleep at night. The back screen door to the deck would not latch shut and the bedroom door was so warped it wouldn't shut. A large window screen completely missing so we were unable to open window when hot and buggy out. The ceiling in main room was peeling as well as what appeared to be black mold on bathroom ceiling. The kitchen table top was very gross and sticky from humidity. We discussed our concerns with the owner and got nowhere. Customer satisfaction means nothing at lake vermilion houseboats. We called back to further discuss concerns but our # was blocked! read more

Kyle was an excellent walleye guide! He was fun, personable and was knowledgeable of the lake. We caught a bunch of walleye out of his beautiful new Ranger boat. We are looking forward to using Kyle again on our next Lake Vermilion trip! Highly recommend! read more

Had an awesome time! All of the staff was friendly and very knowledgeable. Everything was easy to maneuver and work. Common sense of course is a bonus for you and the staff! Hardest part is tying off at night, goes great if calm. Make sure you have plan if it's windy. read more

Lake Vermilion Houseboats - My wife was apprehensive about driving but nailed it! - Boating Near Me - Tower, Minnesota

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Kyle gave us a great fishing experience. Well planned, we'll executed trip! we caught walleye and perch and had a great time. The boat was very comfortable for our party of four - exceeded our expectations! read more

We rented a pair of snowmobiles, and it was great. I was shocked to see the reviews below of Kyle and issues with the boats. In our case, we were on a long snowmobile trip when two of our sleds broke down on the same day. Joy was a pleasure to deal with. She was compassionate to our situation, and really helped us out. I'd say that how she handled the situation to help us truly made our trip! If not for what she did, we would have canceled and gone home, wasting the week we had planned off work. The sleds were 2014 Indy 550, and they ran great. We did have a problem where one of the pull ropes broke (this happens and is unpredictable), and the electric start was sometimes not working, but otherwise they ran great. We rented for several days without any real problems. Big thanks to Joy for saving our trip! read more

Had boat #18 for four days, at $1,000 per day, I expect quite a bit more. The "penthouse" is a loft with an air mattress, and it leaks when it rains. The bathroom also leaked during rain. The dishes are stoneware, and the glasses are glass, so expect breakage, and to be charged heavily for it. The checkout process was extremely slow, it took over an hour, despite knowing he had three boats coming in that morning, Kyle did not staff for it, and was there by himself. Despite what the web site states, unless you are a very experienced boater, do NOT rent one of these house boats. Any boat is a challenge to drive, but a big boat like these are NOT for novices. Vermillion is a lovely area, I would recommend renting a house and a pontoon to enjoy the lake. The value for the dollar renting these house boats is NOT there. read more

Terrible experience. Rented a snowmobile and trailered it back to the cabin, rode it across lake to the landing, the rear suspension on the snowmobile was completely blown and the track was rubbing on the tunnel wall. The sled was not rideable. I returned back from the landing and brought the sled back early. The owner is refusing to refund me because he says the sled is rideable even though the shocks are blown. They were so bad that at a stop bouncing on the back of snowmobile caused the track to hop off the ground. I feel like I have been robbed and it ruined my night. read more

We rented a 55 foot houseboat for three nights in addition to a fishing boat required to tow behind the houseboat. The motor on the fishing boat didn't work, and the company refused to come fix the problem! We had planned to take the smaller boat to a shoreside restaurant for a family celebration, but due to the dysfunctional motor we had to make a stressful decision about how to feed the family with very limited options. Also for the high price, we expected a cleaner boat and more attention to customer service. The houseboat felt like an old, run down cabin with poor quality kitchen supplies. The window screens have gaps, so mayflies and mosquitoes were in the cabin every night. The lake is beautiful, our mooring sites gorgeous, fishing was good, the houseboat engines and generator worked great. But we will not be back. read more

The perfect vacation! We are a family of 6 and needed some time away from the grind and our busy lives. Our beautiful houseboat get away allowed for everyone to have what they love about a vacation, variety! We fished, hiked, sat around a campfire, water boarded, skied, and just reconnected with each other. The staff was very helpful answering our questions and checked on us. We highly recommend and will be back! read more

I've wanted to do this since I was a kid. My wife and I decided this might be a good vacation to unplug from work, technology, and the grind and that is exactly what we got with Lake Vermilion Houseboats. Initial interactions with the company were friendly and just before our trip in June 17 we learned the business changed ownership. The new owner Kyle and his family are great! The houseboat was a little primitive but perfectly adequate. Higher end models are available but we really enjoyed "roughing it" in the 42 foot with a hot tub, generator, water slide plus the necessities like a hot shower, coffee, etc. We were on a mission but we covered what seemed like endless bays, islands, coves, and points. Evening camp sites were straight forward to locate and the boat was more manageable than I expected. The walleye weren't cooperating but other species were relentless! We found giant and seemingly limitless bluegill and perch which we fried on the boat. There is nothing like enjoying fried fish on the water in peaceful silence only interrupted by the echo of loons as the sun sets at 9:00 PM. It was so quiet we caught ourselves whispering in ordinary conversation. It was hard to stay awake at night after such an active and long day having fun. The bed wasn't the best but I haven't slept that hard since I was a kid! Mornings came quick and there is no snooze with the chorus of birds. Other wildlife was impressive and included several bald eagles, deer, swimming deer, loons, and lots of fish. The week flew by but days seemed so long with no schedule or concern for the time. Things we were happy to have: lots of music to play loudly where nobody can hear, a good fillet knife, extra bait, a good cooler, extra rope, and boat bumpers. If you need something, help from base is available. They will even bring additional supplies from town for an extra yet fair charge. I don't think this will be an annual trip but I'm already looking forward to me next visit! read more

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