After having a bad experience with a competitor, we called Make a Wake in hopes of salvaging our vacation. Make a Wake did just that! It was obviously a busy day for them but they were extremely friendly, responsive and knowledgeable. They got us in on short notice and out on the lake as quickly as possible. Thanks Make a Wake! Vacation: Saved!! read more

We rented a very nice pontoon boat for 3 hours on Monday August 10th. The boat was nice and comfortable however the top speed was 10 miles per hour. We were very disappointed. Not that we wanted to go very fast but faster than 10 miles per hour would have been nice. I called the office back and we went back and the guys looked at the motor. They said nothing was wrong with the boat and that pontoon boats typically go slow and I understand that but NOT THAT slow. If i would have known that I wouldn't have booked this boat. When we returned it was awkward. None of the staff would talk to us. When we left I said thank you and goodbye and then they said thank you. They never said sorry or really tried to make it right with us. On the boat ride we witnessed other pontoon boats flying past us. If it was a busy day on the lake it would have been dangerous going at that slow of a speed. read more

This place has crappy boats. Watch out for the yearly scam. I paid $1000 for 8 hr boat rental with insurance. I used 4 hours and they didn't make it right. The owners are scumbags looking to profit any way possible. Make sure to check for prior damage. read more

Sumara offered amazing service! I had to leave a positive review. She filled up our boats gas as a champion. But she was also extremely friendly, chatting about the lake, college, and many other things. She gave my family reccomendations of activities to do while in town! 10/10 experience. read more

CORRECTION: 0/5 stars This place could use a lesson in customer service. All that we talked about during our rental and the entire day after we're the countless rude encounters we had with almost every person on staff. The girl behind the front desk seemed absolutely flustered when we came in when there were only two other customers in the office. When I asked for the keys back she dropped them in my hand, and when one didn't even land in my hand, there was zero acknowledgment. I suppose it created a fun joke for my friends and I to rudely say "k thanks" the rest of the weekend to quote her. These examples don't even begin to overview all of the rudeness we experienced, and when I spoke to a manager about these issues, he was only mildly apologetic. read more

Allison and dock crew were great! We rented a boat and a jet ski. Had a great time tubing, and my son really enjoyed the jet ski on a surprisingly quiet day on the lake. Make a wake was easy to work with and super convenient while vacationing in Boji. Package hours special they offered provided a great deal compared to others in the area. Thanks, Make a Wake! read more

Great place to have while on the beach at Village West. We have rented Maui Mats from them in the past and they were very friendly and helpful. Stopped in with the kids many times over the last week to get drinks and snacks while hanging out at the beach all day. They seem to be very busy with boats coming in and out all day long. Next year while staying up there we will rent a boat for a day. read more

Make-A-Wake Watersports - Boating Near Me - Spirit Lake, Iowa

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Poor experience. Accused me of drinking on the body and damaging a boat. Neither of which happened.

Charged for damage that was already there, take pictures of their boats and skis before you rent them! Worst experience ever! Terrible customer service and business skills! Rent from someone else! read more

My family had a really nice experience here. We were on a last minute trip to Okoboji and tried to rent a boat to go tubing with the kids, but every place we had tried prior was booked. Make-A-Wake had a couple of open slots open and we took one. The first thing I noticed was the friendly assistance I received from Allison in the phone when I called to inquire about the rental. When we got there, all of the staff was very friendly and attentive despite it being quite busy; chaotic even. The second thing we liked was the boat was relatively new and very clean. The guy that walked us through everything was kind and thorough, and offered some good advice. I would absolutely rent from Make-A-Wake again. Thanks for the memories! read more

This place is amazing for water activities! You can rent a set number of boating hours. You can mix and match between jet skis, pontoon boats, ski and deck boats. Water equipment - skis, wakeboard, tubes and knees board are included. We would jet ski In am and then take a pontoon boat out for a sunset cruise. Customer service and friendliness was awesome. We called all the marinas and this place had the Best deal on lake okoboji by far. And you have all summer to use your hours. We will buy a package again from them next summer when we are back! Thanks to all working there - you are awesome! read more

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Update 7/2017 (FYI. 95%+ of my reviews are 5 stars. Approximately only 5% are negative.) Today we gave this company 1 more chance, 2 years later, by renting a boat (8 hrs) from them for today & tomorrow. This time, my husband came on the trip with us (he couldn't make it 2 ys ago.) This time we put the boat in his name so we had a 'fresh start' with this company. Honestly, this time around, I was hoping to give this business another chance & hopefully upon having a great experience this year (since the last one was horrible) I was really hoping to edit the old review & give a 5 star rating this time. Everyone makes mistakes & I was wishfully thinking they would've redeemed themselves. Unfortunately, the second experience at Make-A-Wake today, was an absolute nightmare, AGAIN! Everything went well at first. They assisted my nephew with a life jacket & the young employees who assisted with getting the boat ready for the water, were great. They helped my Grandmother into the boat & the gal Kasey who works there, was sweet & helpful. They were 15 min late getting us into the water, but that wasn't much of a bother. While we were out boating, I called the shop to see if we can bring the boat in early by 30 min & extend tomorrow's rental by that same 30 min. The gal said 'that should work & shouldn't be a problem because there's nobody reserved after us tomorrow, but she had to run it by her manager.' The manager/owner lady got on the phone & told me no. Obviously not accommodating, but whatever... During the boat ride, we couldn't go fast at all, as my 83-year-old Grandmother couldn't handle anything more than about 10 mph on the very choppy water. In the 2.5 hrs we had the boat, we only ran it slowly for a bit over 1 hour of that time, as we also stopped & let the kids jump out & swim for about 1 hour also. We got back to the shop 15 min early & again, the young employees working outside were helpful, getting my Grandma out of the boat. I then watched the gal fill up our gas tank. I walked around to look at the gas pump amount. It was a little over $25 in gas by the time it was full. I asked if she was done & she said yes & that I can finalize everything in the shop. I ran to the restroom while my husband handled the bill. I called him as I was walking out of the restroom, only to hear him & the lady/owner (Allison Waltman) going back & forth about the gas bill. She was charging us $35. $10 higher than what I saw on the pump. I told him it should've been around $25 because I saw the amount on the pump myself. I walked back to the shop to see/hear what was going on, only to be absolutely stunned by the same exact horrible attitude from the owner lady that I dealt with 2 ys ago. My mind is absolutely blown because she took it upon herself to cancel our reservation for tomorrow. Now we no longer have our planned day set & every other boat rental company is full & no availability. She said she's "done dealing with us & to get out of her store." I can't even make this up! I am absolutely stunned, shocked & appalled that a business can be ran in this manner! This is the absolute worst customer service experience I truly have ever seen in my life. She told me she 'remembered me & the 2 star bad review that I left her 2 years ago.' You'd think she would try to make it right vs hold a grudge for a rough review from 2 years ago! As a business owner myself, If I were her, I would've said "I'm so sorry you had a bad experience last time. I hope we can make it right this time, with a great experience for you & your family & that we can earn a great review this time around. Thanks for giving us a second chance." Now THAT would've been great customer service & would've definitely earned 5 stars in my book! A little customer service goes a long way. Well horribly rude lady (who needs to put on some clothing...) now it's down to 1 star (because 0 isn't an option.) I was really hoping for a different experience this time & I truly wanted to edit the 2 star review in a good way, hoping that 2 years ago was just a bad day for her & her husband... or whoever he is. Obviously not. Seems to be a theme since it shockingly happened on both occasions we've rented here. FYI, My Mom recently passed away. She grew up in Okoboji. We just wanted a laid back trip with my Grandma to remember her. Thanks Make A Wake Watersports for completely ruining our day, putting a huge damper on our vacation & stressing us out completely. Advice to potential clients, RUN! Run away fast & do NOT rent a boat / jet ski from this place! You've been warned. 2 totally different experiences, 2 years apart, which were both absolutely horrendous! Beyond terrible! Hopefully this place will come under new ownership at some point, for the sake of potential customers & really just a bad taste for Village West Resort. The current owners here are in the wrong business. Zero customer service skills. It's really sad. We forgive you. Just get a new career, it's time. read more

We rent boats from Make-a-Wake every year! They offer the best service and nice boats. For my family, they make our vacation! See you this summer! read more

Staff are nice and helpful. The boats are legit and tubing is so much fun. The one con is that you have to drive through a resort to get to it. read more

I booked a 3 hour boat rental with this company. I was told to arrive a little earlier to fill out paperwork etc. We couldn't find the place so we arrived about 5 minutes late, however, the paperwork and the briefing of the boat took 45 minutes even though they were not busy. When I inquired about a price adjustment, I was told "the price remains the same, you guys were late". So heads up, be sure to arrive about 45-60 minutes early otherwise you're wasting your money. We were also told that the deposit of $250 would be put back on the card in 2-3 business days, both times, over the phone and in person, however, I'm finding out the hard way that certain banks/cards can take up to 30 days to receive the deposit. I learned about the 30 day delay through Allie -- the manager I spoke with AFTER I noticed the deposit did not get refunded and it's been 3 business days. When I asked Allie if this is something their staff tells their customers about up front, she said, "no we don't". I was appalled. I asked if this was really the way they run their business, and I was told verbatim "there is nothing we can do about that". Well, they can. They can be honest up front so people can have a choice to either not do business with them or to use a different card, or to simply not count on the $250 being back on the card for the next 30 days. This is kind of ruthless especially because some people may depend on that money, heavily! Also, keep an eye on your fuel fee because after we did our math, we realized we were overcharged. And lastly, they do not provide boat buoy/fenders. When we asked about it, we were advised not to dock the boat. So if you have an elderly or a passenger with underlying health condition that you may need to drop off at a place other than their dock, you probably wont be able to, because you may scratch the boat etc. P.S. Ask about an anchor because we were not told about that either. (Briefing was done by Allison "Allie" Jones Waltman, the card for deposit was taken by Dalton Holle, initial booking was done with someone other than Allie). read more

Always a great experience with Make-A-Wake. Dustin and Allison go out of their way to accommodate my family during our trip. They along with their entire staff hustle all over the place to make sure we always get a great experience on the lake. Can't go wrong with a well run, family owned business like Make-A-Wake! Thanks Dustin, Allison and staff for a great experience each and every year. Looking forward to catching up with you next year! read more

Make-a-Wake rentals was amazing!!! We can't say enough good things about their service and pricing. I would 100% recommend this place.

Great place to go! Best rental on the lake if you take advantage of their package deals! They really take care of their customers!

I signed up for Yelp just to review this place. Do yourself a favor and stay away unless you want to rent older cheap boats and receive rude service by all means give this place a try. What 3 1/2 stars is the rating? read more