honestly shocked by the negative reviews. johnny and his team were so accommodating and amazing!!! we had the best time. they were very informative and our boat rental was super affordable. highly recommend! see you soon johnny we will be back. read more

Makin Waves Boat-Jet Ski Rentals - Boating Near Me - Saugatuck, Michigan

See all

Got all the way through filling paperwork just for them to tell us we couldn't rent the jet ski!

Great experience! very helpful and laid back staff. The boat was super fun and I'd recommend it to anyone.

What a complete cluster....Just don't do it. The owner is as crooked as the old dicks are.

Wanted to rent a pontoon boat on a Saturday, but Retro Boats was booked. Rented from Makin Waves instead. Big mistake. Made me pay cash, in full the night before ? Asked to see the boat and was told it wasn't available to see. Next day we were presented with a filthy dirty, beat up old pontoon boat. Covered in sand and what appeared to be goose poop. Was told that we'd have to pay $30 extra because we have a small dog. Retro Boats does not do this. Was told we could go to the Cove, but we were not to beach the boat and not to trim the prop ? Was told forcefully "don't touch the trim button". Docking is a little tight and they told us to throw a line to them and they'd pull us in. The line was about 10 feet too short. Docking was rough and they blamed us. Never said a word to us, just gave us dirty looks. I've been coming to Saugatuck for about 20 years and have never had a worse experience with a business. read more

See all

I would not rent from them. They kept our deposit after we tried to reschedule another day because people in our party came down ill and couldn't go. We tried to see if we could transfer our deposit to another day and they said we would have to do another deposit. I get that we needed to reschedule but it seems like if we were willing to rebook for another day due to illness the initial deposit could be honored. Just not a good business model for repeat business but looking at the reviews, it doesn't look like being concerned for repeat business is their model. Kind of an embarrassment for Saugatuck when you look at the reviews... read more

Staffing is untrained and the owner/equipment is outdated. Definitely better rated companies here in the Saugatuck community!

I called and the guy that answered was rude. I hung up. Then read reviews. They are accurate.

Don't waste your time and money with this place. Horribly rude service. Complete assholes. read more

We were in Sagutuck and we are excited for our boat reservation. The young woman who took our reservation was very short and rude to us shaming us about our weight and the boat might not be able to handle the weight. The older gentlemen (maybe the owner) was short with us and rushed us during the docking process. Thank you to young man who knew how to talk to us! I do not recommend this company at all. read more

Beware!! These guys are only out to steal deposits. Shame on Saugatuck City for giving them trade permit. Disgraceful business

DO NOT RENT from this company. Buried deep in the contract are the limitations to the boat usage which they do not tell you up front. They take your deposit up front (cash) and are not upfront with the contract. read more

If I could give this place a 00000... I would!!!! DO NOT RENT FROM HERE!!! The owner, johnnie, is a terrible human being!!!!! He over charged us by $50.... and treated us terrible !!! We are 2 families with 3 kids looking to enjoy a day on the water! He REFUSED to give us life jackets that fit our children, became confrontational w us in front of children and THREATENED my husband!!! Please learn from our mistakes!! DO NOT RENT FROM HERE!!!!! read more

DO NOT RENT FROM HERE! My family and I rented two jet skis for two hours. After making our reservation in advance, we checked the rates online because the girl who was helping us did not inform us of them. Their website said $90/hr. We called to ask about the rates but nobody answered the phone and we never got a call back. When we actually got on the jet ski, one whole hour was taken up by idling in a no wake zone to Lake Michigan. When we got to the lake, the jet ski that my father, my sister, an I were on DID NOT function properly. At higher speeds, which are necessary when there are large waves, you could not control the steering and it made for a scary experience. When we got back, the employee tried to charge us 125$/hr. My father asked to speak to the owner since their website says otherwise. Johnny would not see us. He came down to the table and hid from us in his shed. The employee eventually gave us the rate that was posted online and as we were driving home the owner, Johnny, called my dad. He told my dad that he was a terrible person because he took money from "his poor college kids" paychecks. Johnny continued to tell my dad that he should feel bad about not paying the extra price and used foul language. Johnny was too scared to talk to us in person but had the audacity to call us on be extremely rude after he tried to rip us off. Terrible human. Terrible company. Would not recommend. read more

Makin Waves gave us their word that they could make an exception for us, after explaining their policy holding boats with a cash deposit, which we couldn't do because we live 2 1/2 hours away. A polite young msn talked to the manager and promised that they would hold a boat for us. A young female called and said they could no longer hold the boat for us we we're supposed to use at 3 o'clock right now, they rented that boat snd time to someone else. We are 1 hour into driving to Sagatuck, and would not recommend anyone who doesn't live close to Sagatuck to rent from a Makin Waves. They cannot keep their promises. read more

If I could give zero stars I would. We reserved a boat, and there was no boat when we got there. Place is run by college kids who have no say and have to call their boss to make a decision. Also you can't go on the lake and the water is muddy brown. read more

Makin Waves is one of the worst experiences you'll find in and around Saugatuk. I urge anyone considering this business to find another boat rental. The staff, in particular George, is worse than a used car salesman. Other staff members were aggressive and confrontational, I was horrified that my family was subjected to that type of behavior. On top of all of that was mentioned above, their company overcharged me and refused to refund the discrepant amount. Save your time and money and fine one of many other rentals companies in Saugatuk . There are great boat/wave runner rentals in Holland, MI , definitely the better option! read more

For those of you interested in this story, please grab a cup of coffee. So my family goes to Saugatuck every year, and I decided to take my fiancé on his first trip for his birthday, and we had a blast. Everything went really well, except for this jet ski rental. My fiancé, George, picks out the jet ski he wants. There's basically three and he gets the one that's the most affordable, which is fine with me; I don't care about going fast. About five minutes into trying to cruise out of the Kalamazoo River and into Lake Michigan (which is about a 15 minute ride), we notice our jet ski was smoking. So we call the place and they tell us to return to them. We bring our jet ski back and they're revving the engine trying to get whatever is stuck in there out. Didn't work. So they gave us a little upgrade, the next nicest jet ski. This time we drive the whole fifteen minutes out to the lake and it was the day of the eclipse, the water was a bit rough. For whatever reason, this jet ski doesn't go past 4mph. Why didn't we know that before we got out there? Because we have to go sooooo slow all the way out the Kalamazoo River. Because the water was so rough, we end up getting jolted off of our jet ski (I laughed, George did not). So George called this place yet again. The owner of this company comes out with the nicest jet ski he has to offer. I think he's going to let us switch jet skis. HA HA Nope. He says "just go back through and we will put the jet ski back." So we now had to go all the way back through the Kalamazoo River. To add insult to injury, the owner now starts to go and play with his jet ski and ride the waves. He's having a blast! We make it back and the owner doesn't have it in him to actually talk to us, he knows we did not get what we paid for. We had a very young man say to us that he was told by his boss to still charge us $150 for our time spent on the jet ski. George laughed and gave him $50 and said he wouldn't give him anymore money, I told him I wouldn't have given him any money at all. All in all, it was a funny learning experience. I enjoyed having the owner show off his nice jet ski skills to us, I'm so glad we paid $50 for him to have so much fun lol. read more

Very disappointed in the service. George was very difficult to work with. He did a poor job of explaining the charges. There were a number of hidden charges that were not told to us. The engine on the pontoon boat stalled three separate times. I would not recommend this rental place. read more

Worthless, Horrible Owner, NEVER rent here! They lied to us about the pricing and claimed we went over our time by 15 minutes and tried charging us another $150. There is something wrong with the owner, I think he has personal problems and he takes it out on his customers. Shame on you stop scamming your customers they are the ones trying to help you make a living and PLEASE stop drinking when your at work! read more

Pantoons were clean, staff member was courteous and professional, and I would return again. Only draw back is that you have to mail your deposit in order to hold your spot instead of taking credit information over the phone or fax which caused a scheduling conflict with our reservation because they had not received my deposit. Again, I would return. read more

Makin Waves Boat-Jet Ski Rentals - A Big Mouth Bass shorty. Catch you another day. A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at school. - Boating Near Me - Saugatuck, Michigan

We rented a pontoon a few weekends ago. The boats looked brand new and the girls working were knowledgeable and helped us get the kids situated with their life vests. There's a sandbar a half hour down river and the boat was equipped with an anchor so that we could swim. For us, four hours was more than enough time to enjoy the sights of the river and to cool off in the water. We'll definitely be back the next time we come to Michigan! read more

AWFUL! AWFUL! AWFUL! Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere for a boat rental. Our Pontoon boat had duct taped seats and we were sent on our way with less than a quarter tank of gas for a five hour rental. Paid an extra $75 for a tube, which couldn't be used on the river. We were never told we could only stay in the river in a NO WAKE ZONE. We asked if we could remove the useless tube and they said, "Sure, but you still have to pay for it". We told them it was useless and they pretty much shrugged their shoulders. There wasn't a rack or anyplace to store the raft so it had to be dragged behind the boat. This company is deceptive. read more

Beautiful boats. Rent all the time from Johnny. The rates r very reasonable. We are local to Saugatuck and know that this company has the best boats and the best service. You will not be disappointed. read more

I would not recommend this company. George never mentioned we could not take the boat on the lake (we wouldn't rent to sit on the river..) until we picked up the boat after prepaying for the rental. Even worse, George denied not mentioning it. Sean helped us and he did a good job, though his attempt to give a us a discount failed because the owner refused after seeing we had prepaid 100 percent. The boat itself was fine but it was pretty lame sitting on the river versus going on the lake where the kids could swim and have fun. I wouldn't recommend this firm. read more

Rented a jet ski and pontoon. Before you set off they ask you to fill out a sheet depicting the damage that is already on the boat. The owner said to not worry about it and that everything was fine on the jet ski and boat. When we got back they said that there was a chip on the jet ski and they charged us an extra 500 for damage after they said nothing was wrong with it. Long story short, these people do scam you if you are a visitor. I would not rent from here if you are looking into it. You will be scammed. 500$ for a chip when renting both water vehicles was 300$? Do not rent from this place. Thank you for reading and let this be a lesson! read more

My girls and I rented a pontoon boat for my friend's bachelorette party. I had reserved the boats ahead of time with Johnny, and the reservation plus the exact charges he told me over the phone were perfect when we came the day of. Price is comparable to any other boats on the water, and they are fun and easy going. The boat was new, no problems at all, and everyone was so happy and had a blast! if you are looking for a fun day on the water, this is a great place!! :-) read more

So we had a nice weekend getaway planned and wanted to rent a pontoon boat, have a fun time in Saug. We were scheduled a slot for Friday the 16th but never paid a deposit, our good friends mother who was in our party passed away last night so naturally we called and canceled our trip. When we called this boat company they were fine that we wouldn't be utilizing their pontoon boat tomorrow. They were understanding at that moment. But then 25 minutes later my friend (who's mother just died) got a text message trying to shame him for not following through with the reservation. Not cool. His mother just died. You don't know the situation of cancellations so don't go fucking texting shaming shit. read more

My family and I were visiting the area and decided to rent a boat for a few hours. They were very accommodating and very helpful when we admitted this was our first time renting a boat. They extended our time when we left 10 minutes late so we would have our full rented time. We will definitely come back. read more

Had a great time with some friends. Staff was friendly and helpful. Prices are very reasonable. Can't take the boats onto Lake Michigan but the river is about an hour round trip and has some very cool views. Great restaurant next door as well. Would recommend!!! read more

Makin Waves has the nicest, newest boats available in the area!!! So nice & easy to operate!!! Wouldn't go anywhere else!

Worst. Experience. Ever. Really--DO NOT RENT HERE. I'd give a zero if I could. The owner, Johnny was horribly unprofessional. Here we are, in Saugatuk with our friends (for our 20th anniversary, mind you) who own a condo here and we show up (four adults and our three young kids) to take out our pontoon for the afternoon. We're greeted by Johnny and two young college kids. We give our name and look down at the book where we see our name written with a $50 deposit checked off next to it. Johnny proceeds to say "no, we won't give you $50 back for a deposit with no receipt." We said, "well no one told us that we had to have a receipt and it's listed right here in your ledger that we paid it, yet you're not going to honor it?" "Nope, we're not." Great. Then we got on the pontoon and it was still dirty from the last passengers. We asked for life jackets for our children and were handed a tattered Lightning McQueen jacket and another that may or may not fit. When we saw others that would work hanging in the shed, we asked for those and were told "no, those were in case we rent jet skis." Unbelievably poor customer service and honestly, I'm super laid back and can handle just about anything. In fact, this might be my first Yelp review! Anyway, please don't give them any business. read more

Great place if you need a short-term (hourly) rental. We had a small group, multi-generational and had a fantastic time on the river. All of us have been to Saugatuck many times, but seeing it from the water was a totally different feel. Sean and his team are outstanding, even going so far as to move the pontoon so that one of the members of our group would have an easier time getting on the boat. I highly recommend Makin' waves for some family fun when visiting Saugatuck. read more

Renter beware. After agreeing to rent a boat for four hours, we arrived and looked over the boat (even asked if the gas tank was full, just to be sure). Only then were we told that the we are not allowed out of the no wake zone (don't plan on renting a tube as you cannot go tubing in the traditional sense). Nevertheless, we proceeded with our rental. Not even 30 minutes into our rental period did we run out of gas. We were stranded for over two hours before the owners brought gas. With less than 90 minutes left in our rental period, we finally began boating. At the end of the rental period, the Makin Waves employee graciously offered us a $20 discount. Clearly insufficient as we were unable to utilize the rental for over two hours. After a period of discussion, the owner finally slithered out of his hiding spot and was about as shadey as can be. Needless to say, our heated discussion went no where and our business was clearly not appreciated. In fact, the constant swearing and yelling in front of our 3 and 1 year old children was completely unacceptable. If renting a boat in Sagatuk, I strongly recommend renting somewhere else. read more

Had a great time renting a nicely equipped pontoon boat from this company. Staff was friendly and helpful and I would recommend this company first when looking to rent a pontoon or jet ski. Keep up the great job guys! read more

Easy going company. Booked a pontoon boat day of. Boat was in great shape. Wonderful way to spend a few hours in Saugatuck

I recommend to look past this boat rental company. The actully boat itself was okay, but there is only a small place down the river you can anchor the pontoon boat and swim. If you want to go onto Lake Michigan it's a pretty big up charge and by how they explained it, they usually don't like their boats go onto Lake Michigan. They had me mail in a $50 "deposit" check before I came to rent the boat. When I arrived for the reservation, they charged me the full $230 because they said they hadn't received the deposit check and said they would not cash the check when it came. A week later someone cashed the $50 check. Now almost 2 months later I have yet to receive a $50 refund from them after having to call and talk with the management and owner about overcharging me. I have called them 6 times about this situation and it has yet to be resolved. There is a lack of professionalism overall with the business stemming from the owner. read more

Very disappointing experience with the staff at this rental company. My family and I ( 5 adults and 4 children) took out one pontoon and one jet ski to Lake Michigan and when we returned we were told that we were not suppose to go out to the lake and we were going to be charged extra. This was never explained to us before we left and George (staff member) even told us how to dock the pontoon at the beach in Lake Michigan as part of his instructions. This is not a very transparent company and they also took pictures of us out on the lake without our permission. Finally when we the receipt they not only charged us an extra $75 for going on the lake but they also charged us another $50 for no reason, definitely disputing these fraudulent charges from an unprofessional business without a real business location. read more

We rented the pontoon on a Thursday afternoon for a 1:00 pm departure. I had asked about the tub as the kids wanted to go tubing. The young man who took my deposit told me that it would depend on the conditions of the lake. I received a call on Thursday morning stating that the we could take it on lake Michigan, ok seems odd the Oval beach report had 1ft waves. The called back a second time telling us they were running 15 minutes behind, no problem. The eight of us get to the pontoon after walking for 10 minutes, tough parking. We were then informed we could not fish of the boat. Really!!!. We asked where we could dock in Douglas and were told you can't get to Douglas. There is clearly a channel were boats go under the highway to get to Douglas. He states it's too shallow. He then says we cant dock anywhere and asked why would we want to. I have five kids, what if they have to use the bathroom? Well the owner won't allow it. I asked to see the owner, who was clearly inside, and Johnny refuses to see me. I am now getting upset $50.00 deposit - $100.00 an hour to go 10 miles an hour in a no wake zone??? I called Johnny and plead my case as the wave height on the lake is low and I don't understand the reasoning. This is where its gets really good. He tells me he never lets the pontoons out on the weekends. IT'S THURSDAY JOHNNY. I ask for my deposit back and he becomes the most rude, foul mouthed person I have ever had the displeasure to be ripped off by. Do not use this company. read more