MYS is a great place to rent a boat and explore the waters around Great Harbor. The owner and the dock crew were very helpful. Reservation was as easy as making a phone call. Boat was gassed and ready when we arrived. Bob walked through a couple of suggested destinations and sent us on our way. We left Manset, came down toward Seawall and then turned to come under Great Cranberry. From there we peaked at Bakers before splitting the Cranberries. We rounded Sutton and landed briefly in Seal Harbor before heading to Northeast. A quick trip around Bear and Greening led to a run towards Claremont, Causeway, Fernald and Flying Mountain. Lunch and a swim at Valley Cove before following the tide all of the way up Somes Sound. We drifted over to the float off Abel's as MYS owner Bob suggested, and were not disappointed. Per his guidance we were treated to a large seal lounging on the float while another played in the surrounding waters. Beautiful ride past Sargent Drive brought us back home. My wife and teen age boys were quite comfortable aboard the 22 foot center console. We started with 4 and ended with 5 after one of the boys swam aboard in Valley Cove. Plenty of room on cushioned seats. I have been coming to MDI for 20+ years and feel like I have kayaked every cove and hiked every ridge (I know I haven't). While I have plenty of open water experience in MA and FL, I have never had the right combination of time, tide, weather and crew to explore Great Harbor by boat. So glad that I did this time as it was a truly awesome way to enjoy the beauty of MDI. I will definitely do this again. read more

Manset Yacht Service - 400' mega yacht in Somes - Boating Near Me - Manset, Maine

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I called to reserve a rental boat 24 hours in advance (as requested) and I received nothin but attitude on the phone. First of all, he never specified in the website that it was on the ocean, so when I informed him I was expecting to rent a boat on a lake, he just hung up on me. Prior to his rude disconnect, he was interrogating me on whether or not I knew any knowledge about boating and then wanted a background check on my experience. I understand this could be a liability to him, but there are more cordial, appropriate ways to conduct customer service. 100% would NOT recommend. read more

Called a month in advance and were told boat rentals were on a first come, first serve basis. We showed up today and were informed that the last boat had just been rented but that the family that took it had called and reserved it. We're a couple of 26 year old maritime academy grads who have spent a fair amount of time on the ocean in vessels much larger than a 22' Angler. Got the impression that he didn't want to rent to us based on appearance. read more

Absolutely horrible customer service. I called to rent a boat while on a family vacation, and was rudely quizzed about my boating knowledge despite no word about qualifications or expertise needed on their website. When I failed to produce the specific phrases that the man I was speaking to desired, I was abruptly hung up on. When my uncle (a 60 year old ocean veteran whose father owned a sailboat in Maine and who has before cruised up by himself in a boat from the Carolinas to Maine) called, he too failed the quiz and was told that his experience with a compass and LORAN (and having navigated various ocean craft for thousands of miles in his lifetime) was "dating himself." If Manset's policy is to only rent to those who currently own their own motorboats and take them out dozens of times per year, they should simply make that apparent up front instead of giving a rude test and telling potential customers that they are old. I can't overstate enough how terrible the customer service at this establishment is. Edited to include my response via message to Bob below: Hi Bob, It is not a matter of Manset's caution to rent to only experienced boaters. It is a matter of not making this policy apparent anywhere on the company's website, not articulating it up front to potential customers who call in, and instead giving an insulting quiz, making ageist quips, and abruptly/rudely hanging up. The policy could be maintained very easily without having atrocious customer service, and yet that is exactly what we experienced. My uncle actually did bring up his extensive boating expertise on the call, and yet was laughed at for "dating himself" for talking about using a compass and LORAN in the past. Do you think that this is an acceptable way for potential customers to be treated, even if they fail your company's rudely administered phone quiz? Best, Geoffrey read more

Awesome people, beautiful location! Manset offers Duffy electric boats, that are environmentally friendly with zero emissions, 100% electric and as a bonus made in the USA. What's not to like? Tell them Deb B sent you! read more

we were staying in Bar Harbor with family and had a beautiful day coming up. We heard we could rent center console boats in Manset, 20 min from Bar Harbor. We called and they were just putting their Angler 22's in the water. After answering some nautical questions which proved we knew our way around navigation and reading a chart, Bob Brown, the owner gave us all we needed to get underway. we brought our own cooler and lunch.Had a great day! What a wonderful way to see the waters of MDI read more

Friendly service. Nice boats. Had a good day out on the water. Tried to rent a boat the previous day but due to a fog bank just offshore and an onshore wind, Bob Brown (the owner) wouldn't let the boats go out. It was a smart and safety-conscious decision. It cost him a lot of money in lost business, and a few customers got mad at him, but it was the right decision. read more

We have rented from these guys for years and they used to be great. Last year (2015), we rented a boat for a few days. On our first turn out as we revved in speed, something went on the engine. We took it back and they told us we had broken it by "overweighting" it....we had 2 women (110lbs each) and 3 kids under 10 that may weigh 170 lbs combined. Seriously, that is overweighting a 22ft boat? Clearly something was wrong with the boat before. They charged us a small fortune to fix it and took no ownership of the problem. We wrote a letter saying how disappointing this was, no reply. They used to be a great service. No more. There are other places to rent motor boats on Mt Desert. Go there. read more

Had an absolutely amazing cruise down Somes Sound on one of Manset Yacht Services electric boats. So quiet & peaceful - like sailing but without all the work. Boats are immaculate & so easy to operate. Owner very knowledgeable & helpful. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a great way to see Acadia from the water. read more