Terrible company! My son rented a boat for a week. They delivered it a 8pm the 1st day and chgd us for the day. Then picked it up a 8am the day before our last day, and chgd us for it. We rented a whaler. It was so unsafe we were afraid to take out the children. Port engine was inoperable several times, engines wouldn't trip up, no bilge pump, no trim tabs, no horn, no stern light. It was old and badly maintained. We tried calling them over 40 times with no response. We tried to locate them at address on brochure, but they are not located there. We were sent by person there to a different address and they were not there either. We don't think they have a physical location. While trying to locate them, we were told by 3 individuals that they are shady and good luck trying to find them. They still have not returned our phone calls. read more

Complete bait and switch. Jay the manager is a complete liar. DO NOT RENT FROM THEM. We called and confirmed availability. We we called back, no one answered the phone so we left a message night before rental. We called in the morning and reconfirmed our rental. We did not have credit card handy so we called them back twice leaving messages. Jay never called back but lied and said he did. We then did drive there for 30 minutes only to fund Jay rented our boat to someone else whom paid for a full day at 1130am even though our half day was to start at 12pm. He clearly bumped us for the full day amount of money and lied to us and did not have the decency to call us back, wasting a long drive. Total crooks.... read more

We were in Marathon on vacation and called Marathon boat rentals, and a recording told us to text them. We texted, and they called us back. We asked to rent a boat for two days and were told they could handle our request for 10 people. They told us to be there at 9 am the day of the rental. I stopped by the afternoon of the day before just to check things out. The bait shop gave me a card and told me to call. Again, when I called, I got the message to text. I texted, and the guy called. I explained I wanted to check out things, and the guy said that I wasn't supposed to be there till the next day. I came back the next day and he wasn't there. I waited until 10, with no response from the call or text. I went next door to the chamber of commerce to ask about the business. She amazingly called and talked to the guy, and he apologized that he was running late. She told me the business usually answers when the chamber calls. He then called me to say he was late and was working on getting me a boat. After several texts asking for updates on his progress, we finally realized we were not getting a boat. His last text at 12:08 pm was the last we heard from him. I should have taken more stock in the previous reviews and looked elsewhere. DON'T RUIN YOUR VACATION LIKE WE DID DEALING WITH MARATHON BOAT RENTALS read more

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We rented a boat for the week of Christmas 2022. All I am going to say is STAY AWAY!!! The boat was terrible. the steering was not working well at low speeds and the throttle was very tight. i have owned many boat and this was not what i wanted. Next time i am going to spend more and get a better product. Aslo the staff was personable but at the end i paid for a bent prop that was not needing replacement. This was an additional $200. They also are bad with returning calls when promised. As you can tell we were NOT HAPPY WITH THIS EXPERIENCE. read more

The short version: Pros: Price Clare is a sweetheart Cons: Extremely unprofessional Completely unreliable Utterly incompetent Absolutely rude, arrogant and condescending people (Adam) Don't bother answering the phone Here's what went down: Terrible boat rental outfit. These people operate Conch Realty, Marathon Boat Rentals and a bait and tackle shop all from the same location. This is not a marina, there are no boats on a canal or anything of the sort. We rented one of their boats months in advance in hope of spending as much time on the water as possible during the grouper opening season. The boat was supposed to be delivered to the rental property described in the contract around 8 am per the conversation i had with the employee that created the contract. When we got to the property the boat was not there. We waited until 10 am and by that point we started worrying and decided to reach out to the rental office to try to figure out what was going on. On the boat rental contract there were a total of 5 different phone numbers. We called all the numbers multiple times and left messages but nothing. We were getting frustrated since we were wasting a beautiful day on land instead of chasing fish on the reef. We decided to go the the address listed on the boat rental contract only to find out it was a property rental office, boat rental office and a bait and tackle store all in one. Everything was closed except for the bait and tackle store so we went in and tried to explain to the teenager that was running the place our situation. He was completely confused and didn't really know how to help so he made some phone calls but nothing came of it. By now I was done wasting time with this place so I took my business to the nearest boat rental where we proceded to get on a boat and began enjoying our long awaited vacation in the Florida Keys. When we got back i had a call from a guy named Adam who accused me of being rude and offensive to his employee and that he was voiding the boat rental agreement. I called him back and tried to reason with this caveman but it was pointless. Not sure what story the kid running the tackle store told him but there was no getting through that guy. At this point there was nothing else I could do so I said my good byes and continued enjoying my vacation. After we got back to Washington we noticed that the boat rental fee had not been credited back even though that's what the caveman said he was going to do after voiding our contract. We ended up getting our money thanks to the credit card company we used to make the reservation. Marathon Boat Rental had the audacity of claiming that they had delivered two different boats but that i just didn't like the vessels so they had to take them back. My recommendation, spend an extra 200 and avoid these people at all cost. There are plenty of other reputable, reliable and professional boat rentals in the keys. read more

Do not recommend this rental company. They delivered our Boat a full day late. Then had to argue with them about removing one day's charges. Still, they tried to overcharge us until I notified my bank. All this over a boat that had no safety equipment, no fire extinguisher, no running lights and not enough life jackets. These people should not be allowed to rent boats without proper equipment or in such deplorable condition. read more

Save your money and your vacation by staying as far from these people as possible. In January, I made reservations for a weeklong rental for the second week of February. This was to celebrate my mother's 80th birthday. I called them to be sure that I would be able to take delivery of the boat and dock the boat at their marina in the evenings as to avoid paying a dockage fee at a resort. They assured me that picking up and docking the boat there in the evening would be no problem. I paid the $596 deposit. The week before our established rental, I received a confirmation email from Marathon Boat Rental for a 10 AM delivery on February 11, 2023. I responded asking for confirmation of their location and communication to determine specifics of taking delivery of the boat. I also left several messages requesting a call back to establish and coordinate delivery. As my confidence in this company dwindled, I began to find the nightmare reviews of clients waiting for hours in the hot sun, lost reservations, failed refunds, unprofessional behavior and unregistered boats. The more I read, the more concerned I became. I didn't sleep two days prior to reserved delivery date as I worried, sent emails, researched, and left messages. After searching public records, I found a physical address that this company was registered to 12240 Overseas Highway. I went there and waited for them to open. Here, I found Conch Realty Sales and a bait & tackle shop. I spoke to a couple that was working at the bait & tackle shop there. They reported that that was just an address, (Conch Realty is another "business" run by the owners of Marathon Boat Rentals) and that the actual marina was on Coco Plum Drive. I asked if Marathon Boat Rentals was legit. They said they were. I told them about my concerns and the inability to establish communication for a boat rental that was supposed to begin in one hour. They said the boys usually do deliveries around 9 AM. At 9:30, I finally got a call from a very groggy boy asking me where they should deliver the boat. I repeated the information about picking it up and keeping it at their marina. He told me it would take at least an hour to get the boat. Despite my frustration, I did not want to seem like an uptight Yankee. I wanted to enjoy my Keys adventure, and embrace an island time attitude. We agreed to meet at a Marina at 11:00am. At 11:24, I called the number that had called me earlier that morning. There was no message and no option to leave a voicemail. I texted the number and said that I was the 26' whaler boat rental that he talked to that morning and that I was at the shop/ dock. The shop, by the way, is a dock attached to a lot that performs marine construction. It's more like a junkyard of plywood, buoys, and rusting metal. There was a man there welding parts together. We told him we were there for Marathon Boat Rentals. He said he, Don't think anybody's around". After roasting for a while, we went on the dock. There was a 26 whaler there. Covered with black mold and algae, rusty outriggers, and compressed seat cushions. The dive door looked like more Bondo than door. How could I tell my mother that I rented this abomination to celebrate her 80 years of life. At 1 o'clock I texted the number again. The text simply read, DUDE! He called me back within seconds. I told him that I was the boat rental and was at the boat dock. He gave me the address of the marina, I told him I was on the dock looking at the boat & had been for hours. He said he needed to send someone for paperwork. That was it, that final demonstration of manipulation, and disrespect! I set out to find another boat rental facility. I called my husband, surprisingly he told me there was someone there with him from the Marathon Boat Rentals going over paperwork. I told him not to sign anything. I returned to Marathon Boat Rentals and told them that I needed my deposit refunded. I had already lost half of the day on the boat and that I could not put my mother on that boat. Again, I asked about the deposit. He told me that his boss was going to call me in five minutes to refund my deposit. I asked his boss's name, He told me Angermann and then he drove off smiling. After multiple phone calls and a letter from my lawyer to Adam Angermann, I still have not received my $596 deposit. This company is unconscionable and should not be rewarded for their behavior. I can't imagine how many vacations Marathon Boat Rentals has ruined. I hope that anyone who ever considers Marathon Boat Rentals or Conch Realty Sales Inc. reads this review and steers far away from these lazy, irresponsible, manipulative criminals! Deborah D'Alonzo Lynch read more

If you're keen on dealing with rude staff when you call and make a reservation, look no further! They will let you know that they "deal with 100's of people a day and would rather you not rent with them if you want the boat delivered because they don't do it like that anymore." They will even go as far as recommending a different rental place, (Fish 'n fun) to deny you service! Top quality negligence, at best. Also, they raised the price $300 from our inquiry a month ago. Save yourself the frustration and rent from anywhere, but here. read more

POS boat with a broken pump and engine that rarely started up on the first try. Terrible customer service. Adam is rude and condescending for no apparent reason and during every phone call. Also the cooler on the boat had no handles and no plug so pretty much useless. And it came with a bunch of empty bottles and a dirty diaper. You get what you pay for so don't try to save on a boat rental. Lesson learned for us. Oh and just because you have a marketing company that will say sorry for you online doesn't make it better. read more

Rented a pontoon for a day. Sally came through the day we were to rent so they worked with us with no issues and we rented the following Tuesday. We had a choice of 2 pontoon, one with an old motor but maintained and larger or a smaller one with a new motor. With 8 of us we decided on the larger one. For everything loaded and Adam started going over all the info and told us we had to be back before sunset as there were no running lights on the boat (ummm what if something happened out of our control?). So we head off and about 4 hours into our day, the motor turns off. We call Adam and he tells us he's out and has to figure something out, do we mind hanging tight and let him work something out? As if we have a choice? Sitting in 2 pm sun with no shade in sight. Thank goodness my husband and friend got it going and called Adam back to tell him we had it going. Took back to the rental house where we were staying and never heard from Adam again. The boat was gone the next day when we returned so hopefully or not that I really care, Adam picked it up. Spend the extra and get a nice boat. This thing was old and not taken care of. I would have thought a follow up call would have been nice. read more