When you live in Maine, who thinks about taking boat tours? That's for tourists!! (Lol!!) Seriously, though, we had guests in town, so we thought it'd be fun to charter a boat for the four of us to go up the Penobscot River to Bangor. (At least that was the initial itin.) Me matey, Jay (after some due diligence on boat companies in the Bucksport area) , chose Penobscot Boat Tours as our charter. Jay said the communication(s) with Capt. Jeff Sennett (Owner/Operator) was excellent; his boat was faster/stronger to get us to Bangor and back in the least amount of time; and, the price for a 4-hr charter was less than other quotes. Splendid!! It was a dreary start to Tuesday when we arrived at 11 am with weather not looking promising for a jaunt up to Bangor; windy, rainy and choppy waters on the menu. This daunted us not, though! So, "Gilligan" and the gang (that'd be Mr. and Mrs. Howell, and the Professor), arrived at the Bucksport Marina in good spirits for our "3-hr tour"... er, 4-hr tour at Penobscot Boat Tours! ;) The boat was very cool (as all boats are!), and the Capt. Jeff (our imposing "Skipper" for this tour) made us all feel very welcomed, in good hands, and rarin' to-go!! After some discussion about the weather and tour route, we all agreed to a downriver jaunt for lunch in Belfast, and return to home base. Prior to Belfast, though, we made a special request of our intrepid Capt. (despite the hairy weather that we could see going on upriver) to take us a few miles upriver to where the Marsh River confluences into the Penobscot River. The rough-n-tumble ride was, of course, E-Ticket! (In all honesty, though, the confluence was a bit anticlimactic, but the ride was awesome!) Anyway, we turned around and headed for what was to be drier climes. The weather improved immensely and made for some pretty alluring scenery! Normally, we just drive to Belfast (20 mins) mainly not seeing the water much, behind trees/forests and such. So, seeing the coastline from the water -- seeing all those privileged homes tucked and nestled in splendid nooks and crannies! -- was a totally new POV, that's for sure! Capt. Jeff would slowdown now-and-then to point spots of interest out to us, to see seals basking on rocky shoals, and numerous heads bobbing up-and-down in the middle of the bay was pretty darn awesome!!! When we got to Belfast, Capt. Jeff gave us a suggestion for lunch (which we took and enjoyed), while he waited. The trip back to Bucksport was leisurely and beautiful as the summer sun shone upon our last leg back. The whole experience of seeing the land from the water was just wonderful! We never felt rushed; Capt. Jeff was very generous with his time. It was SO worth the cost and, more so, the experience! We will definitely be chartering another trip in the near future with Penobscot Boat Tours...!!! We all had such a great time...!!! :D read more

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Booked our cruise the day before for a 4-hour trip and had a wonderful time cruising up to Bangor.

Capt. Jeff was amazing. We took a 4 hour tour, part way up the Penobscot River to the Marsh river confluence, then out the Penobscot Bay to Belfast for lunch and then back to Bucksport. Was really cool being able to see Fort Knox and the Penobscot Narrows bridge from the water. Wildlife was abundant, from Bald Eagles to Harbor and Gray seals. A special day on the water with my sister and her husband from Georgia, and what a great way to share the beautiful place I live in. I'll be going out on the boat with Capt. Jeff in the future. Awesome time! read more

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Joined Captain Jeff with my family last Sunday out of Bucksport for a beautiful cruise for 2 hours. Jeff asked where we would like to go and we headed out to Penobscot Bay. The captain was great at answering our questions, pointing out seals and telling us about the area. He showed us a lighthouse and overall he was great to just let us enjoy ourselves and talk while he cruised along. He is very flexible in his scheduling and such a great host. I highly recommend taking this cruise. We will be booking again to go up the river this next time. Thank you Captain Jeff for a great day! Chris Pushor read more

Great trip on the Penobscot River. The Captain was friendly & accommodating. He responded quickly to communications. There were just 2 of us. We were able to bring snacks & beer on board. read more

Captain Jim was wonderful. Let us choose which direction we wanted to go. We saw quite a few seals and a dozen or more comorants drying their wings. It was a funny foggy, rainy, overcast warm day but the 4 senior ladies had much to talk about. We so enjoyed the accommodations and the gentle speed of the boat. Recommend this as a prelude to a lovely luncheon. read more

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My family had an amazing time. We are from Maine and have a camp on the Penobscot Bay. This tour seemed like something different that we haven't done before so we decided to give it a try. We were not disappointed. We were able to see seals and osprey the day we went out. And since you can customize your tour within reason, we were able to see our camp from the water. I highly recommend Penobscot Boat Tours. There is something for everyone. Thank you, Scott for a wonderful afternoon! read more

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Ever since taking our trip with Penobscot Boat Tours, I've constantly scrolled through my pictures and told everyone I know that they have to do a trip with Captain Jeff. It was awesome. We did the Penobscot River tour from Bucksport to Bangor. The opportunity for someone who doesn't own a boat to travel the river is scarce. Captain Jeff Sennett offers a unique service in Maine tourism. We were lucky to have perfect weather for our tour. The river still has long stretches of undeveloped bank, so is beautiful, lush, and green. It will make a spectacular trip in leaf-peeping season. Captain Jeff was warm, friendly, and sincerely wanted us to enjoy our trip, pointing out eagle nests and eaglets along our river tour. The deck is small and clean and the Captain permits passengers to stand and cross the deck to take photos or look at wildlife. There is engine noise, so wear earplugs or earmuffs if that sort of thing bothers you. For me, it was a perfect reason to unplug, relax, and absorb the rare opportunity to be on the water surrounded by nature. Even as a private charter, it was an affordable* way for us to celebrate our 20th Wedding Anniversary (*acknowledging middle-class economic privilege). Strongly recommend. read more

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