KnockOut Charters provided such a wonderful and meaningful experience for our family. We booked a…read moreprivate Lake Michigan cruise to scatter my husband Omar's ashes, and the entire experience was handled with kindness, compassion, professionalism, and genuine respect. The captain (Chris) and crew made us feel comfortable and gave us the privacy and peaceful setting we needed to say our final goodbye. They were very accommodating and allowed us to make the ceremony personal to our family. During such a difficult and emotional time, we truly appreciated how thoughtful and caring everyone was. I highly recommend KnockOut Charters to anyone looking for a beautiful, private, and respectful way to honor a loved one. Five stars without hesitation. Thank you, KnockOut Charters, for helping us create such a beautiful final memory for Omar.

Knock Out Charters are the best! Captain Chris and Brook did an amazing job in helping my family…read morearrange an outing in honor and memory of our loved ones. It was a solemn occasion, and they met us with the utmost sensitivity and respect. Thank you Chris, Brook, and Knock Out Charters, and we hope to see you again for a happy celebration too!

Captain Brian, Russell, and Ulysses were amazing! We rented both the Catamaran and the Monohull…read moreboats for 3 hours on a sunny Saturday in June and filled the boats with a bachelorette and her friends. I cannot say enough about the experience! So much fun! The Catamaran boat is nicer than I was expecting. There is a bathroom and indoor cabin area to relax if you get too hot in the sun and don't want to cool off with a swim. The captain and crew took care of us the whole time. They have a giant cooler filled with ice and packed the cooler with our goodies so we could relax. They then waited on us, putting on our music, bringing us our drink requests and snacks. That part was so luxurious and absolutely unexpected! We had too many people to fit on one boat so we rented the Monohull as well and the experience was seamless. They made sure the group was together as much as possible. We boarded the boats while the boats were parked next to each other, then both sailed to the playpen and tied up together. We were allowed to hop between the boats so that the whole crew could mingle. It was perfect! The Monohull is also a very nice boat with room for 6 people to sit comfortably in the back or on the front to sunbath. I highly recommend! The only thing I regret is not booking this for a longer time slot.

My friends and I chartered the catamaran in August 2021 and it was the highlight of our summer! It…read morewas such a great way to enjoy the Chicago skyline and swim in the lake. The boat was spacious and comfortable. Can't wait to go again this year!

Great company. It was a great experience from the beginning of the charter to the end. Safety was a…read morebig priority with this company, The captain was a licensed captain with years of experience. The boat was clean and we left on time. I would highly recommend this company if you are looking to have a great experience,

Amazing location! Gorgeous view of Chicago! Right on the…read morebeach..Get there early for parking if it matters.

Great Jet Skis, But Watch Your Credit Card Statement! The…read morerental experience was actually perfect--the jet skis were fast, comfortable, and 30 minutes was plenty of time. However, I'm rating this 3 stars because of highly questionable deposit practices. They held a $500 incidental deposit for both me and my friend and never refunded it. Luckily, my buddy caught the missing refunds on his statement. While they fixed the issue quickly once confronted, it's alarming that they just kept the money until we said something. $500 would have slipped through the cracks if we hadn't been vigilant.

So the weekend is approaching! It's July! It's Hot! Chicago is surrounded by water, at least on the…read moreEast side. What are your plans? Might I suggest Jet Skiing?! Let me tell you about my 4th of July Adventure....... My plans were to hang out and eat BBQ with a friend, but she wasn't feeling too well and had to cancel our plans. After making sure she was ok, I was on the verge of catching up on a series on MAX. Then it hit me, "It's a BEAUTIFUL holiday, and you are about to watch tv? What are you doing? You said you wanted to go jet skiing before the summer is over. What are you waiting for? Let's Do It!" I called Chicago Water Sport Rentals on 31st and spoke with the owner who assured me that the day was perfect and the water was fine, code for: "No Danger Here". After an exchange of "God Bless You", I hung up the phone, quickly put sunscreen on, gathered my wetsuit and sunglasses and headed out the door toward the lake. When I got to the harbor and my jet ski rental destination, that's where the magic happened. After a thorough tutorial about how to properly use and have fun on the jet ski that I was sitting on, off I went to the high seas, I mean out toward open waters with the rest of the water sports lovers. Once I got past the channel filled with boat lovers, sailers, and jet ski pros, I played around in open-calm waters while the sun and the city were beaming down on me. The views are absolutely spectacular and the experience was exhilarating! I was on that thing for an hour. Yes, an hour. Last time it was 30 minutes. This time I wanted to challenge myself. Once I got into my groove, there was NO STOPPING ME, until my time was up. ‍ Lol. I highly recommend you try something new this weekend. If you have been jet skiing before, try a new venue off the 31st Street Harbor. Then treat yourself to lunch at the restaurant directly next door. This experience will make you feel ALIVE!

We learned a lot about kayaking from the owner, John. He and his staff took their time in…read moreexplaining every detail of the equipment to us. We had a lot of fun paddling in the harbor and checking out all the boats docked there. There was quite a bit of boat traffic this Sunday afternoon so we rolled with the waves as boats come in and out. Some might find that unpleasant but we thought it was a good opportunity to get a taste of what kayaking on the lake could be like. Kayaks and paddle boards stay within the harbor, which is about 9 miles of boat docks. It's quite an different experience from other kayaking locations; it's manmade and urban and the only wildlife is seagulls. There is a parking lot though its $28 for 0-12hrs during the weekends. We chose to park on the other side of the trail and walked to this location. It's a beautiful walk! The best amenity is the private bathroom with shower. We usually don't get wet with kayak but since this is the lake, we were drenched. Highly recommend wearing swimsuit for any water activities. We'll be back to try the jet skis.

We got married on the Sophisticated Lady at the end of September 2025 with just our respective kids…read more(his 4, my 2) and siblings/spouses on board...a total of 17 people...most from out of state. I contacted Taylor for all the arrangements early summer and my fiance and I went to the city overnight to see the boat. (We live in Western Suburbs) My kids have always loved our overnights in Chicago and a sunset cruise the second time around seemed like the perfect wedding. We prayed the weather would cooperate! Booking was easy, selecting food options and drink packages was not necessarily cheap but they had a great selection with the premium beverage package that was good for all. The 3 person crew were great...they went with the flow. We got married on Lake Michigan (bartender said it was the first wedding they'd ever had ON the boat.) We are bikers so most of our kids dressed accordingly (as did we). The Captain stopped the boat in a protected harbor for the 20 minute ceremony so no one would get pitched over. Everyone had a fantastic cruise and the sunset did NOT disappoint! We absolutely LOVED this unique wedding experience!

Sophisticated lady is a gorgeous boat, I really like the myriad of spaces where you can sit down…read moreand talk or dance or just take in the view. The food on the boat is excellent and the crew is very attentive. Overall, highly recommended.

I had a rather disappointing experience with Captain Larry's boating service. From the start, there…read morewas a noticeable lack of warmth or welcoming vibes. The staff seemed disinterested in providing a pleasant customer experience. When we had questions about the safety procedures and tour details, their responses were curt and lacked empathy. The boat itself was fine, but the overall experience was dampened by the staff's indifferent attitude. Even when we expressed some concerns about the route due to weather conditions, our worries were dismissed without proper consideration. It's unfortunate because the potential for a great boating experience in Chicago is there, but the customer service left a lot to be desired It's interesting that I see a review mentioning discrimination because I couldn't help wondering if the treatment we experienced was related to fact that my partner was with me. We are not ones to display affection in public but our body language is obvious Not recommending this service if you care about equality and not supporting a biased business

I would not return. We were recommended by someone we trust so we had our hearts open. My…read moregirlfriend (who is a strong woman of color) felt patronized and, dare I say, discriminated. We will not recommend Captain Larry services to anyone who values respect

I was in town and rented a Jetski with these guys. They are very cool and super flexible. They'll…read moregive you a rundown of how to ride the jetski and send you out. I'd definitely recommend them to someone looking to rent a jetski in Chicago!