Thank you so much to Joe and Bob for one of the best memories we ever made! We had a lovely friend reunion and birthday celebration on the pontoon porch, and our kids (7 and 5 yo) were so happy to get to swim in the lake and "drive" the boat. Joe built the boat himself and the care and love he put into it shows. Thanks again, hopefully see you next summer! :) read more

Porch Pontoon under the care of Captain Joey offer chartered private cruises on Lake Mendota. Enjoy Madison's skyline with a day or sunset cruise. You can bring your own food and adult beverages and relax with family and friends. If you want to take a swim, Captain Joey will anchor the boat so passengers can enjoy a swim. One more reason Madison is a great place to live! read more

We had a phenomenal time on the pontoon porch with a group of about 25. Joe was the delightful, sweet, and skilled captain of the boat, who also grilled for us, which made for an easeful super fun outing. read more

The best night of my life and I'm not even being dramatic. There's literally everything you can think of on board this boat and the captains, especially Jimmy make the experience so amazing!!!! read more

HAD THE BEST TIME EVER. got to spend an evening with my girls and it was perfect. the speakers were perfect, the grill was great, everything about it was awesome. and the the fact that there's a little landing that you can jump off of on the second floor was the best thing ever. so much fun. read more

I had a 3-hour reservation on the boat for my birthday this past week and we had such an amazing experience. The reservation process was so easy - I just booked it online and immediately got an email from the person who would be our boat driver, Joe. (If you can, definitely ask for Joe!) He sent us a map of where to meet - and although with all the construction, it was confusing - Joe gave me his cell so I could call him and he told me exactly where to go. As soon as we pulled up, Joe was there with a wagon to take our things onto the boat. We brought all the alcohol, food and decorations we wanted! There is a bathroom (bigger than the one I have in my apartment!) on the boat and also a nice indoor section that is screened in, has couches and lots of counter space for drinks. There was a fridge as well, though we brought coolers. As soon as we got the head count and gave Joe the go-ahead, he hooked my phone up to the speakers. There are speakers both upstairs and downstairs and volume controls on the walls. We blasted the music the whole time! Joe made us feel so comfortable, like we were on our own boat! He grilled the hotdogs we brought (very well!), but other than that, it was like he wasn't there - in a good way. He accommodated every need we had but let us do our own thing. Up the stairs, there are four or five tables with chairs. We moved the tables and chairs as we pleased and when we were ready to swim, the driver took us to a safe spot to jump! There is a little area to jump from the top floor of the boat and it was such a thrill to jump into the water from so high! The boat has life jackets and pool noodles ON DECK. right as everyone jumped (one by one) our captain, Joe, threw noodles to each person to make sure we were safe. We jumped off a few times and hung out in the water until it was time to go. Though this is a pricey experience, it was worth it 100%. They let you make the experience your own and are so accommodating! I The only thing I would change is I wish we could've opted to have more time! I will definitely be a returning customer. read more

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Wonderful boat ride... the captain even grilled are food for us!!!! Loved every minute of it.

Finally got to enjoy a ride on the Pontoon Porch! It was awesome! Loved it! The boat itself is pretty large. Lots of room to spread out. Multiple seating options. There is an enclosed "indoor" area with cushioned patio-style seating, some tables and a large counter space for food. Outside on the lower level there is additional seating in front. A surprisingly large and clean bathroom is at the back. Up top there are more tables to sit at. The boat crew that was on board with us consisted of two men, one who drove the boat, and the other who grilled our food for us (awesome!). They were both very friendly and made our entire outing a pleasure. Definitely recommend taking a ride on this boat! You won't regret it! read more

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I've been lucky enough to be on the pontoon porch twice in the past 2 years. Once for a networking event on a week night, the other time for my friends 30th birthday. Both times the weather was absolutely perfect for a slow cruise around Lake Monona. This isn't your typical pontoon. I would say it is more like a house boat converted into a great party pontoon. There is a screened in lower level, and an upper deck with plenty of seating for a large group. There is also a grill and bathroom onboard. Outside of the bathroom, it does stink a bit but when the boat is moving you do not notice it at all. One thing that is awesome is you can bring your own food and beverages to enjoy while on the lake. They also can stop the boat for you if you choose to swim. I look forward to the next time I get to ride on the pontoon porch. read more

This is the third time I've been on it, first time I rented it myself. Always one of major highlights of my summer. Staff is supper accommodating and friendly and the boat is comfortable and spacious. Can't wait to go again next sunner. read more

I was invited to attend a birthday party event on the Pontoon Porch. I'm so glad that I was invited. I have been aware of this party cruiser for awhile and am so excited that I had the chance to come aboard and party on it finally. It did not disappoint one bit. There were 30 of us on it and we all paid about 20 bucks to book it for the morning. We opted for a booze brunch cruise around Lake Monona for our event. We brought all the catered food and drinks (alcoholic and non) aboard. The pontoon does have a grill if you need it. I advise to skip glass bottles as you are out on the water and things can take a turn for the worst with glass containers. The pontoon comes with a captain to do all the driving for you. All we had to do was sit back and enjoy the beautiful lake and its views of the capitol and isthmus. The captain was super chill and friendly guy. He works on tips, so make sure to bring a little extra cash with you! The weather was fantastic for our event. They have a great second floor that is elevated for majestic views. The lower level is nice for those that don't want to be in the full sun. For the 30 of us, we had plenty of seating and room. There's one bathroom on board. A bathroom is a very good thing to have when you're out on the lake boozing and cruising! This is a really chill idea for any celebration. I think they will stop for swimming if your event would like to do so. read more

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We had our staff summer gather on the Pontoon Porch! Everyone had a great time. The staff was very friendly. A huge downfall was the communication on where the boat picks up. It picks up at the Monona Terrace docks not Law Park docks. The boat did come and pick us up at Law Park after I made a phone call. If you know that before it will be less frustrating. Overall was a nice time. Lots of work to carrying in your own food but the staff did the grilling so that was a plus. If we did this again I would do drinks and apps only not a full meal. I would recommend also doing a 3 hour ride, 2 hours was too short, especially since we got off late due to the miscommunication on where they picked up. read more

We rented the Pontoon Porch for 2 hours on a Saturday afternoon for my cousin's bachelorette party. I really wish we would have booked for longer! We had such a fantastic time. Joe, our driver, was very helpful and very accommodating. He let us drop anchor and swim for a bit as the sun was blazing hot during our trip. He even helped us get all of our stuff on and off board. I would highly recommend the Pontoon Porch! We will definitely be going back! read more

Great experience. Joe and his crew went out of their way to make our outing perfect. Highly recommend the Pontoon porch for a group outing. They will even do the grilling for you! read more

Man, how has nobody reviewed this boat yet? More than a few people definitely know about it, so it's surprising not to see a single review. Even though I'm the first reviewer and am giving it 5 stars, let me say that I was a little skeptical at the start. If you haven't heard of Pontoon Porch, it's this two-story wooden boat on Lake Monona. You rent it for stuff like birthday parties or other kinds of celebrations, and then it goes around the lake. You can bring food and drinks (alcoholic plus non-alcoholic) on board, and they have a grill to cook, too. Yes, there is a bathroom. I was originally worried because I've seen images and videos of people partying on boats and yelling and taking their shirts off and stuff, and that's definitely not me. I'd also never been on a boat for like 10 years, other than the Staten Island Ferry. But I went along anyway because of a work-related function on the boat. To my pleasant surprise, these concerns were unfounded. The boat doesn't encourage raucous behavior at all, and it moves at about 3 mph, so the vertigo and height panics I worried about never occurred. We had a totally gorgeous clear day, so the views of Lake Mendota were "postcard worthy" and sensational!! You really get a sense of how gourgeous the lake is and how most of us just take it for granted. The dude who owns the boat is totally chill and even grilled our meats for us haha. You'll probably want to book way in advance cause it seems the schedule fills up quickly in these great summer and fall months. Don't know what he does in the winter. read more

The Pontoon Porch was exactly what I wanted. My fiancé and I got to take 26 of our friends and family on board and celebrate our engagement. We took an evening cruise in August for two hours. It was so much fun! We brought along as much alcohol and snacks as we wanted. We got to play our own music and the staff let us be. They were very kind and did a great job operating the whole thing. The only downside was not being able to pay via credit card/bank account. Had to pay via personal check which took a few days to clear my account. Overall I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a nice lake cruise on Lake Monona. read more