FAQS

WHEN DO I SHOW UP?

We suggest showing up 31 minutes BEFORE your rental time to sign waivers, use bathrooms, and for us to thoroughly review our safety speech and operating instructions. If you show up at 9 for a 9 o’clock rental that will eat into your time on the water.  We do have rental groups going out after your group and we need time to clean and gas the boats between rentals.  Please be aware of your travel time to get here so there is no rush and you are able to receive your full time on the lake!!

PARKING

Parking is EXTREMELY limited in Tahoe.  We are lucky to have a private lot in Tahoe Vista, in the heart of the North Shore.  Each rental group (or boat if you have multiple rentals) will be limited to parking for ONE vehicle on site.  We share a lot with the Tahoe Vista Inn and also have private buoy customers.  If your are taking more than one car, we have free street parking in front of our location as well.  Street parking may be filled early on weekends and even weekdays.  There is a public lot on National Ave .1 miles away; you can park a car in the public lot and have the first car pick up the rest of your group up after dropping their passengers off. Please plan in advance if you have a larger group, or many vehicles.  

WHAT TO BRING? WHAT NOT TO BRING?

BRING:

  • Water, Sunscreen, Sunglasses, Hats, Swimsuit, Towels
    • Reusable water bottles preferred
    • Rub-on sunscreen preferred 
  • Jackets and layers recommended 
  • Food and drinks
    • We can provide a cooler & ice for no additional cost
    • Alcohol is permitted but not allowed for any drivers

Do NOT Bring:

  • Messy foods: anything that will leave stains
    • i.e. Cheetos, mustard, nacho cheese
    • We will charge a cleaning fee if our seats are stained 
  • Styrofoam coolers
    • These are not allowed on Lake Tahoe

 

DO YOU ALLOW DOGS?

Unfortunately we can not allow dogs on the vessels. 3-7 hours is not fun for a dog to stay on the boat with no bathroom breaks.

HOW OLD DO I NEED TO BE?

NLTBR only rents to customers over the age of 21.

WHAT ABOUT A TIP?

Pricing does not include gratuity for Captains or Dockhands. IF they provided you with above and beyond service, Its a great way to show your appreciation for their work.

WHAT'S YOUR CANCELLATION POLICY?

Decided you don’t want to rent? If you cancel 14 days or more before your trip you will receive a refund (Minus NON-REFUNDABLE booking fee and credit card processing fee). Within 14 days we will refund 50% or schedule you for another day.

In the event of bad weather NLTBR reserves the right to reschedule. Tahoe is a massive lake, there are no refunds because it is a little wavy. Safety is our priority and we will not let you go out if NLTBR does not deem it safe. This is solely NLTBR’s decision and will not be canceled until the DAY OF your rental, if you choose not to reschedule you will get a full refund (Minus NON-REFUNDABLE booking Fee).  If there is an state of emergency (wildfire, weather, ect) we will hold a FULL CREDIT for you.  No cash refunds will be given.  These credits can be used for ANY future rental with us.

Partial Refunds

Tahoe weather is extremely VARIABLE, that means sometimes it is a little cold or wavey and we still send out our rentals. We will offer a full refund (Minus NON-REFUNDABLE booking Fee) if conditions are deemed unsafe by NLTBR on the DAY OF YOUR RENTAL. If you get less than half of your rental time due to weather, we will compensate for time lost on the lake. TIME DOES NOT DIRECTLY CORRELATE TO THE PRICE.

DO YOU OFFER DISCOUNTS?

Please call or email for weekly discount 5 FULL days or more (Applies to full day rentals ONLY). We CANNOT discount our half day rentals even if you book 50 of them. We already have our prices as low as possible to allow as many people to be able to enjoy the lake without a price barrier.

DO YOU ALLOW WATERSPORTS?

We ONLY allow Skiing, Wakeboarding or Surfing behind our HELIX surf boats. This means, no you cannot bring your own to use behind our PONTOON, BASIC, PREMIUM or DELUXE boats.

We provide a TUBE for FREE upon request for ALL RENTALS.  

DO I NEED A BOATING LICENSE?

No, It is not required. We do recommend getting your CA Boaters Safety card for an optimal time out on the water.

CA BOATERS CARD

We will give you a safety and operation briefing before every rental! We want to make sure you are comfortable before leaving the dock.

HELP ME PLAN MY TRIP!

Here is a guide created by our employees to help you plan your trip to Tahoe.  Included are some activities for on and off the boats.

GUIDE TO TAHOE

CAN I GO TO A RESTAURANT, BEACH OR PRIVATE DOCKS DURING MY RENTAL?

We do not allow renters to dock or beach the boat at any point during the rental. There are too many expensive boats and tricky maneuvers to pull into tight spots for us to allow you to pull up to the on the water restaurants. If this is something you would like to do you can hire one of our captains!
Beaching the boat IS NOT ALLOWED! You will be fined $500 if excessive sand is in the boat. The only way that can happen is if you beached the boat or brought it to a dock.

FUEL

Fuel is not included in bareboat rentals.  Only pay for what you use!  Filled before a every rental and upon your return for accuracy.  Often when rentals return gas dock will be closed and you will be charged the following day.  Deluxe rentals DO include the price of fuel.

Fuel is currently $8.58gal at North Tahoe Marina. Half Day rentals average 10-15 gallons while Full Days average 15-30 gallons.  THIS IS NOT A QUOTE only an estimate for your budgeting purposes.  Fuel consumption will vary based on  activities, speed, engine off time and other variables.  

BAREBOAT CHARTER INFORMATION

What is a Bareboat Charter?  

Because Lake Tahoe is a federally governed lake the rules may be different than the lake you are coming from, even if you live in California.  A bareboat charter is defined as:

Charter (bareboat) Operation: A valid (bareboat) charter is an agreement where the charterer has use of the vessel for a period of time and is considered the owner. A charterer takes on the legal obligations, is responsible for the crew, passengers carried, and others.

Elements of a valid bareboat charter may include:
1) The charterer must have the option of selecting & paying crew, although the owner may require general levels of proficiency for the crew that is retained based on federal statutes
2) The master/crew are paid by the charterer
3) All food, fuel and stores are provided by the charterer
4) Insurance is obtained by the charterer
5) The charterer is responsible for the safe navigation of the vessel
6) A platform for events that does not involve consideration, even when moored at the pier
7) The vessel is surveyed upon return to the owner

If you would like to bring your own captain for your bareboat charter than they must bring: 

  1. Valid MMC
  2. Proof of 2 years employment on Tahoe (Pay stub/W2)
  3. Possess a basic CPR/First Aid card (Current)

We also have our own list of captains you may choose from. 

USCG Bareboat Charter Information

 

Watch Our NLTBR Safety Guide