Bridgewater Marina & Boat Rentals

Larry

2023-05

We had a very pleasant visit today. We booked a pontoon online the day before scheduled it from 10am to 7pm arrived about 15 minutes early and about 10 We were on the water riding. Very clean and like new boats. Thanks for a wonderful experience today Bridgewater marina.

Connor Jones

2023-09

Could not have had a better experience. Extremely friendly staff, but especially Stephanie who went above and beyond for our family after we accidentally left our car keys at home after dropping off our rental boat, she took the time out of her day to give us a boat ride all the way back to where we were staying (the complete opposite side of the lake) I will only ever rent from here, and she is the main reason for that. Showing kindness goes a long way, and I look forward to seeing her again next time we come visit!

Ginene Mason

2023-05

Wonderful pontoon rental from Bridgewater today. Andon took great care of us- the boat was clean and beautiful and we had a great time- highly recommend!!!

Maureen Mcshane

2021-05

My boyfriend and I had a great time this past Saturday! We rented a boat for the day with our little dog. The process was easy and straight-forward. We did the video training/quiz-taking before hand so the initial process would be smoother. The lake was stunning. The hours passed quickly and we left happy and sun burned. Tom was super helpful and kind.

Katherine Grimm

2019-05

Great place. I visit Smith Mountain Lake every year for vacation. We always go here and play putt-putt on the which is on a dock. Nice shoppes and restaurants with optional outdoor eating. You can feed fish and ducks popcorn. Frequent live music and a rock climbing wall. Family friendly. Been going for 20+ years.

Aanchal Dubey

2023-06

We loved the place! The boats were super clean and the staff was really respectful and kind! They taught us how to drive the boat and joked around with us, and made the whole renting easy and fun! Andrew and Colin especially were great people and awesome workers. 10/10 recommend.

Sarah Germeroth

2021-05

Rented a powerful large ski boat for a lake day with the family! It broke down 45 minutes into the day, but the friendly staff showed up quickly with a replacement boat. The replacement was a downgrade which was a little disappointing but it still was able to pull the skiers out of the water, just not as quickly. One request to Bridgewater Marina: Nicer, zip-up life jackets would have been sooo much nicer for our skiers & tubers. The floppy two buckle ones kept sliding around and needing constant adjustments.Looking forward to another Boating day with Bridgewater Marina soon!

Heather Dinwiddie

2021-05

My niece and I took my father for a ride on the Lake for his 96th birthday. We rode up to the Hardy Bridge and back, seeing lots of wildlife along the way. We all, but especially my dad, had a splendid time. The boat was well outfitted, easy to drive, and extremely comfortable. We will definitely do this again!

Dwayne Williams

2021-05

The staff was wonderful and had a great time. We rented a ski boat, which was great. We had a reservation for another day which we needed to cancel, which we did 2 days out without any problems whatsoever. I will do this again in the near future!

Shawn J

2023-09

$1700 in scam damage chargesI rented a boat from them at SML, now they’re trying to charge me $1700 for a dent. Before communicating anything to me, they slammed my credit card for $1700 in addition to keeping my $1000 security deposit.When I did get an explanation, they emailed a picture of a minor dent and told me that they had a policy of replacing all damage with new parts. So, for a minor cosmetic issue that can easily be repaired they’re choosing to make customers pay for brand new parts? If I had known this, I would never have rented from them in the first place because it’s shady. It’s not even clear that I made the dent.In an attempt to normalize all of this, one representative told me that they’ve done this to five other renters this summer. One because their dog scratched a panel. From what I saw, their boats all have plenty of dents, scratches and other damage. So, I find it hard to believe that these damage charges are anything more than a poorly disguised shakedown.

Mariah Riedell

2022-05

We have been going “to the bridge” for many years. I am happy to be able to share the experience of feeding the large carp with my own children now.Great family friendly atmosphere.

Doug Morrison

2023-08

Always bring guests to see the carp, but so awesome that all the popcorn "fish food" sales go to charity. Bravo! One of the first 24/7 gas sales on the lake is great. Rented a jetski once and the process was smooth, people friendly, and the ski was brand new. .

Rodney Martin

2020-05

The check out process when picking up the PWC was a bit painful. We had already watched the videos and taken the online quiz prior to arrival, but the line to check in was quite long. It was July 5th, so I expected a log-jam, but was not expecting a 1 hour process. We were scheduled for a 10am pickup and I arrived right at 10am, but it was closer to 11am by the time we rode out of the marina. The check-in process when returning the PWC was quick and painless. The attitudes of all employees were excellent.

Bridget Fain

2019-05

Loved this place. Great place to take your kids or go boating . Lots of fish and ducks with beautiful scenery. Very easy to find.

Dana Keatts

2020-05

We Love💘 it!! Been there a few times.. Alwayz have fun.. We like watching the carp.. They have some pretty big 1's in there..

Josephita Harry

2021-05

Rented a SLS Tritoon boat for a full day, it was clean and well kept in a very good condition. Overall service was great. I’d definitely recommend it.

Becky Tweedy

2021-05

Every aspect of this rental was amazingly smooth, making our special day on the Lake just perfect! The process, the staff, the boat - and the weather! - combined to make a beautiful, memorable day.

Richard Lata

2023-08

Rented a tri toon today with a 250 HP Yamaha. Not as nice as it sounds, full throttle we went 25 mph and I had to hold throttle down with my hand at all times I wasn’t happy . Complained when we were done but all young people non of them could care less. for the money I expected better we made the best of it though

Phi Truong

2023-09

Very busy for a holiday weekend. If you have a rental make sure you come a little early to check in as there is a process. Checkout was fast and easy.Staff were nice and easy to talk to.

Chad Kropff

2020-05

I rented a pontoon boat for our anniversary and the process was much easier than I thought it would be. The office staff was friendly and efficient. The staff member Will Turner was very helpful and courtesy when he showed us to our boat rental, how to use it and how to get around the lake. He offered recommendations on stops depending on what we were looking for. The boat itself was clean, comfortable and nice to relax in for the day. When we returned the staff members guided us in to the gas area and helped us unload and asked how are day was. The entire experience was efficient and we felt comfortable taking the boat out. Thank you for offering a professional and efficient experience!

Michael Lundin

2020-05

Have rented 2x now......Excellent Experience - people are very nice - boat was in reasonably good condition, electronics were a little quirky, but afterall it is a boat.... if you are going to tow people, do yourself a favor and get a tower on the boat - makes life so much easier towing tubes and skiers - fantastic time on the lake...... one of the reasons we go to SML is because there is a place that rents NICE boats.... not many rental places like Bridgewater that I can find on any lake - most rent trash boats that you just hope get you back to the dock.... they have quality boats, granted you pay up for it - but its worth it to me to have a nice boat.....if I don't buy a boat before next year I will be going back

David Bentz

2021-05

Agree with another post - no one was wearing a mask other than our family. Outside of that, the boat was outstanding. Very clean and ran great. We had to wait a long time to get our boat due to everyone arriving at the same rental time (10:30AM). Tip: Get there early. They did extend our rental time though. Had all supplies for safe renting and covered the rules quickly but thoroughly. Overall, very pleased and would rent from them again.

Brandon Wharton

2021-05

Overall, the boat rental experience was good. I did have a few disappointments though. I expect a 5 star experience for the price of these rentals. They are not cheap, in fact, it was overpriced for the provided experience. I have to give 3 out of 5 because of the following issues:First, my rental started at 9am but the guy didn't show up to give me the boat from the State Park until 9:15am. I then had to fill out the paper work and go over all the safety and boat operation procedures. So we didn't get going until 9:45am.Second, the boat was not clean. It had dirt, mildew, and other substances throughout the boat. I had to ask for a towel to wipe it down before I allowed my family to sit in it. I think these should power washed regularly and at least hosed down before every rental. This was not the case.Third, I had engine problems. I had an agenda to look at vacant land lots across the lake, so I was trying to take advantage of all the time I had with my rental. While crossing the lake at full speed the engine kept cutting out on my and coming to a full stop/idle. It wasn't getting gas for some reason. It happened about 10 times and I thought I was running out of gas so I stopped and filled it up at a marina. That was not the problem, it kept happening. I called the rental and they gave me clear instructions to use the hand pump on the gas line for the outboard engine and that fixed the problem. This is not fun or safe when you are crossing the lake at full speed in busy boat traffic on a holiday weekend.Overall, we still had fun and enjoyed our time on the lake. The young man at the marina was very courteous and helpful with all my questions and concerns. I just wish I had a better boat for the rental and got it on time.

Wayne Homens

2022-05

We reserved a pontoon boat for an eight hour day. It was very reasonable compared to some of their competitors. When we arrived, everything was ready for us, so getting underway was smooth and fast.The staff are very efficient and friendly.The pontoon boat was $450 and the gas (after running about 6-7 hours was $200.If you are looking to rent a boat for Smith Mountain Lake, I highly recommend checking them out. (Book well ahead as the do sell out quickly).

Alyssa Portera

2021-05

We rented 2 waverunners for a fun day out on the lake and WOW! it did not disappoint. There is really no way to have a bad time on a jetski and renting on a friday when the Lake was not as crowded worked out really well. We were able to have 5 adults ride around the majority of the day, the employees at the marina were super helpful & very kind, and the waverunners went so FAST! it was a blast! One of them sucked up some debri and we had to call to get it towed and the marina was both understanding and helpful in dealing with it. I would 100% rent from here again the next time we are at the lake!! I think the value for the longevity of the rental and quality of service absolutely matches the price!

Amy Tate

2021-05

Excellent boat rental experience! Very friendly and professional staff. Appreciated that we could watch safety video for temp boat license in advance to save time when arriving day of boat rental. Staff was prepared for our rental and there is a well equipped store at check in, to get last minute items before heading out on the lake. Glad they sold dry bags for our keys, cell phones and wallets! Very handy! Our boat was clean and performed well. Wished we’d had a pontoon, but they rent out very quickly far in advance! Loved it for the third time!

Brett “Coach” Schroeder

2020-05

Their service was great! We had 23 people in our party. They were very accommodating. We had boat issues and they were able to get another boat to us about 8 miles down the lake in about 20 minutes from our phone call.The manager, Quincy, and Bryan, service rep, were very kind. They were respectful and made sure we were taken care of.We will definitely rent a boat from them again in the near future.

Elaine R. Wright

2021-05

Renting from Bridgewater Marina was a great experience. We rented a boat for 3 different days and each time we received a beautiful, brand new tritoon boat with the latest amenities. The process was very smooth and quick; loved being able to do the license online ahead of time. Every single member of the staff was extremely pleasant, friendly and helpful every single time. We rented from another location an additional day (Bridgewater was out of boats midday and we had not reserved) and the experience was completely different - boat was older, not as clean, parts not working, more expensive in every way. Made us appreciate Bridgewater Marina even more. Will always return here!

Karin Keeney

2021-05

My Friend and I rented two Yamaha wave runners for a day! We did the online boater safety course prior to the rental day. This made everything much easier when we showed up at the marina with our licenses and certificates in hand! Everyone at the Marina was friendly and so helpful! I felt like we received great service and care which made the day super enjoyable! Nine hours out on Smith Mountain Lake and we still didn't see it all! I can't wait to do it again next summer! :).

Ed Delgado

2020-05

The staff was friendly, accommodating and thorough. They answered any questions I had and ensured that I was prepared before seeing me to take the vessel out on the lake. The dock staff shared information on places to fish, quiet areas to swim and sight see.The boat itself was as advertised. It truly was a luxury pontoon. Comfortably seated 8 adults, 2 teenagers and 3 young children with room to spare. The motor was strong and able to pull a 2 person tube effortlessly. The ride was smooth and stable. I also found it admirable that the staff was running a charity drive to benefit the local make a wish foundation. I would definitely do business with this establishment again.