Do NOT rent from Maine Boat Rental
It's taken me a little time to decide if I should write this review or not. What led me to write it was the Maine Boat Rental Facebook page. I'll get back that in a bit.
I rented the boat I’m writing about from August 15-17, 2025. First I want to tell you what happened and I will provide facts supported with pictures Maine Boat Rental provided me (actually a video of the boat before I took possession and several pictures showing the damage they claimed I caused).
After returning the boat, I received an e-mail on 26 August stating,
“This email is to confirm a one-time charge in the amount of $251.74 has been successfully completed. The reason for this charge was $26.74 GAS FILL, $175 BENT BIMNI ROD SCRATCHES ON REAR AND FRONT OF BOAT, $50 ADMIN FEE FOR CC FOR SECURITY DEPOSIT and is associated with your reservation CC A5L-GDV.
If you have any questions, please contact Maine Boat Rental at [207-313-6248] and we will be happy to assist you.”
I immediately called them and they said the Bimini rod was bent and there was damage to the hull of the boat. I asked them to send me the video/pics and they did. I looked at the pictures and then watched the video taken before I rented the boat. I ended up doing screen-shots of the video and compared the screen shots with the pictures of the damage they said I did. I put those pictures in a pdf file to send them showing EVERY scratch, gouge, bent rod, etc., was already on the boat.
I sent that file to them and asked when I was going to get my refund. About a week later I received an e-mail from Nichoal saying,
“After spending a lengthy amount of time comparing videos and pictures, I have found that the bimni bar was bent badly during your rental and the cost of replacing that is over $1,200.
I have also found that there are in fact new scratches on the boat the worst of them down to the fiberglass and will require a in-depth patching process to ensure water intrusion will not happen in the future.”
I asked her if she saw the pdf file I sent her and she hadn’t. I resent the file which clearly shows the damage they charged me for was already on the boat. Once she realized I did my "due diligence" (her words), she immediately refunded my $175 in damages.
Now, what caused me to write this review. I was looking at other reviews and their Facebook page. Facebook has 2 pictures showing their ski boats all docked together (posted on July 17, 2025). The last boat (farthest from the picture taker) is the boat I rented. In that picture, taken almost a month before I rented the boat, is the bent Bimini rod. The bend in the bar clearly matches the damage picture they sent me. That was the icing on the cake.
My question is this: How many renters have been charged for this Bimini rod they claim is over $1200? How many renters have been charged for scratches/gouges/etc. that are already there?
I just caution you, if you’re planning on renting a boat from them, to take pictures of every bit of damage (bent rods, scratches, prop damage on the engine, etc.). In fact, make sure the person from Maine Boat Rental dropping off the boat is in those pictures so they can see you took them before you got the boat not after the fact.
The pictures I've posted - higher resolution pictures = damage they said I caused / lower resolution pictures = screen shots I took from their video before I got the boat.
For the record, I did rent from them (I am Sean M on the contract and fuel receipt).