Harbor Boat Rentals

I’m sure these guys are fine if you’re just renting a boat. Do not go on a fishing charter with them. I did back in December and we caught ZERO fish. Danny (Owner) was very quick to show up at the dock on time to take our money up front! The captain we had wasn’t very experienced and I strongly considered telling him to go back in after only two hours. At that point, I’m sure I would’ve had a hard time getting any money back because Danny was long gone. Danny also instructs his captains to go buy bait and fill the boat up with gas on the way back to the dock while you’re on the boat. Reputable captains take care of bait and gas on their own time, not mine. Those two things combined take away an hour’s worth of fishing. Really ridiculous in my opinion. I’ve been on charters all over the world and this one is by far the WORST experience I’ve ever had. I will be going back to Dana Point to fish, but I will NOT be calling Harbor Boat Rentals.

Lovely experience! We took the Pontoon boat out around the harbor and had such a relaxing time:) We can’t wait to do it again!

Danny the owner is simply awesome. He’s mellow and very helpful. Today is the second time I took my wife and 5 year-​old son for a 4-​hour ride to Laguna Beach and Newport from Dana Point. Danny was awesome from start to finish, and the boat was clean and well-​maintained (mechanically) too. Rent a boat and have fun.

My Dad and I had a great time! We rented a boat and got Bob to take us out to the tuna spots. We were out there within 90 minutes and 30 minutes later we had 2 yellowfin in the boat. Bob is as good as it gets. In total, 3 yellowfin tuna and 4 dorado. Everything you wish for when you’re going out for some summer fishing. Will be going again one day!

This place is the best rental place I have ever been too. When I first arrived i was greeted by a staff member who helped me. Love love love this place. Anyone looking to rent a boat, look no further cause this spot is simply is the best. Best price, best boats, best staff!!!

Amazing experience! Danny and team took great care of us and made the process very easy. Landon was our guide. Highly recommend him. Very personable and accommodating. Could not have asked for better. Will be requesting him next time without a doubt. …and we filled the cooler with yellowtail and bass!

Great staff! Helped with anything that we needed. They’re boats are very comfortable to fish from!

A friend turned me on to the Harbor boat rentals and I couldn’t be more pleased to have access to great boats that are very well maintained. This is the next best thing to owning your own boat or kind of like being a grandparent and playing with your grand kids (you get to have fun on your boat and then you go home). Danny and his crew are top notch, friendly and accommodating. Fishing this season is off the hook and it is all a few miles from the harbor and you have a 30 mile radius if you feel the need to look further than you need too. Boats are fully equipped with GPS, radios and bait tanks. It’s self serve unless you order full service with a captain. I can’t say enough good things about this operation, thankful it’s in my back yard.

Wow. I came here on very short notice and they still got me on a private boat! Ryan was our captain and I must say, he made the experience for me and my father! Ryan was a great captain, a great fisherman, and a great friend! This is a great business and my experience was priceless, worth every penny! Make sure to request Ryan!

This company is awesome, had a wonderful time today on the water, the owner Danny is so easy to deal with and make the process of renting a boat so simple, my rental was the 21′ panga, and all I can say is WOW! The boats are brand new they have top of the line engines, electronics, everything you could ever imagine, he has earned my business for life, I can’t wait to go out again.

Boats are great, Danny is awesome, great pricing. What more do you need. We went out for the first time about a week ago. Danny shows up on time, shows you the ropes with the boat and fish and away you go. Already have the next trip booked. I would highly recommend.

Danny is the best!
We rented one of his boats during the «Festival of the Whales» in Dana Point, one of the busiest weekends of the year. We called Danny about 45 minutes before our rental started, and he pointed us towards a local fish & tackle store to pick up supplies for fishing. By the time we arrived at the dock, he was already waiting for us.
The boat was impressively clean, like it had just been detailed. Danny welcomed us aboard, ran us through the basics, and even helped us get our hooks and lines set up for our fishing rods (we are beginners!). Danny is very open and does what he can to help make your experience exactly what you want it to be. The only thing he asked of us was to quickly wash down anywhere our fishing bait (squid) touched — a simple and understandable request, those squid stink!
Fifteen minutes after we arrived onboard, we were powering out to the open sea. The only real restriction was «Be back when your 5 hours are up.»
The boat we rented was simple to maneuver — just like driving a car. It was equipped with a GPS map, CB radio (tune to Channel 10 to listen to the whale-​watching boats, a lot of fun hearing them talk), has «dry» storage for bags and everyday items, has water-​proof storage for phones. wallets, and other small items, along with a cooler for your beverages, a live-​bait tank for your fishing needs, and two other small storage areas. It was more than enough boat for the two of us. You could comfortably fit four people on the boat for a day, 6 would be OK, but there wouldn’t be much room to move (or enough real seats for everyone).
When our time was up, we texted Danny to let him know we’d be docking, and he was kind enough to let us stay out on the water for an extra 45 minutes, since we were the last rental for the day. Anything he could do to help and make our experience better, he did!
If we lived closer, we’d definitely join Danny’s membership program and take the boat out more often, but since we don’t live nearby, we’ll just have to book another trip to the area just so we can spend another day out on the water in one of his boats.

We loved boating with Harbor Boat Rentals! Be sure to read the other 35+ reviews they have! I almost passed them up when I only saw the 3 reviews on the front page.
We didn’t go fishing, but we rented a 25 foot custom pontoon boat and had a blast at the sandbar and cruising. Highly recommend these guys.

Danny and his team offer a great experience on the water! Completely exceeded our expectation and got us on the fish. You have the option of renting the boat on your own or Danny will supply a guide including gear. We opted for the guide and my buddy and I took our 8 year old sons and promised them we would catch BIG FISH AND we did! A monster Dorado and experience of a lifetime. The boats are well maintained and the guides know the waters well. We went about 18 miles out and felt completely safe. Thanks Danny for offering a great service without having to buy a boat. Cheers.

My husband, his buddy & our sons went out with Captain Daniel last Sunday. They had a blast, saw a bunch of dolphins, whales & mantas, and caught a load of fish, including a huge dorado. The staff at Harbor are Friendly & knowledgable. Already Planning our next trip!

I usually do not write reviews, however, I am compelled to write one this time since my family had a really nice time on a fishing trip. Danny helped me from making a reservation to cleaning my fishing poles after a fishing trip. What a friendly guy. The boat was nice and clean. Our fishing guide was a super nice guy. Thank you so much, Landen. I look forward going out on another fishing trip.

I met these guys at the Fred Hull show in Long Beach. I’ve been waiting for fishing boat rentals in Dana Point for a long time so I was excited to check em out. I followed them on Facebook and they advertised a coupon special which I purchased. I met Danny at the dock and he showed me the boats and went over everything I needed to know. I just took the boat out and I was so impressed with the experience I had to share. Danny was there waiting for me at the dock, gave me some pointers and even told me where to fish. The boat handled great, it was very comfortable fishing and we drove all day and only used 2 gallons of gas. He was there when we pulled in and even parked the boat for us. Overall I was very impressed and I would definitely recommend them. I’m probably going to become a member of the harbor boat rentals club.
Brian

Like everyone else has already said, this is boat ownership without the boat headaches! I used to have a boat similar to HBR’s, and what a headache! There was always something ti fix or buy, and it just ate me out of house and home. Half way to Catalina id NOT where you want something to go wrong! This is the best way to get on the water, be your own captain, and in very nice boat with all of the electronics and up-​to-​date equipment you’d need to have a great day of fishing or whale watching. I took my nephew & bro out whale watching. What a great day we had. Saw 3 whales and motored behind one for about 2 hours. I got back to the dock, unloaded my stuff, and Danny took it from there. This is a much needed service here in SoCal!

Great service! My son really enjoys fishing, and we get tired of fishing from the jetties and piers. We decided to sign up for the monthly membership, which is like a fractional ownership program at a fraction of the price. We love it, and are very happy clients! Keep up the great work Danny!