Clear Lake Marina

This review is focused on my recent experience with renting a pontoon from Clear Lake Marina (CLM). I do not have any experience with other areas of their business outside of boat rental. This was the second year we rented from CLM.
Short version: My experience with CLM was not good. After being told by the staff (Karen) that I could return the rented boat early and would not get charged if weather is terrible, the owner (Patty) refused and claimed that was never discussed. I wasted $ 250 on a day that my family was not able to use the boat at all. I obviously do not recommend doing business with CLM. If you do not have another option, I recommend using extreme caution with them and ensure you have all verbal agreements in writing.
Full version: We rented a cottage on Clear Lake from Thursday to Sunday (6÷25−6÷28). I contacted CLM a few weeks early about renting a pontoon for a few days and I was told that they only take early reservations for week-​long rentals (Saturday-​Saturday) and daily rentals could not be made until the week of the rental (I have no complaint with that policy). On the Tuesday before our trip, I spoke with Karen at CLM about options for reserving Thurs-​Sat. I clearly stated that I did not want to spend $ 250 on a crummy weather day that we couldn’t use the boat and she said she understood and stated we wouldn’t be on the hook for renting on days like that. Also, she stated they could not guarantee the boat on Saturday because the following Saturday was July 4^th and they may get a late weekly rental request. Even though that was different than their reservation policy, I understood that they have a business to run and they have to make the best of summer holiday weekends.
Thursday’s weather was terrible and I called Karen that morning to let her know we would not be renting that day but still planned on Friday and Saturday. She said she understood and said yes for Friday but still would not guarantee the Saturday rental. I asked when was the earliest I could pick the boat up for the Friday rental and she said I could pick it up Thurs at 4:30 (they close at 5pm). When I went to pick the boat up, they said I could rent for Saturday also so I paid for both Fri and Sat. On Friday evening the weather got really bad and the forecast for Saturday changed to storms all day. I called the marina Saturday morning when they opened and let them know I was bringing the boat in for the refund for that day. They told me that they do not give refunds due to weather. I asked to speak to Karen but she wasn’t in so they put Patty (owner) on the phone. I explained to Patty the conversations I had with Karen. Patty claimed she spoke with Karen who acknowledged a conversation about turning the boat in early but said there was no mention of a refund.
First of all, what would be the point of turning in early without a refund? That doesn’t make sense and Patty did not have an answer to that question. Ultimately she refused the refund for Saturday even after I explained we had previously rented from them and would be back for years to come. I ended up paying $ 575 (including tax+fuel) for using the pontoon Thurs night and Friday.
In my opinion, I was flexible with CLM but they were dishonest and unprofessional with me. They stuck to their «rental policies» only when it benefited them and ultimately called me a liar. Throwing away $ 250 is significant to us and not getting that previously agreed-​upon refund put a damper on our short family vacation. Hopefully others will consider different marina options or at the very least, be much more cautious and less trusting than we were in dealing with CLM.

The Clear Lake Marina has always been a staple of good business here in Northern Indiana. They have helpful, knowledgeable staff that make every dealing with them a pleasurable one.
On site they have a myriad of services they provide. Among them are: boat ramp, dockside gasoline, winter storage for boats and boat lifts, lift delivery and installation, Nautique dealer, Kawasaki Jet-​ski dealer, pontoon boats, dock and boating hardware, skis and wakeboards and their necessary hardware, life jackets, tow-​able floats, Clear Lake shirts and hats, the Seaweed Café(snacks and hot dogs, etc. from what I can tell, I’ve never actually eaten there).
My father’s been coming to Clear Lake since he was in college, renting, then finally became an owner about 15 years ago. So I’ve been coming here my entire life. (kinda wish Unilocal had a location for the lake itself, I could go on and on). But my dad’s had some times he’s needed more attention from the Marina (a problem jet-​ski), and he got it. The people there know their customers and greet them as friends with first names. Personalized service is a dying art these days, and I’m glad to see that it still matters to the CLM. They don’t have high-​pressure sales people, just knowledgeable and laid back, casual sales atmosphere.
We could have a much worse marina on this lake. Every time I visit CL, I always make it a point to stop by the CLM. It just feels good. And we usually end up buying something. Yesterday, went for a t-​shirt, ended up with another jet-​ski!