eBOATS Tampa

This is so fun! We rented eboats as a team building event for work and I would recommend it. You can fit about 8 to 10 people per boat as well as a small cooler or two for beverages.
Before you launch, the driver will have to take a short course, and then it is off you go up the river or around Davis Islands. We took our boats up the river to Ricks on the River to get a bite to eat and a drink. We also then went back down past some of the beautiful homes on Davis Islands.
In addition to the big boats we rented, you can also rent small one or two person mini «speed» boats, kayaks and water bikes.
I am sure this is going to be a growing attraction in downtown Tampa because it is on the Riverwalk, right in front of the Sail Pavilion bar and convention center. Fun for locals or tourists!

We had an amazing beautiful night in the bay. We brought our fancy gourmet appetizers and dessert a couple of bottles of chilled champagne and it was a night to remember. Made me fall in love with my hometown of Tampa all over again.

Awesome time, easy to drive boats, great way to see the city.
We rented one ourself and were on the water within 15 minutes. Saw the sunset, took some pictures, drank some wine.
Good value, we thought.

What a great night. Down for my 40^th birthday, took the boat out and it was awesome. Service from captain Shannon was 10 out of 10. Must do when in Tampa.

«How do the rich and famous live?”— I say ironically every time we toast as we ride an eboat. No need for socially conscious replies. «Salud!» as we look into each person’s eyes. The rich live as we do, at that moment. Uncomplicated. Maybe they own a yacht, a big boat or a sail boat. Ours is just smaller, like an out of place Venetian gondola. One huge table in the center with holes to hold drinks. Padded seating all around. A battery operated candle in the middle. You can bring all the food and the drinks you want. The company provides the ice. You can play your ipod music through the speakers. I immediately get the Pandora station for Michael Bublé, Sinatra, Bruno Mars, Jack Johnson. Since the boat is electric there is no noise and the conversation flows. The eboat sits up to ten of my friends who appear every time I mention someone is coming from out of town. We split the cost and it turns out to be $ 15 to $ 20 per person. A steal! I bring a fancy red porcelain tray we fill abundantly with prosciutto, Serrano, various cheeses and crackers. I bring a white porcelain concave plate to hold stuffed olives, hummus, pita chips and grapes. Bottles of red wine and home-​made sangria appear magically from our bags. A generous pot luck. I pull out my glass-​looking plastic wine glasses. One for each person in the boat. I bought them at Publix Greenwise for two dollars each and I get scolded at all pools for «using glass.» I love to look stunned and throw the fake glass on the pavement to prove them wrong. A really great buy as I love «big beautiful things.» Every occasion must be celebrated grandly. Wine in a plastic cup just does not feel the same. I can be a snob that way. We fill our glasses with wine and bask in the orange and pink and lavender of the sunset. A Monet painting… A peach kiss from heaven. I have rented eboats around five or six times. Every friend visiting me from out of town gets to go and see Tampa as I love to see it. I found the company through fate. I was searching through «Living Social» discounts when I saw it. You call and make a reservation for the hours you want to use it. My favorite is to rent it right before sunset for two hours. This way we go upstream toward Davis Island and enjoy the many beautiful homes and gardens. The home owners wave goodbye and, often they are enjoying a cocktail and cheer with us from afar. Little kids stand near the private harbor and go crazy with happiness. By the time we reach «Rick’s by the River» and park is nightfall. Sometimes we park the eboat and enjoy some hot wings at the bar. If you decide to do this then rent it for three hours instead of two. When we return we are mesmerized by the color displays of the downtown buildings, the fountain at the Straz, the silver Moorish minarets of UT, the fluorescent orange of Aloft, and the changing colors as we pass under each bridge. We return without stress. free. No need to lift the boat, clean the boat and become cranky in the process. The company does that. We return to the canal giddy with content, eager to continue the party elsewhere… completely aware that we are lucky to be friends in this magical city. «How do the rich and famous live?” — Not any differently.

My friends and I decided to take a spur of the moment trip on one of these little boats. We didn’t realize it was a self-​guided tour until we were signing/​paying. Thankfully we had an experience boat driver in the group and he was able to navigate the water at night. It was a beautiful night and we were alone out in the harbor and on the river. We were gliding through downtown Tampa listening to music. It was great because the staff was so laid back and pretty much just let us do whatever we wanted after a short tutorial. $ 75 for an hour seemed like a pretty great deal, although I have nothing to compare it to. The boat was clean and very comfortable. I love that it has an outlet to plug in an ipod or phone for personalized music. The boats are virtually soundless and very very smooth. If you make this part of your visit to Tampa you won’t be disappointed. And you can grab a drink at the Sail Pavillion where it’s located after you’re done.

We took a ride on the eboat yesterday for a birthday surprise and everyone had a great time! Staff was kind and patient and explained everything thoroughly. Boat is easy to drive (for my husband) but I kept overcorrecting and kept zigzagging. Great views of Tampa as it was a beautiful sunset evening. It was a little cold after sunset. We brought sushi to eat on the boat also. We liked the privacy we had driving on our own and also how inexpensive it was compared to renting gas boats. Well would definitely rent again in the future.

While I am not the customer that made the reservation, I was lucky enough to spend a day on an Eboat this past Saturday. The boats depart from the docs outside the Sail Pavilion outdoor bar behind the Tampa Bay Convention Center and are rented by the hour. There was a quick driving tutorial/​orientation for the boat captains that lasted about fifteen minutes and then we were on our way.
The boats are clean, well-​cared for, equipped with all necessary gear, and you can bring food or drinks on the boat. All of the boats are covered with a canopy, so we did not have to deal with the harsh sun, but still enjoyed the view.
There are so many different businesses, restaurants, parks, and bars that have dock parking— so we definitely felt like some cool kids cruising up in a boat and getting some dranks.
It was an amazing experience that I will never forget.

What a very fun day on the Hillsborough River with a great group of Tampa Unilocalers this past Saturday! Our trusty Skipper (Mike S.) found a Groupon deal for discounted boat rentals, and he turned that into an Unofficial Unilocal Event.
The eBOATS pavilion sits to the side of the Tampa Convention Center, right along the Hillsborough River. After filling out the standard liability disclaimer paperwork, Mike & I were ushered down to the docks for a quick safety briefing, navigational walk-​through, and finally a practice session for driving and docking the boats. These little electric boats hold roughly 10 — 12 people, and the boats are stocked with all of the necessary safety equipment including life jackets, paddles, a VHF hand-​held radio, navigation lights, and an on-​board horn. The boats are equipped with full plastic window enclosures and a canopy top to protect you from the elements. Since it was a gorgeous day, we had the plastic windows rolled up to take advantage of the sunshine and the breezes.
We split our group of 16 into two smaller groups of 8, and hopped aboard two of the electric motor boats. As we pulled away from the docks we were facing Jackson’s Bistro and the Westin Harbour Island, but then turned upriver to sail past Tampa General Hospital, the Convention Center, the Tampa Riverwalk, Curtis Hixon Park, the Moorish minarets atop Plant Hall at the University of Tampa, the Tampa Waterworks building and the construction of the new Ulele restaurant, and finally to the docks at Rick’s on the River where we stopped for lunch.
On our trip back down the river we were accompanied by a couple of playful dolphin that were swimming alongside the boat, and they followed us all the way past the Gasparilla Music Festival. My trusty co-​pilot, Darcy, was having great fun with the boat’s horn, and the crew was ready to make her walk the plank.
We knew from our briefing that these electric boats are very quiet, low-​speed vehicles with steering similar to a golf cart. Unfortunately one of our boats had all four hamsters running on the treadmill, while the other boat only had one hamster in motion, which led to some comical moments when we considered breaking out the paddles to see if we could catch up to the second boat. The steering was super sensitive, and it took a bit of practice to go straight versus zig-​zagging with the current along the river. Hardly major issues, as we all had a very fun time. After about two hours, the USS Minnow and her trusty sidekick, the USS Pokey finally returned to the docks safe and sound.
The eBOATS folks provided each boat with a cooler, and Mike S. had beer, wine, sodas, and water aboard, and we could have also packed a picnic lunch if desired. (Where was Kelly K when we needed her?). In our case we drove up to Rick’s for a tasty lunch, but I know that other groups pack a meal and enjoy a sunset dinner & wine cruise.
According to their website you are able to rent the boats for a block of time and select a course either up the river, or around the harbor area, or you can just purchase individual tickets for one of their pre-​scheduled cruises. The was a VERY fun and relaxed experience, and I highly recommend this unique way to explore the City of Tampa.

A super experience as a Unilocal River Crawl. Have been wanting to try a river tour and Groupon presented a perfect opportunity. So about 16 of us gathered to have a coffee/​light brunch start at the Columbia Cate in the Tampa History Museum. Then a pleasant 15 minute walk along a well-​used Riverwalk to the e-​boats docks near the Convention Center. After some liability paperwork, a safety/​navigation and practice driving/​docking session for our 2 Captains (Steve E & me), we boarded and loaded our beverages in the provided ice chests. Weather was perfect and river traffic was light… driving was similar to the golf cart with hyper sensitive steering. We cruised downtown, saw the construction for extending river walk, heard the Curtis Hixon Gasparilla Music Festival, glided past U of Tampa and sunbathers, checked out the building of Ulele restaurant in the old Waterworks building, and continued up to Rick’s on the River. Ricks had complimentary apps waiting for us and we had hearty lunches, served pretty quickly on the crowded deck… next to a lunch meeting of Special Forces vets. Again we had to ask for quick checks to reboard. One boat was notably slower and we had to press to get back in the 2-​hour rental window. Got back a bit late but no hassle from the e-​boat folks… this is definitely a do-​again with family. An extra was an escort by a pod of dolphins riding our invisible wake on the way back.
If time is an issue for you, ask for the faster boat. Weather is now perfect and the boats provide cover and shade. A great deal with or without Groupon. And the unofficial Unilocal flag flew unofficially proudly without conveying any implication of liability for Unilocal corporate for any imaginable tort or negligence. (and we had at least one lawyer and one disaster manager on board at all times… and none of the beer/​wine was consumed on board)

Just charming.
We spent 2 hours cruising around, dining aboard the very manageable eboat with our own potluck dinner.
The boat itself is adorable, comfortable, and provides a different experience for those seeking an evening of unconventional fun (especially if you’re not already a boat owner). We were fortunate to see an amazing sunset, motor by Jeter’s house, and saddle up next to the Gasparilla Music Fest while dusk set in and all of the lights downtown came up.
Oh! And we had a surprise appearance by the Gasparilla pirate ship, cannons and flags blazing!
Very cool.

For those who don’t have a boat, this is a must do. Easy to navigate and spacious enough for a group of 8 to 10, eBoat is a perfect way to spend an evening on the river. I’m really looking forward to going back when friends and family are in town.

My Wife and Friends took a trip on the Hillsborough River with E-​Boats in Downtown. Tampa. This is a new service. They rent Electric powered boats at the conventions center. The boats are very quiet and no gas fumes to deal with. We had a great time. It was a beautiful night. We cruise downtown, then up the Hillsborough River past Rick’s on the River. The views were great. I recommend taking a trip using these boats. You drive the boat yourself. Out cruise was 4 hours, the cost was $ 180. Check them out.

What an awesome experience. For as long as I’ve lived her, I’ve never considered renting a boat, and taking a stroll up the Hillsborough River before. Mainly because I’m a far cry from being a mariner, or someone with any nautical sense. I mean, I can blurt out some random pirate jargon with the best of them, but that doesn’t mean I can successfully navigate a vessel on the open waters. Thank goodness there were plenty of recognizable landmarks, or we probably would have accidentally drifted off to Ft. Myers or some crap.
Anywho, yesterday was a family and friends outing and this was first on the task list. I’ve got to tell you, all 10 of us enjoyed it thoroughly. These little electronic boats aren’t the swiftest things on the water, but they’re definitely appropriate for all the shallow river water and light wake zones on the Boro. We took the boat north up to MLK, and the doubled back to Rick’s on the River for some drinks and grub before retuning back to the convention center. The trip there and back took roughly two hours. Two hours well-​MF-​spent, IMHO. Not to mention the radtastic pics we snapped!
I will definitely be doing this again!