A Lake Travis boat rental where the captain comes with the boat
Every trip we run is a captained charter. Our captain drives the boat from the dock to the dock, and you and your guests ride as passengers. You never take the wheel, and there is no self-drive option. What you get is a Nautique GS24 with the surfboards, wakeboard, vests and cooler already in it, for three to seven hours, with up to twelve people.
If you have been searching for a boat rental on Lake Travis and would rather not tow a boat, launch it, drive it and find the good water yourself, this is the version where someone else does all of that.
Dates are not open yet. Pick a day and get in line for it; first in line gets a private booking link for 48 hours before the date goes public. Or call 512-839-4573.
What a captained charter is, and what a bareboat rental is
A bareboat rental hands you the keys. You drive, you dock, you watch the depth, you shape the wave, and you are responsible for the boat while it is out. Plenty of places on the lake do that, and for an experienced driver with their own gear it can be the right call.
A captained charter is the other thing. Joe drives. He knows which coves are glass at nine in the morning and which ones are blown out by two, he sets the ballast and the speed for whoever is on the rope, and he coaches first-timers off the swim platform. You bring your people, your swimsuit and whatever you want to eat and drink. Nobody in your group has to know how to run a boat.
- Boat
- A Nautique GS24 surf boat with a captain at the wheel.
- Hours
- Three to seven.
- Group size
- Up to 12 guests.
- Rate
- Per hour, for the whole boat. $240 an hour for 3 hours, $240 for 4, $240 for 5, $228 for 6, $228 for 7. Saturdays are $30 an hour more, and Sundays and Fridays are $20 an hour more. Book by 28 Feb 2027: 8% off, shown at checkout. Book inside 48 hours of the start: 5% off, shown at checkout. Sales tax is added. The full rate card is on the FAQ.
- Deposit
- 50% to hold the date.
- On the boat
- Wakesurf boards, a wakeboard, life vests, towels, and a cooler with ice and bottled water. Tube and lily pad on request. Fuel included.
- Where
- Lake Travis, near Austin, Texas. We confirm the exact ramp with you before the trip.
Families book it with kids who want to tube and grandparents who want to sit in the shade and watch. Birthdays book it and bring a cake. Bachelor and bachelorette groups book it for the Saturday of the weekend, twelve people, music up, a couple of surf sets and then a cove. Companies book it for an afternoon out of the office, and it works because nobody has to be good at anything. The captain reads the boat and runs the day the way the group wants it to go. Some groups surf the whole time. Some never get in the water.
Two boats, and which one to pick
The Nautique
This is the boat for anyone who wants to wakesurf, wakeboard or tube. It throws a real wave, it carries the boards, and the captain coaches. 3 to 7 hours, up to 12 guests, from $228 to $240 an hour depending on how long you go. If your group wants proper instruction, Jacob runs wakesurf lessons on the same boat.
Everything that comes with the NautiqueThe pontoon
Shade, room to walk around, and an anchor in a cove. It does not make a wave, so it is for swimming and floating, not surfing.
3 to 7 hours, up to 12, from $165 an hour, captain included.
More on the pontoonGet in line for the day, and the deposit holds it once dates open
The 2027 dates are not open yet. Pick your day and hours on the calendar and get in line for it: name, email and phone, no card. First in line gets a private booking link for 72 hours before the date goes public. When you use it, a 50% deposit holds the day and we send one link for the waiver. Everyone aboard signs it, and a parent signs for anyone under 18. The person booking has to be 21 or over. Or call or text 512-839-4573 with the day you have in mind.
Weekday trips: cancel more than 48 hours before the trip for a full refund; between 24 and 48 hours the deposit is kept; inside 24 hours nothing is refunded. Saturday and holiday-weekend trips: more than 7 days out for a full refund, half back from 7 days to 48 hours, then the weekday rules. If we cancel for weather, you get a full refund or a new date, your choice.
Questions people ask before they book
Is this a boat rental or a charter?
It is a captained charter. You get the boat, the gear and a captain who drives it for the whole trip. You never take the wheel, and there is no self-drive option. People search for a boat rental, so that is what we call it here, but the captain is always part of it.
How much does a Lake Travis boat rental with a captain cost?
The Nautique is priced per hour for the whole boat, not per person. 3 hours is $240/hr ($720). 4 hours is $240/hr ($960). 5 hours is $240/hr ($1,200). 6 hours is $228/hr ($1,368). 7 hours is $228/hr ($1,596). Saturdays are $30 an hour more, and Sundays and Fridays are $20 an hour more. Book by 28 Feb 2027: 8% off, shown at checkout. Book inside 48 hours of the start: 5% off, shown at checkout. Sales tax is added on top. Fuel, the captain and the gear are included. The pontoon is from $165 an hour, 3 to 7 hours; a 7-hour day averages $155.42 an hour.
How many people can come?
Up to 12 guests on the Nautique and up to 12 on the pontoon. If your group is bigger than that, call 512-839-4573 and we will talk it through.
What is on the boat when we arrive?
Wakesurf boards, a wakeboard, life vests for adults and kids, towels, and a cooler with ice and bottled water. A tube and a floating lily pad are on board if you ask when you book; taking both on the same trip is a small add-on, shown before you pay. Fuel is included.
Where does the boat leave from?
Lake Travis, on the west side of Austin, Texas. Guests driving in meet us at our usual pickup spot in Hudson Bend, between Lakeway and Lago Vista and an easy drive from Cedar Park and Leander; if you are staying at a house with a dock on the lake, we pick you up there. We confirm the exact spot with you before the trip, because it depends on the lake level and where the water is good that week.
How do I book, and what is the deposit?
Pick the day, the hours and the size of your group on the booking page, or call or text 512-839-4573. In season the calendar shows what is open and a 50% deposit holds the date, with the balance settled before the trip. Before the season opens the same page puts you in line for the date; first in line gets a private booking link before it goes public. Cancel more than 48 hours out for a full refund on a weekday trip, more than 7 days out on a Saturday or holiday weekend.
The rest of the questions are on the FAQ.