Seven Points Marina — Attraction in Penn Township

We rented a houseboat (Minnow #12) for a long weekend at Raystown Lake, Seven Points Marina. We didn't know exactly what to expect, as this was our first time renting a houseboat. The check-in process went very smoothly and quickly. When your houseboat number is called you drive your car down to the dock, use the supplied cart and wheel all of your items to your boat. Shortly after an employee shows up to walk you through the boat and tell you what you need to know to operate it. There's a lot of information to take in if you've never driven a houseboat or lived inside of one. A suggestion would be to have this written down in a guest notebook on each boat for later reference.

The houseboat was clean and in great condition. As mentioned on the marina website, the refrigerator doesn't work as efficiently or keep food as cold as your refrigerator at home. A tip would be to plan your meals accordingly and not bring items that require you to frequent the frig. I would also recommend pre-cooking, chopping, and freezing meat before you arrive as there is only about 45 minutes of water in the tanks (as informed by the marina employee). Washing dishes, takes up more water than you think. When we rent again next year we plan to bring paper plates, cups, etc. to conserve water.

The beds are comfortable (don't forget to bring your own linens). The head worked well. We took very short showers. The water pressure is fine.

The houseboat was spacious and I felt there was plenty of room to find your own space if need be. The sun deck is great. My only complaint furniture-wise is the couch was not comfortable to sit on. You sink into it. There are plenty of deck chairs and lounge chairs.

The kitchen has all of the pots and pans you need, cereal bowls, plates, silverware, utensils, coffee maker, toaster, microwave, stove and oven. No serving dishes though. Bring bottled water to drink. There is a huge cooler on the deck and you can fill up with ice before you pull out. The bags of ice are reasonably priced. At the time of this report it is 1.75 a bag. Six bags lasted us for three nights/four days.

The marina employees provide you with a map and tips on where to moor for the night. We changed places each day and enjoyed exploring the lake for our next spot. There are a few islands and many coves where you can find the perfect spot. While we were there all of the boaters were very respectful about noise and privacy.

Our gas and oil bill at the end was a little under 200.00 (which is deducted from the deposit). I felt we spent about and hour or more boating around the lake each day and we had to run the air conditioner most of the time because it was 90 degrees during our stay.

During your houseboat stay you can take short hikes, float on the water with all of the toys you bring along, jump from the cliffs, swim, snorkel, etc. Our houseboat didn't have a slide or hot tub and we found there was plenty to do.

Checkout was as smooth as the check-in. As you drive the boat to the no-wake zone near the marina you call on the radio, someone is driven out on another smaller boat and that person maneuvers the boat into the marina for you (they do this on the way out as well). As my three year old granddaughter would say, "easy peasy." Once docked the carts are there to take all of your stuff back to your car, which you drive down to the docks. While you're on the houseboat the car is parked for free in their parking lot.

The employees are friendly, helpful, and will tell you anything you...

UPDATED 8/15/2025………………………………………………We just returned home from another great weeks stay at Seven Points. This year, we rented the Merry Margarette houseboat. The hot tub was a great little addition. We sat in there while watching the meteor showers. Nothing bad to say about any part of our stay this time around. Only one suggestion. Like I mentioned in my original review, we have been coming to SPM every 4 years or so for the past 20+ years. But we have a difficult time remembering exactly what kitchen items we need to bring with us. A more detailed list of what each boat has would be helpful. And I think of you had maybe 20 places throughout the lake marked as good places to park the houseboats overnight it would be extremely helpful. Just a small sign or even marked on the map. We will be keeping record ourselves for when we return of where it’s easy to park, nice flat ground for the dogs to get on & off the boat, etc. otherwise it was a perfect week for the Harbert Family at Seven Points this year.

We have been renting houseboats at Seven Points for approximately 20 years. We like to go there every 4 or 5 years to spend the week. We went with the Miss Liberty for the first time this year, the boat was clean, spacious, accommodating our family of 4 plus a small dog perfectly. All the Captains & dock hands were friendly, thorough & helpful. I don’t have a single complaint having to do with our stay. My reason for giving 4 stars is because of an issue on your website that comes into play during check out. Remember I said we’ve been staying with 7 points for at least 20 years. Well, just as in the past, we expected our $300 deposit to be “refunded” to us at check out & to be used towards refilling the boats gas, which is usually around $275 essentially putting $25 back in our pocket. This is also what you website states. “ The reservation/security deposit $300 (per rental period) is NON-REFUNDABLE if you cancel your reservation. If you do not cancel it will be refunded at the final check-out.” But that is NOT the case. Now, your $300 security deposit/reservation goes towards your rental & you need to pay out of pocket to refill the gas at check out. Granted, this wasn’t a HUGE issue for us but some do budget for vacations & this could pose a problem for some. If you’re going to change your deposit protocol, you should probably make sure you change it everywhere, including your website that everyone looking to rent a boat from you is going to read, especially since you no longer send ANY paperwork through the...

BEWARE of Hidden Costs

I rented a houseboat from 7 Points Marina in August 2025. The staff were friendly, the boat was reasonably clean, and we had a good time overall. The reason I am giving the marina a poor review is because of their hidden fees that, in my opinion, amount to dishonesty.

My boat rental was $3,200. On top of the rental, the following charges were added to my itemized bill at the end of the trip when I returned the boat:

$210.12 (5%) for “online booking fee”. This booking fee was not mentioned anywhere on the website and never showed up on any of my receipts. But when checking out, the marina deducted this fee from the total I had already paid and claimed I owed more. When I asked about the fee, they said the 3rd party that runs their website had deducted this amount from the total already paid. When I informed them that (a) my receipts said I had paid in full except for gas; and (b) the fee had never been mentioned, they looked at the website and my receipts and agreed with me but basically said 'oh well. It is what it is'. This is a hidden fee and it is dishonest.

$227.70 for gas. The marina is transparent in saying you will be charged for gas used when you return the boat. What they don't tell you is that the price of gas is at least 2x if not 3x the going rate anywhere else. Mine was $5.60 per gallon at the time.

$38.60 for oil / hazmat. This fee was never mentioned.

$160 “amusement” tax, which is probably required by the local municipality, but was never mentioned when booking and not listed on receipts until checkout. Another hidden fee.

$206.32 state tax.

$202.00 for rental insurance. When booking online, this fee is not optional and is forced on you even if you have other options for insurance (e.g., coverage by an umbrella policy).

$200 pet fee. This cost was transparently communicated on the website and receipts.

The total cost was $4,444.74 -- a whopping 38% increase above the rental cost with much of that driven by hidden fees (e.g., online booking fee), surprise taxes (e.g., amusement tax), and excessively high pricing (e.g., gas that is 2-3x the going rate).

Beware that if you book with 7 Points Marina, it will cost you a LOT more than...