Knot My Boat Charters — Local services in Chicago

Giving it a one star for horrible customer service and lack of professionalism. First off; their process for renting a captain is confusing. The company says they have the captains profiles on their site and yet there was no link provided and I couldn't find it on their site myself. They also didn't state that in the email they sent, only the list of captains and their emails; so I only had to base this off on reviews here. And although I emailed the captain separately, he never responded back to my email so I forwarded the email to customer service stating that I was confused since the captain did not respond, only for them to tell me I'm all set. A week before our charter they emailed me again that I should call the captain before I arrive and I told them that I never received their information, only for them to gaslight me saying I told them that I confirmed with him. I clearly have the email where I told them I was confused and how the captain didn't respond and they just unnecessarily were telling me I'm wrong but also told me that he confirmed TO THEM, so I have nothing to worry about, and they proceeded to give me the Captain's phone number. Then came the day of the charter. I don't know what was happening but there was a HUGE family/group event where there was literally no parking BLOCKS away, and I arrived an hour prior to our departure because of my fear there wouldn't be parking. When I tried getting to the parking near the dock it was blocked off. I told security I rented a boat with KMBC and they just told me I needed a parking pass with them. It would be nice if the company did provide at least one pass for situations like these. I ended up parking at a sketchy spot that was a 20 minute walk away and ended up getting to my boat exactly on our departure time, but that still unfortunately cut 30 minutes since we had to go over safety regulations, signing waivers, putting our stuff away, and then leaving the dock finally.

Then there was the lily pad (see photo). After seeing other boats having them, I thought it would be fun. In the end I was so disappointed I wasted $100 to rent this piece of garbage and I was better off buying my own for even less than $100! So don't waste your time- they'll give you a cheap, small, and damaged lily pad. The holes to attach it to the boat were ripped so the captain tried to salvage it by having half of the lily pad wrapped around the rope; but this only caused the lily pad to want to roll back up. It was hardly usable, I felt embarrassed because this was my idea for my friends; and although they tried to make the best of it, they admitted that it only had about 5 minutes of use- FOR $100. I emailed the company to complain and sent a photo and have not heard back from them. So they clearly don't care and just wanted to scam you.

The pros were that the boat was nice and I had a great time due to my friends and the captain we rented (Justin Moore) was actually pretty cool and helpful. However, the company and customer service made my...

A Night to Remember — Thanks to Captain David Groover

When I started planning the perfect proposal, I knew one thing for sure: it had to happen on the water, with the Chicago skyline glowing behind us. But pulling off a surprise like this takes more than just a beautiful setting—it takes the right person at the helm. That person was Captain David Groover.

From the moment I booked with him, Captain Groover felt more like a co-conspirator than just a captain. He was all-in on helping me create the moment of a lifetime. He coordinated directly with my fiancée’s parents to sneak onboard early and transform the yacht into a floating surprise—complete with thoughtful décor and perfect placement. And just before we arrived, I got the most reassuring call I could’ve hoped for: “Everything is set up.” That one line told me I could relax. The secret was safe. The plan was in motion.

But that was just the beginning.

As we boarded, Captain Groover welcomed us with genuine warmth and calm professionalism that instantly set the tone. He didn’t just steer the boat—he orchestrated the experience. He mapped out the perfect route across the lake, angling the yacht at all the right moments to capture jaw-dropping photos against the skyline. He offered to take pictures, made sure the vibe stayed relaxed, and somehow anticipated everything we needed before we even asked.

We had a dinner reservation after the cruise, and I was nervous we’d lose track of time. Not with Captain Groover. He kept everything moving seamlessly, making sure we soaked in every last bit of the evening—and still got back to shore right on time.

Captain Groover wasn’t just a guide on the water—he was a master of moments. He handled every detail with care, gave us space to savor the experience, and never once made it feel like work. Instead, it felt like we had a friend behind the wheel—someone who genuinely cared about making this night as magical as possible.

Thank you, Captain—you didn’t just help us celebrate the moment, you elevated it into something we’ll...

I planned a group charter this weekend with KMBC. I am giving this company a 2-star rating because of security concerns with how they handled my credit card information and the overall experience.

First, KMBC makes you upload pictures of the front and back of the credit card you used to book the charter as well as your drivers license "in order to deter fraud". They claim that they use an encrypted form. After seeing the website they used to gather this information, I was skeptical and emailed Emma asking how long they keep my information. She said they delete it after a day. So I went ahead and submitted my details and went on the charter. When I got home from the charter, there was a $206.40 fraudulent charge on my credit card from a company called the Tall Windy Ship. The only time I've ever given out my card information was when I submitted the details to the KMBC "encrypted" form. I've also never had an issue with fraud with this card before. I had to call and dispute the charge and have a new credit card sent to me. Dealing with this was highly inconvenient but it will work out. My recommendation would be that KMBC verify credit card information, in person on the day of the charter.

Next, our captain Josh was lackluster. His demeanor/attitude was standoffish during the charter. When he first got on the boat he didn't say hello to anybody. I had to go up to him to introduce myself. For the rest of the trip, he barely said a word to any of us. Skyler, his deck hand was the only person we communicated with and she was nice. When we docked, he didn't say goodbye, he just proceeded to get off the boat. We were looking for a captain who was welcoming with a fun/upbeat personality and unfortunately, we didn't get that.

I've been doing an annual boat trip for years. This was my second and last time working with KMBC. For the reasons I stated above, I would suggest you keep looking and find an alternative company...