Jocassee Outdoor Center — Local services in Walhalla

As much as I'd love to rate higher, I just simply can't. Let me start out saying that we did have a good day on the lake until around 4:20pm. This is when things went all wrong. At 4:20, we loaded up all the kids and adults back on the boat and went to turn the boat on. It would not start. We waited a few mins and thought maybe it is just a fluke. We tried again, and it was dead. I called into the store and they kept asking if it was in neutral over and over again. (We are experienced boat owners ourselves) I kept telling them that the boat was dead. From there, it seemed like they had no idea how to handle the situation. No immediate concern for our safety on the water with small children aboard with a storm starting. To make a long story short, thankfully Jocassee Lake Tours was passing by us and we asked them for help. I called the store back and asked if it was alright to be towed back. I was told they needed to ask their supervisor. What does it matter how we are towed back, as long as we are coming back? At this point, it was a matter of safety. By this time, it was pouring and we had 9 people board and trying to keep 3 small children calm. Steve, from Jocassee Lake Tours was our hero for the day and had the upmost concern for our safety at that time. I have edited my original review due to Chris, the supervisor, asking me to. He didn't want me to lie about my experience but wanted me to change the star rating because it can affect a business negatively. But in regards to what happened, our family was negatively affected when it came to our safety. After speaking with Chris this morning on 7/21/2025, I was told we would be able to get a full refund regarding this situation although they offered a full boat trip again free of charge. I politely declined that offer because first impressions are important and our safety was not considered at all during any of the conversations we had on the phone with the company. Not at any time were we asked if we were in a safe location or if all people on board were ok. I appreciate the rectification of a full refund but this doesn't change our outlook on ever renting from them again. We have rented 3 times from Jocassee Lake Tours (they did not have any boats available for the weekend we wanted to go) so we will stick with them. I appreciate them making it right when it came to the almost $700 we spent in renting from them. But if renting from them, I would ask about their safety protocols and if boat #9 has been fixed to where it isn't dying...

Jocassed Outdoor Center is trying to extort $1000 from me and my family.

I have had few experience of outright fraud except for the inevitable stolen credit card numbers on the internet. Please see the previous review describing a nearly identical situation.

We rented a pontoon boat from Jocassee Outdoor Center on Wed. June 26. All the paperwork was filled out at the store and we met their employee, Lance, at the State Park Landing - a minute drive away. The boat was in decent shape, but very beat up although it did have all the required life jackets. The boat had obviously seen a lot of abuse as a rental. The employee did not offer any instruction on the boat's operation nor did he inspect the boat with me.

It did start but as soon as we were underway, I commented to my wife that I hoped we make it back due to the operation of the engine. It would not go past half-throttle and was running as if it were starved for fuel. We had 3 adults and 5 children on board. I debated on calling JOC and asking for a replacement boat. I opted to continue with what I believed was just a worn out rental boat. The other boats at the store did not look any better. So I decided to suffer through and make the most of our day. That was a major mistake.

A large thunderstorm cut our day short so we left the boat at the landing and went to the LOC store to inform them we were done and report on the poor condition of the boat. They smiled and said everything was ok. That night we received a call from the owner accusing us of destroying the lower-unit of the boat's engine. He even described how it happened, which was a lie that I promptly denied. He stated it would be $1000 to fix. After the call, I immediately contacted my credit card company and found he had charged $1000 to the card before he called.

Given the previous review that describes a similar situation, I would not hesitate to accuse the owner of fraud. He had an employee call the next day with "good news" that the damage was not as bad as originally thought and was only going to be $350 dollars. My wife again offered them the truth, that we did not damage the boat and agreed we would pay for the gas we used but would not pay for any damages no matter the amount. The employee replied by inquiring how we could "make this right" for both parties. As of today, the charge is still on my card.

Do not do business with Jocassee Outdoor Center. The owner is corrupt if not an...

This week is our sixth year in a row renting a pontoon boat from the Jocassee Outdoor Center. Over the years we have had some issues with the quality of some boats, but in recent years JOC appears to have made significant strides in improving both their operation and upgrading their equipment. Our three day rental pontoon boat last year was excellent, and this year's boat exceeded even that. So kudos to Charlie, Kelly and the motivated crew at the Jocassee Outdoor Center.

About the lake. Lake Jocassees deep, refreshing, pristine waters are a unique location to experience nature at its best. And while camping or renting one of the villas offers a wonderful peek at the lake from the shoreline, the lake really becomes magical when experienced from the water. Swimming through waterfalls, tubing for miles on the lake, finding those special "jumping rocks" are experiences you and your family will remember forever.

A comment regarding how expensive boat rental seems. I've had many small and large boats in my lifetime, and am keenly aware of the cost and effort to maintain a rental fleet. High insurance rates, excessive maintenance costs, and rapid depreciation are the bane of all boaters, but especially for businesses like the Jocassee Outdoor Center. I came to the conclusion long ago that the investment in a boat used infrequently, and having to haul it for hours cross country to the lake costs way more that a seemingly high rental fee. So there is no question that a boat rented from a reputable company at the lake is the way to go.

A word of warning. You may be able to find some local part time operators trying to rent you a boat perhaps even at a slightly lower rate. Understand that they may not have proper insurance, that boats could be poorly maintained, or worst case, that they do not have a boat available on the date you rented it. When all the costs are added up, it may not be the bargain you expected. My recommendation is to go with the pros at Jocassee Outdoor Center and...