Chattanooga is home to several beautiful bodies of water, perfect for visitors and locals alike to enjoy and explore! But you can’t exactly cruise down the Tennessee River or ride across Chickamauga Lake without a boat, now, can you? Luckily for all you aquatic adventurers, there are a few places in and around the Scenic City that offer motorboats for rent. Here, we’ve compiled a short list of the Chattanooga boat rentals you can start with to help you discover our local lakes and rivers.
Erwin Boat Rentals
Erwin Boat Rentals is a great place to start when figuring out what type of boat rental you are looking for. Erwin Boat Rentals has locations all across Chattanooga, so you can explore just about every lake and river in the city.
If you rent with Erwin Boat Rentals, you will have two types of motorboats to choose from. The first option, the Harris Cruiser 23′ Luxury Tri-Toon, can hold up to 12 passengers and is available at every Erwin Boat Rentals location. The other boating option, the Harris Cruiser 25′ Luxury Tri-Toon, can hold up to 15 people but is only available at the Chickamauga and Riverfront Downtown locations. The cost to rent the 25’ Tri-Toon is $390 for half a day and $520 for a full day. The cost to rent the 23’ Tri-Toon is $290 for half a day and $420 for a full day. Erwin Boat Rentals asks that renters be at least 25 years old with a valid state driver’s license. You should also note that Erwin Boat Rentals does not allow smoking or alcohol on their boats. The Erwin Boat Rentals website has extensive videos on boat safety that are helpful to watch before going out on the water. The website also goes into more detail into the rules you must follow when renting with Erwin Boat Rentals.
Visit the Erwin Boat Rentals website for more information or to contact the company directly. They can also be reached via email at info@erwinboatrentals.com or their phone number 423.834.7778. They have two locations in Chattanooga – one at the Chickamauga Marina (3001 Kings Point Road), and another at 201 Riverfront Parkway. They also have a third location at the Pine Harbor Marina in Soddy-Daisy (1145 Poling Circle). Erwin Boat Rentals is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Scenic City Watersports
You won’t live in Chattanooga very long without hearing about Scenic City Watersports. Family owned and operated, Scenic City Watersports offers a ton of rental options for adventurers looking to explore the Chattanooga water. For those simply looking for motorboats, Scenic City Watersports makes the renting process easy.
Scenic City Watersports offers motorboats for rent, all of which can hold up to 10 passengers. Scenic City Watersports prices their rentals at $200 for half a day and $400 for a full day. Given their location, boat rentals are meant to be used to explore Chickamauga Lake. However, for an additional $100, they can deliver a rental to you to be used on the Tennessee River. For any questions about this company’s rules regarding their rentals, you should contact Scenic City Watersports directly. If you are under 35, you must have a valid boaters license in order to rent with Scenic City Watersports.
Sign up for a time slot to rent one of Scenic City Watersports’ boats on their website. Scenic City Watersports can also be contacted at the phone number 423.582.6685 or email info@sceniccitywatersports.com. Scenic City Watersports is located at 1940 Hixson Marina Road in Hixson.
River Gorge Excursions
The main draw of River Gorge Excursions is getting to explore the rich history and the unique natural habitat of the Tennessee River Gorge, also known as the Tennessee Grand Canyon. While River Gorge Excursions does offer guided tours, they also offer individual boat rentals for those who want to enjoy the Tennessee River and Gorge in solitude or with their families.
If you’re looking to get out on the water, River Gorge Excursions has three boat options to choose from: a 21 ft Silver Wave 210 Island that holds eight passengers; a 30 ft Suntracker Party Hut that holds 12 passengers; and a 21 ft Suntracker Party Barge that holds eight passengers. The boat rentals are priced at $200 for half a day, or $300 for a full day. The rentals will need to be picked up between 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. In order to rent from River Gorge Excursions, you will either need to be at least 25 years old or older with a valid Tennessee boating license or an equivalent state boating license, or, if you don’t have a boating license, you must be at least 33 years old with prior boating experience. River Gorge Excursions will require you to take a short boating course that can be found on their website before renting with them. If you choose River Gorge Excursions for your boating adventures, make sure to check their website for additional rules.
Rent a boat from River Gorge Excursions’ website, or call them at 423.987.1711. River Gorge Excursions is located at 19385 River Canyon Road in Chattanooga, and they’re open Monday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Now that you know where to start, you can rent a boat and plan a trip to truly explore the best bodies of water Chattanooga has to offer. We recommend a visit to the Tennessee River Gorge, as it truly highlights the unique wildlife and natural beauty of Chattanooga. Of course, when taking a boat out into the open water, it is always important to practice proper boating safety, like avoiding operating a motorboat under the influence and making sure young children are properly secured in life jackets. If you need a refresher on proper boat safety, you can contact any of the three rental locations listed, or you can visit this page on the Erwin Boat Rentals website for in-depth overviews on how to stay safe while boating. Enjoy exploring Chattanooga’s lakes and rivers, and we’ll see you on the water!
