Tampa Bay, St. Pete and the Gulf coast
Get on the water.We bring the captain.
Party boats, sandbar days, sunset cruises and every kind of trip in between. Find a boat, or put a professional captain on the one you already have.
USCG licensed · Every day 9am to 6pm · Serving six areas across the bay
Rent a Boat with a Captain
Browse captained boats across the Gulf coast and nationwide.
Looking for a boat and a captain for the day? Search availability across the whole network, pick your location, boat, then captain.
Boaters Education Courses
Hands-on instruction on your boat or ours.
Most of our students are new owners, or the person who rides along and has never taken the helm. Docking, anchoring, reading markers, handling an emergency, and the confidence to run the boat like a pro.
Tell us your current skill level and what areas you would like to develop, and together we will develop a plan to get you there.
- Hands on trainings are offered in 4 hour blocks
- No students under 14
Terms and agreements
If we arrive and cannot start
$250 arrival fee
If we arrive and the job cannot go ahead for any reason on your end, a $250 fee applies. It covers the travel and the time when a captain has already met you and the job cannot start.
Booking and payment
- 2 hour minimum.
- A 50% deposit is required up front. The remainder is due at the dock on arrival.
- Pay by cash, credit, debit, Venmo. A major credit card must still be on file. No checks.
- Holiday and special event pricing varies.
- Gift certificates are available and expire 1 year after purchase.
- Tipping is customary at 15-20% of the total. Quoted rates do not include it.
Rescheduling
One free reschedule for any reason other than inclement weather. After that, each reschedule carries a non-refundable $100 fee.
Cancellation policy
- Within 7 days50% refund
- Within 24 hoursNon-refundable
If a cancellation is weather related you may receive a 100% refund, decided either the night before or the morning of.
Captain for the Day
A licensed captain at the helm of your boat, or one we bring.
Some days you want to be a passenger on your own boat. Sometimes you have guests aboard and would rather not be responsible for all of them. And sometimes you have had a drink and want someone to bring you and the boat home.
Tell us the date, the departure area and how many are coming, and we will come back with a quote.
Terms and agreements
If we arrive and cannot start
$250 arrival fee
If we arrive and the job cannot go ahead for any reason on your end, a $250 fee applies. It covers the travel and the time when a captain has already met you and the job cannot start.
Booking and payment
- 2 hour minimum.
- A 50% deposit is required up front. The remainder is due at the dock on arrival.
- Pay by cash, credit, debit, Venmo. A major credit card must still be on file. No checks.
- Holiday and special event pricing varies.
- Gift certificates are available and expire 1 year after purchase.
- Tipping is customary at 15-20% of the total. Quoted rates do not include it.
Rescheduling
One free reschedule for any reason other than inclement weather. After that, each reschedule carries a non-refundable $100 fee.
Cancellation policy
- Within 7 days50% refund
- Within 24 hoursNon-refundable
If a cancellation is weather related you may receive a 100% refund, decided either the night before or the morning of.
Boat Delivery and Transports
Single day transports only
We move boats between marinas, and within our serviced area only. We service as far north as New Port Richey, as far south as Siesta Key, and everywhere in-between.
Every job is different, so send us your point A and B, the boat details, and we will work on providing you a quote.
Terms and agreements
If we arrive and cannot start
$250 arrival fee
If we arrive and the job cannot go ahead for any reason on your end, a $250 fee applies. It covers the travel and the time when a captain has already met you and the job cannot start.
Booking and payment
- 2 hour minimum.
- A 50% deposit is required up front. The remainder is due at the dock on arrival.
- Pay by cash, credit, debit, Venmo. A major credit card must still be on file. No checks.
- Holiday and special event pricing varies.
- Gift certificates are available and expire 1 year after purchase.
- Tipping is customary at 15-20% of the total. Quoted rates do not include it.
Rescheduling
One free reschedule for any reason other than inclement weather. After that, each reschedule carries a non-refundable $100 fee.
Cancellation policy
- Within 7 days50% refund
- Within 24 hoursNon-refundable
If a cancellation is weather related you may receive a 100% refund, decided either the night before or the morning of.
Towing and Rescue
Scheduled towing and recovery during operating hours (9AM - 6PM).
Not an emergency service. Towing and recovery are scheduled during our normal operating hours. If you are in danger, do not wait on this form: hail the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF channel 16 or call 911.
Broken down, aground, or out of fuel and need a hand? We tow during operating hours as an alternative to the national outfits.
Send us where the boat is and what happened, and we will come back to you with what we can do and what it costs.
Terms and agreements
Have insurance?
Good news. We work directly with most insurance companies to provide boat tow services at no cost to you. Check with your insurance carrier for the specific coverage options on your policy.
Rates
$175 to $350 per hour
Rates vary depending on your location. Charges start when we leave our dock and end when we return to it. There is a one hour minimum on all services rendered.
If we arrive and cannot start
$250 arrival fee
If we arrive and the job cannot go ahead for any reason on your end, a $250 fee applies. It covers the travel and the time when a captain has already met you and the job cannot start.
Cancellation policy
Measured from the original dispatch call.
- Under 15 minutesNo charge
- 15 to 30 minutes$100
- After 30 minutesOne hour minimum at standard rates
Where we go
6 stretches of coast, from Clearwater down to Siesta Key.
The Tiki Barge
The one everybody remembers. A floating tiki bar out of Anna Maria.
Featured rentalAnna Maria only
Thirty feet of party, anchored anywhere you like
A custom built floating tiki bar and lounge. A real bar, on board bathroom, proper furniture, and a sound system you control. Bring your own food and drink and we will keep it cold.
Check dates and bookTrips you can book
- Day cruiseUp to 6 guests2.5 hours
- Day cruise7 to 17 guests2.5 hours
- Day cruise18 to 44 guests2.5 hours
- Sunset cruiseUp to 6 guests2.5 hours
- Sunset cruise7 to 17 guests2.5 hours
- Sunset cruise18 to 44 guests2.5 hours
Private charters, so the boat is yours for the trip. Group size sets the boat you get, which is why the brackets matter more than a single number.
On board
- Onboard bathroom
- Bluetooth 600 watt sound system you control
- USB charging ports throughout
- BYOB, and we keep it cold in a big cooler on ice
- Complimentary bottled water
- Proper furniture, not bus seating
Ship's store
Wear thecrest
Choose from: Tees, tanks, hoodies and totes, printed and shipped by Threadless, so it lands at your door and the captain stays on the water.
Shop the store · from $22.9514 pieces · 8 styles · nine colours · S to 5XL
About our Captains
Every captain who takes a job for Tampa Bay Captain Services is licensed through the United States Coast Guard and knows these waters: the channels, the shoals, and the weather that comes across the bay in the afternoon.
Most days that means running someone else's boat. A family who want to be passengers for the afternoon, a new owner who wants to learn their vessel properly, a boat that needs moving up the coast. We come to you and to your boat, which is why the same standard turns up whether you are in St. Pete or Siesta Key.
We also work alongside a network of independent captains along this coast. When a job is not one we can take ourselves, we will point you at someone we would put our own name behind. They do not work for us, and we will tell you that plainly.
The company was founded by Captain Steven Poindexter, who holds a 200 ton Masters license and ran tiki cruises off Anna Maria before starting it. Voyage Tampa interviewed him about how that happened.
The reviews below are word for word from people who have been out with us.
Amazing service and made our girls feel so comfortable. Best bachelorette trip. Book him and have no regrets.
The handbook he put together covered everything you need to know to operate a boat. We learned so much in a few hours and are looking forward to our next session.
He had everything planned, ready to go, and was accommodating to what you wanted to see. Communication was timely.
He did his research before committing and knew the best way to get us from A to B.
Get in touch
Call for anything time sensitive. Otherwise send a note and we will come back to you.
Call
(769) CAP-TAIN(769) 227-8246
Hours
Every day, 9:00am to 6:00pm
PO Box 7142
St. Petersburg, FL 33734