Starved Rock Adventures

Family rented a houseboat from this place and it seemed that we just kept finding things wrong with the boat. Everything was poorly maintained. Would not recommend renting houseboats from this place based on the quality.
UPDATE
Upon bringing this up during our checkout Bob offered us a refund on multiple expenses and seemed genuinely interested in our satisfaction.

Perfect balance of professional and personable. We grilled right on the boat leisurely cruising the IL River. This place is the answer to whether you should own your own boat. Our family loved it.

Boats are poorly maintenance. Speedometer and gas gauge don’t work. They said they do that on purpose. Boat had no ladder it was hard to get into from water. Exposed screw that where dangerous. Owner and employees VERY RUDE. Would not recommend this place to anyone. Keep looking.

We rented a pontoon yesterday and spent the afternoon on the lake. It was a good time, but could’ve been much better. The boat was in good shape and clean, and came equipped with a stereo and grill! (Neither of which were used :() The motor was weak and the boat topped out at 15 mph — this was by far the biggest disappointment. It took an hour to get to the sandbar. So, we pretty much made a trip there, swam for an hour and a half and made the trip back. They were very clear that if you were even minutes late, they would charge you $ 50. We saw that rule enforced on our way out. They’re way overpriced. The cost is in line with that of much newer, nicer, and much FASTER pontoons I’ve rented in the past. For 4 hours they charged $ 350 — $ 280 plus taxes, plus prepaid gas. PRE-​PAID GAS? That’s a rip-​off in itself. For a 4 hour slot, you can only reserve for 9:30 — 1:30 or 2:00 — 6:00. I should’ve known that before I invited everyone up at noon.

I was surprised how easy and cheap it is to rent a speedboat, you just hand over your drivers license and credit card, and ten minutes later you’re fizzing away down the illinois river. I was a bit disappointed not to see the infamous carp infestation.

I have been to a few boat rental places and none have been a negative experience other than this one. We arrived 30 min late to our «scheduled» appointment, which we were not told that we had to arrive early for or even on time. Then the crew took 30 min to get our rented boat ready to go — no one from their staff seemed to know what was going on. However the time was running from the minuet our «appointment time» began, which means we lost a total of one hour from what we paid for. Before we left the dock we were told to watch out for logs on the sides of the water, which we did. About 30 min into our boat trip, we felt a small bump, but the boat ran as normal for the remaining 2 and a half hours. When we got back to the dock, we were then informed that we had broke all 3 propellers, which raised our bill an additional $ 150 plus tax. By this time I was very upset, and went to speak with the owner. I could barely get a couple sentences in before he forced me out of his shop after calling me rude and clearly showing that the opinions and concerns of his customers were not a worry of his, there was no reasoning with this man who calls himself a business owner. 2 hours after we left the shop, we were charged 3 different transactions on our credit card and only one of them we agreed to pay for, the other two were left to what they felt like charging us, whether we agreed or not. One of the charges is still a mystery as to where it came from, so we are now leaving that investigation up to our bank to deal with. All in all we were charged nearly $ 500 for a 3 hour boat trip. I would STRONGLY recommend that you stay FAR away from this boat rental business. They are a money hungry business that do not try to please the customer in any way.

Recently rented a pontoon boat here with my children and grand children. Every employee we dealt with was friendly and helpful. They did a great job explaining how to operate the boat and how to be safe. We swam at the island they own and it reminded us of the places we swam at on the Mississippi River. It was a great ½ day and we will return. My only complaint is the steps from shore to the large dock seemed kind of dangerous. Pay close attention at that point.

The truth: this is a fantastic place to rent jet skiis, pontoon boats, and speed boats on the Illinois River! The staff is generous, patient and generous with their time. We have rented boats here for 8 summers and always had great time.

Julie and I would like to thank Capt’n Bob and Erin and all the staff at Starved Rock Adventures for a wonderful 4 days of pleasure and relaxation. We arrived to friendly smiles and a very clean Suite on the water. Great fishing and food. We’ll be back soon!
Michael Marcolini
Rockin’ Granite Stone Interiors

This place was great, and for 5 girls, a good value. Everything was supplied for us… well almost everything.
Our villa had no heated water. Office hours are pretty much nonexistent this time of year, so a couple of us sucked it up and showered for 30 seconds and the others couldn’t do it. We figured there was no hot water throughout the year because we didn’t see a water heater anywhere.
After waiting around for quite a while for an employee during our check out, the employee informed me that there is heat and that she was shocked that we didn’t have any.
She was polite and said that she would let the owner know what happened. I told her that if he offers us a discount for next year, we will come back because we did like it there. If they give us a good discount, I will change the rating to better stars. Until then, it’s just «okay».

To mirror all the positive sentiments that Courtney O. had about Starved Rock Adventures, I would like to add a few points, categorically.
Location: 3 out of 5
Yes, it is a bit out of the way if you are coming from the city. Not horribly so, but a 1.5 hour drive is one of those distances where you might get bored or be traveling with people who need a pit stop. Luckily for you, and for the them, there is at least one rest area on the stretch of road that you take on I-​55 and then to I-​80. The scenery after you leave the city is agrarian — farmland on either side of the highways for most of the way. I-​55 S to I-​80 W. When you get to Route 178, go south and follow it through Utica. You’ll have to follow two signs that help you stay on Route 178 (basically, a left, and then a right). Right before you get to the bridge that crosses over the river, you take a left onto 27^th/​County Highway 34/​Dee Bennett (all the same). Go about 3 miles, and Starved Rock Marina will be on the right. Follow the road, and the office is at the end of the marina.
Customer Service: 5 out of 5
When I made reservations on June 15, 2010, with subsequent rental on June 16, 2010 — I encountered three individuals either on the phone or in person. The person I made the reservation with over the phone was very helpful, kind, and patient (and I can assume probably that it was Bob), and the young lady that helped us get our paperwork in order on June 16, 2010 at the front desk (short, blond hair) was thorough in what was expected of us in terms of behavior, risks, etc. Bottom line: «We (Starved Rock Adventures) are not liable for anything that happens out on the water.» The gentleman who gave us the orientation was fast, but covered all the necessities.
Amenities/​Selection of Watercraft: 5 out of 5
I’m not an avid renter of boats, but from what I saw from their website, as well in person, Starved Rock Adventures seems to have everything that the casual boater would ever want or need. The office is simple, but ample for processing paperwork, getting life jackets for water sports, etc. and the selection of watercraft I saw at the dock was impressive: pontoon boats, speedboats, and personal watercraft all in very good condition. Incidentally, I also saw one of their houseboats docked at their private beach access area. They also offer villas that you can rent for a minimum of 3 — 4 nights. On our pontoon boat, there was a marine stereo system, gas grill (remember to bring a lighter because if it’s windy, you may go through a whole packet of matches and not be able to cook), personal flotation devices, etc. Seats were in great condition, vessel was very clean upon entering. Oh yes, and they provide you with a map of the 14 miles of waterway that you’re allowed to use.
Private Beach Access Area: 3 out of 5
You may find it odd to review the private beach access, but be forewarned that if you’re expecting a beach with a large sand footprint that you can use to set up volleyball nets, play football on, etc — you will be disappointed. The beach area is on an island in the river that is very simple. You drive the boat gently onto the sand, and that’s enough to hold it there. You probably have space in some areas to set up a small tent, set out some picnic blankets, etc. It’s more than adequate if you just want to sit and have lunch or run around a little, or swim/​paddle along by the edges of the sand.
River Conditions/​Scenery: 3.5 out of 5
I know that it’s a little unfair to rate the river conditions as part of SRA’s overall rating, but I feel like for the maximum amount of transparency, all the good that SRA has to offer should be put into context of what you can expect to see on the river. The Illinois River isn’t exactly what I’d call scenic in all areas. We traversed most of the 14 miles, and along the way, we saw a mixed bag of things: quiet homes with private launch docks, the beautiful rock backdrop of the State parks there, and somewhat disappointingly — more than a handful of barges pushing shipping containers, and holding areas for transport containers. You shouldn’t let this discourage you from having a nice day out on the river, just be mindful if you’re in a speedboat or on a jetski to be mindful that there are much larger boats in the channel. Put another way, if SRA were on a pristine lake, I’d be singing a different tune.
Pricing: ranges from 1 — 5 stars.
If you find a group of 6 — 8 people to split the cost of a boat for the day, prices are quite reasonable. If one person wants to take out a speed boat for the day, it would become quite unreasonable.
Overall: 4 out of 5
Very satisfying experience when all of the factors are taken into consideration. Would recommend to friends and family for a relaxing day out on the river.

Over the course of, say, the past eight or nine years, I’ve rented a boat (sometimes speed, sometimes pontoon with either friends or my immediate family) no less than five times, and we always come to Starved Rock Adventures because really? what better place to go?! They’re reasonably priced, very informative, and probably some of the nicest people you’ve ever met. Bob was at the front desk the last two times we came in with our caravan of kids, and he is pretty much awesome. There’s also a young woman who works there and helped fit the kids for their life jackets the last two times as well – she is a complete doll, too. What I enjoy most about SRA (aside from the escape from reality for a few hours while being on the boat :) is that everyone is SO friendly and SO welcoming. If you’ve never driven a boat, they don’t act like you’re an imbecile who will probably capsize before ever even leaving the pier. Every time I’ve ever been there (the last time being yesterday), they made us – and the kids – feel SO comfortable. The boats are always clean and in great condition. Do not make your reservations too early, because I don’t think – if memory serves me right – you’ll be able to cancel.
Coupled with the beauty of Starved Rock state park nearby, you cannot miss the opportunity to rent a speed boat, a pontoon, a jet ski, etc. Highly recommended! And let me say one more time that Bob is awesome!