Newport Harbor Boat Rentals

Had such a great experience! We planned a surprise Duffy ride and the birthday girl was running 20+ minutes late, but even though we were on the boat waiting they didn’t start our time until she arrived and after we left the dock.

We have rented from other Duffy boat rental companies in Newport Beach before with lower rates and specials but never again. The service here is perfect. From calling to make a reservation, to check in and actually getting the boat we were treated like we were their only customer. Staff is amazing and friendly with tips on what to look for.
The boar itself was clean and up to date with Ipod connectors for music.
If you want a great experience on Newport harbor this is your place you wont be disappointed. You may save a few bucks elsewhere like we did in the past but we have experience older and dirty boats go hand in hand with a lower rate. You wont see that here.

I rented a 12-​person duffy for my fiancé’s birthday as a part of our stay in Newport Beach. Doug is very kind and accommodating. His staff is also personable and nice. The boat ride was a lot of fun! I have no complaints. We all had a GREAT time!
Biggest piece of advice: GET THERE 20 – 30 MINUTES EARLY! That area is very busy and parking can be a mess.

Great way to experience the harbor. Rented a 17 ft sailboat. Dock masters were very helpful and the boat was perfect for a harbor cruise. Thanks for a great sail!

Such a good first time experience. Would definitely recommend this to my friends and family. I can’t wait to come rent another boat again!

I rented a boat for my birthday this past weekend and Doug and his crew were absolutely amazing and a pleasure to work with. Doug texted me that morning with instructions on where to park and warned me about traffic which I thought was so helpful. We ended up getting there 20 min late due to traffic and parking situations and they let us make up that time which I thought was very sweet of them. I highly recommend this company and would use them again. Doug recommended using valet but the valet right in front of the Duffy was very rude and snooty about us parking there so I recommend finding street parking or using another parking lot.

Doug and his crew at Newport Boat Rentals are awesome. We’ve rented from them several times and have never been disappointed. Equipment well maintained and a friendly staff make for a wonderful outing. All of our guests have really enjoyed the experience and the sites.

I called and reserved a boat about 2 weeks in advance. I was able to get the contract via email, and everything was very simple. Easter weekend we rented a Duffy for 2 hours and cruised the bay! We had the BEST time! The boat was great and the dock staff were friendly and accommodating! The boat was clean and ready for us to board right at 3pm. I have rented Duffy’s in NB before, but this was the first time I have rented a Duffy with Newport Harbor Boat Rentals, and I would highly recommend them! We had a good time afterwards at the Fun Zone too!

Went here with family visiting from out of town. They were so helpful and friendly. They really made our day turn into an amazing experience.

Had a last minute rental for the following morning… was super easy to reserve online. Boat was clean and accommodating. Plenty of table space for our snacks. Fit ten of us with comfort and ease. The staff was friendly and courteous… let us have our full 90 minutes from the boat departure time, even though it took us a little while to get all settled and on our way.
Don’t forget to bring a good playlist, as they have an auxiliary hookup and a great little sound system!
Will rent from them again!

Boat cleanliness — ⁶⁄₁₀ (Not bad — no bird poop, upholstry was a little dirty, but the stereo was great!).
Parking — ²⁄₁₀ Make sure you plan a head. Read the email! Rented the boat for 2 hours, parking only allows 2 hours).
Customer service — ¹⁰⁄₁₀ (owner Doug genuinely cares about his business and his customers. The place was a little challenging to locate but if you plan a head you’ll be fine. Know this — 2 different companies operate out of the same gift shop with different employees. You shouldn’t have to wait.
Give it a shot, they’re a good company.

Came here for my girlfriends co worker bday. My experience here was pretty good. 1 hour boat ride (maybe you can rent longer, keep In mind I’m here on a prepaid cruise), the bay is relaxing and soothing. Bring your own snacks, drinks, and speakers! The speaker system was not functional on our boat.
The board are fairly easy to drive, we all got a turn to drive for a while. Definitely recommend this place for a family that’s looking for something different and fun to do.
Get here early because the parking structure gets full fairly quick.

Good customer service and in a very easily and family friendly area. Hayden helped us and was very nice and courteous

I wanted to thank Doug and everyone else at Newport Harbor Rentals! I rented a house on Balboa Island for the weekend for my husband’s surprise birthday party and the 1−½ ride in the Duffy was the highlight of his party. Doug’s directions to their office made it so easy when we got off the Ferry. The Duffy was clean and looked brand new. I have rented other Duffys in Newport Beach and by far this is the only place we will be renting from now on. The employees are so nice and they made everything so easy and effortless. We are looking forward to renting a Duffy again in July!

I cannot begin to express my sincere gratitude to Doug and his team at Newport Harbor Boat Rentals. They are without a doubt, THE BEST DUFFY ELECTRIC BOAT RENTAL SERVICE IN ORANGE COUNTY! Well, maybe the state of California…
To start off, let me begin by explaining that I spent a good deal of time doing research on getting a duffy boat rental while making some big plans for my gal and I. I called around to various other Duffy Boat rental companies in Orange County and if I ever was able to reach someone that took my needs seriously, they ended up not being able to accommodate me on one or more key factors.
I was going to need a Duffy Boat at a specific time, and I was going to need access to the boat before my rental time started, in order to decorate and prep the boat with delicious appetizer trays, some good champagne and romance it up some lol. A lot of the folks I spoke to at other Duffy Boat rental spots weren’t the owners, nor was I able to get in touch with the owners in order to confirm my requests. I had seen that in the past (based on older Unilocal reviews) they were able to make special accommodations for their clients, but when I called, similar requests could not be granted.
Enter Doug, the owner and operator of Newport Harbor Boat Rentals. Doug went extremely out of his way to make sure I was accommodated on our special day to the utmost degree — he allowed me to prep the boat same day, he had his team waiting for me on the docks both before and after launch, and for newbies — they also walk you through basic controls and how to commandeer your Duffy (it’s really simple, like a golf cart on the water lol).
Doug also has excellent communication either by phone or email, and he was able to email me the waiver form as well as run my card with a signed agreement so that when I got there, there was no wait, no hassles and no giveaway as to what was going on. I can’t tell you how grateful I am to the entire team at Newport Harbor Boat Rentals, and I wholeheartedly endorse them for all your Duffy rental needs in Newport Harbor!
As for the sights and trip, everything was absolutely beautiful, the harbor was a joy to ride through, and the food and champagne make it extra fun :) The boat was new, it was vacuum-​clean and it hauled, for a little electric boat :) Thank you Doug, I will always return to your business based on how you treated me and for your exceptional customer service!

For our 15^th anniversary, we took a very low-​key weekend trip to Newport Beach. Saturday morning, we decided renting a boat would be fun, so we called em up, and reserved a spot for Sunday morning. The customer service over the phone was clear and hospitable, and the follow-​up emails and even text message were very helpful.
Since we had reserved an 11am time slot, we were able to find a 6-​hour metered parking spot on the main road with no problem.
We arrived 20 minutes early, and the gentleman behind the counter had no problem letting us head out a bit ahead of our scheduled reservation time.
Our hour and a half rental allowed us to do a loop around the main island to the left, leaving the doc, and even go look for the sea lion for a few minutes.
It was a wonderful, peaceful, relaxing time well worth the money, and it reminded me of how great it is to be out on the water.

I have rented Duffy’s here a few times with my family and have thoroughly enjoyed our experience everytime!
It’s easy to make a reservation using their online booking or by simply calling– they email the agreement/​confirmation upon booking. Of course it’s on the peninsula so arrive early to find parking (I’ve never had a problem finding a spot in the Parking lot about a block up on Palm or the meters in the alley behind the post office, both areas take debit cards)
Doug and his staff are so friendly and accommodating! The deck hands help getting on/​off the Duffy if need be and explain how to operate– which is very easy to do! Bring your phone/​iPod to plug into the Aux, some snacks, and wine and you’re set for a beautiful, relaxing afternoon.
Thank you Doug and all the staff!
I highly recommend renting here!

I seriously had one of the best Saturdays ever (like, top 1%) this past weekend, and it was largely thanks to Newport Harbor Boat Rentals.
I reserved one of the Duffies for a 3 hour stint on my girlfriend’s birthday. The reservation was set for noon-​3pm. Given Newport Harbor Boat Rentals is situated right in the middle of all the Newport peninsula action, this could’ve been a disaster. Actually, the most difficult part of the day was the parking.
Backing up a bit — their online reservation system was super easy to navigate. I shopped around a bit, and at $ 85/​hour during the weekend, this was the best price in town, hands down. They promptly send over confirmation emails right after making the reservation, as well as a couple days before the big day.
***NOTE: For each of the emails they send, make sure to read the ENTIRE thing. They’re a bit wordy, and easy to gloss over, but each contains very valuable information for when you’re heading over to the harbor.***
A few days before the weekend, I realized I’d made a huge mistake and clicked the wrong day, making the reservation for Sunday instead of Saturday. Boneheaded move on my part. Calling them could’ve taken me to some hotline or voicemail, but instead Duffy Doug himself answered the phone. With one Duffy to spare during that exact time span, he saved the day. And he couldn’t have been nicer on the phone.
Showing up in Newport was the biggest hassle of the day. Whether you’re coming in from the 55, PCH, or wherever, weekend traffic is going to be a nightmare, so ARRIVE EARLY!!! Can’t stress that enough.
Parking is also a pain. There’s a parking lot which takes credit cards about a block away on Balboa & Palm, but it fills up pretty quickly. I suggest using the elevator parking lot on Adams & Bay. It cost me $ 15 for $ 20 for the day, and the wait to get in and out can be a little long, but after using that lot twice (one other time a year ago for a fishing trip) it’s the most reliable parking method I’ve experienced in the area.
Once you’re parked and walking over to the rental office, you should know what to look for. It’s a big building with a restaurant attached. The Duffy rentals are in one of the Davey Jones Locker storefronts, so don’t necessarily to looking for a big sign that says Newport Harbor Boat Rentals. Once you find it, though, the rest is easy.
After getting all the paperwork filled out (Make no mistake, you’re renting a multi-​thousand dollar vehicle. They’re going to want to protect themselves.), you head around to the back of the building over to the Duffies. The deck hands were awesome — super helpful and very patient.
They were also really flexible with the time we had it out. Some of the people in our group showed up late (parking). Since the boat didn’t need to go to another group until later in the afternoon, we were able to stay out an extra 15 minutes or so. We got a map of the harbor and some suggestions for a course that would take up the full span of time, and we shoved off.
We brought over a bunch of snacks, wine, and other drinks. Was a ton of fun. The harbor itself has pretty still waters, and the Coast Guard doesn’t allow boats to create a wake — so you’re not going to experience any choppy waters, and you won’t be going fast. The Duffies all have radios in them with auxiliary cables, so you can blast music from your phone or iPod.
***PRO TIP: They say the Duffy’s capacity is 12, and the website suggests it fits 10 comfortably. I strongly suggest limiting your group to no more than 8. We had 7 on board, and had juuuuuust enough room to move about.***
To conclude, if you’re looking for a fun, chill way to spend the day with a group of close friends, a Duffy is an excellent way to go. And if you do decide to rent a Duffy, you’re going to be treated well if you go with Newport Harbor Boat Rentals.

Fantastic customer service. We rented one of their duffy’s on New Year’s Eve and we had so much fun. The staff is super professional and the young man (nick) who helped us with the boarding process was wonderful. We had our father in law who cannot walk well with us and he brought a chair for him and helped us with walking him off the boat. 5 star.

«What’s a Duffy?» was the question on the minds of several out-​of-​towners I’d invited to join me for a celebratory late afternoon cruise of the waters around Newport Bay.
Long before our 90 minutes were up they were describing a «Duffy» as «fun», «cool», «simple to drive», and «the best thing ever».
It’s difficult to separate the business of Newport Harbor Boat Rentals from the fabulous experience you’ll have when you’re out enjoying the Duffy (electric party boat) but I’ll try.
If you take nothing else from this review take this: Plan ahead for your entire party to arrive far earlier than you think is necessary. Bookings begin at a specified time whether your whole party is there or not. It’s a crying shame to miss a single minute.
The peninsula is a notorious bottleneck. Traffic leading down here is bad. Don’t plan to park at the Pavilion, where NHBR is located. When you reserve a Duffy NHBR emails information about where you can pay to park. Pay attention to this information and plan to get there early as the parking area is not right there at NHBR.
Alternatively, depending on how much stuff you plan to bring aboard, you might try to park on Balboa Island and take the ferry across to NHBR (located in the Pavilion). This worked well for many in our party and eliminated the drive down the peninsula but parking on Balboa Island isn’t always easy to come by either.
Enough about parking.
Bring wine, beer, snacks, and music. It’s a party boat. There’s an on-​board sound system to hook your music device up to.
They say a Duffy fits 12 people, 10 comfortably. The Duffy I rented fit 11 people perfectly and comfortably with adequate personal space between celebrants.
Bookings are cheapest ($ 75 — $ 85/​hr) during the week when hourly rentals are offered. On weekends and holidays there’s a 90 minute minimum with rates as follows:
1.5 Hours for $ 130.00
2 Hours for $ 170.00
3 Hours $ 255.00
Reserve on-​line (or by phone) in advance for the best chance of actually getting a boat. The process is simple and your reservation is held with only a $ 1 credit card charge.
To get into the Duffy you’ll need to walk down the bayside dock area at the Pavilion then climb aboard. For this reason, a Duffy rental from NHBR may prove difficult for those with physical disabilities.
Instructions are provided by the guy on the dock and eat up about 2 minutes of your boat rental time. Driving a Duffy is easy. Don’t stress. Just have fun enjoying the beauty of the calm blue waters of Newport Bay.