Sharing is caring!

Seattle Boat Rental – Electric Boats

I love being a tourist in my own area and finding new ways to explore the city. My husband used to be in the Coast Guard so he absolutely loves any time he can get on the water or by the water, so when I saw an option for a boat rental on Lake Union, I thought it was the perfect idea! Sightseeing in Seattle & some fun boating time for our family! When you go with friends, it makes it even more fun!

We rented a boat from the Electric Boat Company in March & while the weather was overcast & cool, it didn’t dampen our spirits as we still had a wonderful boat ride exploring all around Lake Union. The electric boats run at a slower speed than motor boats, so it makes for a very leisurely & relaxing boat ride to see the sights, chat, eat snacks & take in all the pretty views. We made a stop midway at Ivar’s Fish Bar to dock at their public dock & grab some clam chowder & fries as a snack. All in all, it was a great afternoon seeing Seattle from a different perspective & exploring the lake.

If you are wanting to make a day of it & see more sights around Seattle, make sure to check out our tips for things to do in Seattle. And we’d also suggest the Seattle CityPass as a way to save on the Seattle attractions in the area.

There is currently a special Groupon offer to get it at a discounted rate, for rides into May! Just use code PROMO to get the extra discount right now. 

Types of Boats

There are 3 different types of boats you can rent from this Seattle boat company, all with electric boats available.

We chose the Standard Duffy Boat, which seats 10 passengers, for a 2 hour rental. There were 8 of us and it was plenty of space & room to move around, we definitely did not feel crowded at all.

Donut Boat – $99/hr

• • Seats 6 passengers
  • Cruising speed of ~3mph (walking speed)
  • Stereo with Bluetooth (on request)
  • One central table
  • Adjustable shade umbrella
  • Completely open-air

*Slow and not for touring the full lake!

Standard Duffy Boat – $139/hr (this is the boat we chose)

• • Seats 10 passengers
  • Easy to operate
  • Cruising speed of ~6mph
  • Stereo with Bluetooth
  • Open concept seating
  • One fixed table
  • Optional heating

Luxury Duffy Boat – $189/hr

• • Seats 12 passengers
  • Easy to operate
  • Cruising speed of ~7mph
  • Stereo with Bluetooth/surround sound
  • Upgraded interior seating and fixtures
  • Open concept seating
  • Two movable tables
  • Optional heating

(prices are current at time of posting, but make sure to check the website for most current info)

When to Rent a Boat

The cool thing about renting one of the Duffy boats is that they have optional heating as well as fully enclosed plastic to keep you warmer. So this means that you really could go out on the water most days, rain or shine. It was a bit of a gloomy day when we headed out for our boat rental. The sun was not out, but thankfully it was not raining, so we were still able to open a few windows just to enjoy the breeze coming thru the windows.

But we stayed plenty warm on the boat, too and didn’t need to turn on the heaters. But it’s a nice option to have as it definitely can get colder on the water.  Just know that they do not issue refunds based on the weather (unless it’s dangerous weather which would cause harm/damage to guests and/or boats & you are contacted to cancel). Since Seattle weather can definitely be iffy, just be prepared for any weather & dress accordingly.

If you are wanting to rent one of the donut boats, those do not have heating options & are completely open air,  so just keep that in mind.

Where to Go on your Seattle Boat Company Tour

For these electric boat rentals, you choose who is the captain in your group – you are on your own with the boat, so you can go where ever you would like on the lake. There are a couple options – the key is to keep track of the time & how long it takes you to get somewhere as these boats do not go any faster than the listed speed, so you want to make sure you can get back to the marina in time so you won’t be charged for extra time.

There are basically 2 options of routes , which each take about 2 hours.  If you want to combine them & do the full 2 routes, then it would take about 3 hours. One route is to go to the west & head out towards the Ship Canal/Ballard Locks (you must stop before you get to Ballard Locks). The other direction is to head towards UW/Montlake Cut (you need to stop before you go thru the Montlake Cut though). With both of those directions, you should still have time to do a tour around Lake Union, too.

If you are driving around Lake Union, make sure you stay to the sides of the lake as there is an active runway for seaplanes down the middle of the lake (you’ll see this clearly on the map they give you). And you just might get lucky enough to see a seaplane land. We had the opportunity to see one land & it was amazing to see!

A mandatory first stop is to head out to see the Sleepless in Seattle houseboat, which is actually not far at all from the boat marina where you take off from. We did that first & then headed off towards the Ballard Locks/Ship Canal. The furthest point you can go is right before the Ballard Locks. We went under the Fremont Bridge (a drawbridge) & then got to watch the drawbridge open up for a tall sailboat. On a beautiful day, you’ll see lots of people hanging out by the water, too, so it makes for some good people-watching, as well as enjoying all the trees & flowers in bloom if it’s during the spring or summer.  We decided to go back the way we came & also explore the other direction towards UW.

With that direction, there’s a lot more that might interest kids with all the large marinas/boats docked as well as driving by Gasworks Park, which is so fun to see from the water. There are lots of interesting buildings, ship construction going on, etc.

We also loved this direction as Ivar’s Salmon House has a dock you can pull up to & tie your boat (just keep someone on the boat to make sure there aren’t any issues). Then you can walk up to the outdoor entrance, Ivar’s Fish Bar. We grabbed some snacks for the boat ride – Ivars clam chowder, fries & more. But you could even plan to buy a whole meal here & eat it on the boat if you’d like. We got chowder at Ivar’s and it was so fun to eat our warm clam chowder while cruising Lake Union in a boat! So perfect!

On our way back, we did a circle around Lake Union (making sure to stay to the sides as there was a float plane that came in for a landing while we were circling Lake Union, which was so fun to see it up close from the water!

It was definitely interesting to see the Space Needle from the water as well as all the sights around Lake Union, with all of the houseboats, boat shipyards, restaurants & more. There are also LOTS of Seattle hot tub boats floating around Lake Union even in the cloudy or rainy weather, which was fun to see people in those boats (that’s next on my list to try!)

Electric Boat Rental Discounts / Ways to Save

The best way to find discounts for businesses like the Electric Boat Company is to follow them on social media & sign up for their email newsletters. They do frequently announce discounts on either their Facebook and/or Instagram page, especially for last-minute discounts.

The best time to save is going to be in the winter or cooler weather. That’s when they will be offering more discounts available.   For example, I found a 50% off discount on their Facebook page using promo code: WINTER50 at checkout. I just tested it out (as they still have openings thru Sunday) & you’lll basically get 2 hours for the price of 1! Just $139 for your 2 hour boat rental! That works out to $69.50/hour. If you have 10 people, that means it’s $7/hour per person, which is an amazing price for such a fun activity!

Follow them here:

• • Facebook

They do periodically have discounts on Groupon as well (typically for fall/winter/spring), which is what we used to book our boat ride. We used a special promo code from Groupon (PROMO) to bring the price down even further (down to $118 for 2 hrs or $11.82 pp if you divide it out per person) & then we split it with another family, so it was such an affordable few hours of exploring our local city! Such a blast!

They do not have any Groupons available currently, but keep checking back on Groupon to see if they offer them again.

What to Know for your Boat Ride

• • There is no age limit for any of their boats – any age is welcome on their boats. Kids will need to wear a life jacket, though.
  • Make sure to arrive 15-20 minutes early, so you can review the safety information & paperwork needed.
  • Anyone can be the captain of your boat on your trip – the only requirement is that the captain has to be 25 years or older + watched the safety video when you check in (they do send this to you by email so you can watch ahead of time too)
  • No fishing or swimming is allowed off the boats
  • No pets are allowed on the boats
  • Adult Life jackets will be on board for everyone under the seats on the boat. They have kids life jackets separated by weight on the docks for you to get kids suited up before you get on the boat.
  • There are no restrooms on the boats BUT if you need to use the bathroom, there are restaurants and public docks on shore where you can pull up to the dock & use their facilities. They have those locations listed on their maps they will give you when you leave. (always use public docks only).
  • Watch Sleepless in Seattle – we did this with our girls before our boat ride & it was a good reminder for us & fun for them to watch it before we went & found the Sleepless in Seattle floating home.

Things to Bring on the Boat Ride

• • A fun playlist – all boats are equipped with bluetooth, so have your fun playlist all ready to go!
  • Food & Drinks – you can bring any food or drink on board. It’s helpful to have a small cooler with cold drinks, especially waters. You can  bring your own cooler or they have coolers with ice for $10 to rent as well as catering options if you would like for them to provide the food, they can give you that information.  Check out this fun idea for a birthday party on the water from Mrs Rose Winter on Instagram – complete with charcuterie board & more!
  • Layers to wear – even if it’s a warmer day, it can be cooler on the water, so always dress in layers. It’s pretty much a requirement here in the Pacific Northwest on any day and definitely when you’re out on the boat. We went in March, so we had sweatshirts & jackets. A light jacket/sweater or windbreaker would still be a good idea even in the summertime
  • Blankets – these are nice to offer additional warmth on your boat ride and to pass around to anyone who might be cold. We just brought a bag with extra blankets to hand out as needed. Blankets also just elevate the coziness factor, too! :)
  • Games / activities for the kids – bring some small travel activities for the kids in case they need something to keep them busy so you can just enjoy the leisurely ride. It’s not a fast ride like a speed boat, so some kids may need something extra to keep their attention while they look around. Another idea is to bring a scavenger hunt – you could create one by looking at the route map ahead of time or you can purchase one from the Electric Boat company too

Parking 

You can park right near the marina in the large lot in back of the buildings on Westlake Ae N (there are about 5 blocks in both directions) so you should hopefully have no trouble finding parking.

Parking is $1.50/hr, Monday – Friday before 4pm. And it’s free after 4 & on weekends/holidays.

Places to Eat Nearby

Here are some delicious restaurants to try nearby the Electric Boat Company:

• Ivar’s Salmon House & Fish Bar – I mentioned stopping at the Ivar’s Fish Bar on your boat ride, but if you want a nicer option for when you are finished with your boat ride, we love the PNW themed Ivar’s Salmon House for delicious seafood & gorgeous views of Lake Union & the Space Needle
• Agua Verde Cafe – another option to dock your boat or visit after you finish with the boat ride is Agua Verde which is on the UW campus & right on Lake Union. This is a casual, quick option which you can enjoy the outdoor patio in the back on a beautiful day & watch the boats on the lake. The food is Baja-style Mexican food with fresh ingredients.
• Portage Bay Cafe – they have both a south Lake Union location & a location on Roosevelt, which is also fairly close (in the UW district). This would be a great option to enjoy a hearty breakfast before you head out for a boat ride.
• Boba Up – Self-Serve Boba – this place was SO fun – you can choose all your own boba drinks to try or mix, toppings & more!
• Haymaker Eastlake – we headed to this restaurant after our boat ride for pizza & pasta. It has a fresh & flavorful Italian food & our girls liked the fire-grilled pizzas. My family loved their food, however, somehow my dish came out extremely hot/spicy (and it was not a spicy/hot dish) so something must have accidentally been added. So just make sure to ask what all ingredients are before you order.

Where to Stay Nearby in Seattle

If you want to make a weekend out of it & stay in Seattle or if you are visiting from out of town & want a central location to Lake Union, here are some hotels nearby:

Residence Inn by Marriott , Lake Union – We have stayed here before & found it was such a great location with views of the water & Space Needle & it is also not right in the downtown busy area, so it’s a bit quieter too. Very family friendly location too!

Hyatt Regency, Downtown Seattle – this location is right in the heart of downtown & has gorgeous view of the city. It’s such a centrally located hotel to all Seattle activities, which makes it very ideal. Read our hotel review here!

More Seattle Boat Tours

Harbor or Locks Cruise – If you’d like to explore the Seattle area by boat, but would rather just sit back, relax & enjoy the ride, we also love the Seattle Argosy Cruise. These are fun, narrated sightseeing boat tours of Seattle. They have options for harbor cruises or locks cruises on Lake Union.

Seattle Hot Tub Boat – For a unique way to explore the lake, try the hot tub boats! We saw quite a few of these as we were out boating in Lake Union & they looked so fun. Whether it was a group of friends enjoying the hot tub together or a couple enjoying a romantic date, it was a great way to experience the lake & the Seattle downtown views.

Center for Wooden Boats Free Rentals -Head over to the south end of Lake Union to the Center for Wooden Boats & they now offer 1 hour free rentals of their peapod rowboats.  These are available Wed – Sunday all year, but they do book out several weeks ahead typically.  You can also rent other boats to explore the lake from their center as well.

Ferry Boat – Seattle to Kitsap Peninsula or Vashon – if you are looking for a quintessential Seattle boat experience – riding a ferry boat is a fun way to see the greater Seattle area. From the Seattle waterfront, you can head over to the Kitsap Peninsula & from West Seattle, you can head to Vashon.

Have you taken a boat tour in Seattle before?