Connie, I think the 26' is for 6 people. I am looking to do the same thing myself. Where do you want to go? Leticia

We are a large group of 12 coming in April and we are thinking about renting a boat too. Does anyone know if there are any boats to rent that will fit all of us safely?

Try this one.
http://www.captainnautica.com/index.html
http://www.seeski.com/captained.html
I'm not sure about the see n ski capacity but ask. Hope this helps, Leticia

Connie,
We rented two 29 Foot Fountains from Nauti Nymph a few weeks ago. The boats are nice and its a great time. We ran the boats ourselves but I did meet several of there captains and they are nice folks you will have a great time. The only problem with your plan is the law. Coast Guard Licenses and vessels fall in two categories. First is the license for the captains. There are two basic types of license for operators that run these types of boats. The first is an Operator Of un-inspected Passenger Vessels, commonly called a six pack license (OUPV) these captains can only take six paying passengers plus the crew on a vessel. The second problem comes in the type of Vessel. The boats you are talking about are recreational vessels and even though the manufacturer says they can hold eight people the law says unless they are Inspected Passenger Vessels a paid captain can only take six paying passengers on one of these boats. The next step up in the captains license in a Masters License which will have a tonnage limit (size of boat) that the Captain can run but the rules for the type of boats, un-inspected or inspected still will take precedent over the Captains license as to the number of passengers aboard. The bottom line is you are either stuck on a larger boat with other people or your group will need two boats if you have more than six people in it.
Hope this helps.
Jay

PS. New Horizons has a boat that's inspected and can take larger groups, and according to their web page http://newhorizonscharters.com/ they will do private charters for larger groups if booked in advance. I haven't used them but they do seem to get good reviews around the Internet, and I meet one of the crew members at Jost in the customs office and they seem professional.

Connie,
In other words, 26' is not enough!!!!!! You would not be comfortable at all! 🙂
I would guess that the captain is affiliated with Nauti Nymph, they are good people to work with! Go with a larger vessel!

Sherri,
For the record I don't work for Nauti Nymph. I am a licensed captain but I currently live in West Virginia. I threw the info about the licenses and boat sizes out trying to be helpfull as I know it can be confusing trying to figure out what can and can't be done on charters.
Jay

If you are on STJ....I would recommend Flyaway Charters -- http://www.viflyawaycharters.com/.

We are using them with June and are meeting up with another couple we met on this board to share in the cost.

The total cost for a 26' cat w/captain and fuel figures to be about $700-750 which split six ways is cheaper than the huge charters through Liminos and others. Plus you can create your own intinerary and don't have to put up with the crowds.

lbrlwyr

Thanks all...i guess I was figure that since our 18' boat in NJ can hold 6 people, that at 26 footer should accomodate 9.

Captain, we did New Horizons last year, just myself and husband and loved it. We were with 2 other couples and we just lucked out with that.

Here's the problem with our crew. Myself and husband know how much everything cost when you go away..especially out of the country. Since we only do this about once a year, we go all out. Our friends have never been anywhere but Key West (and that took us about 6 years to convince them on that). Basically, they're cheap....lol They can afford it, but when you tell them a day on the water will cost 150-200 which would include the boat, the drinks, the lunch, they almost have a heart attack.

We've told them that they have to get out on the water and see how beautiful it is.

It may happen that we just go by ourselves because we're not missing this again. They can stay at the villa and wish they went with us :o)

Connie,
Send them a link to this youtube video that I did. If they don't come across with the money after seeing this then they should just stay home. LOL
Or you could pay their way under the condition that if they have fun they have to pay you back for theirs and yours as tour guides.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2EoMPzVsfI
Jay

Thanks Captain....fun to watch, in fact, i'm at work but my friends daughter who's going with us works here too.....some of those pics are so funny.

You have a great idea!!! I will offer them that idea, but i think if they find out they have to pay us as tour guides, they'll say NO WAY!!! lol....But, i will offer to pay for them and if they didn't like it at the end, then they don't have to pay us back...excellent.

Capt. Jay,
Yeah, knew you didn't live here and that you visit, as well as are a regular contributor to the forum!
When I wrote " I would guess that the Capt. is affiliated with Nauti Nymph, they are good people to work with." I was referring to Connie's initial question. "Has anybody ever rented a 26' or bigger boat from them and hired a captain for the day". This was the Captain that I was referring to!!!! Easily mis-understood, no problem! 🙂
Connie, sure hope you convince them to do this, it's not something you do everyday, that is for sure! A once in a life time expenditure! (at least not often).

Just my 2 cents here..... And I don't work for either company.

www.seeski.com has in my personal opinion the best boats because they have shade that covers the entire back of the boat which is refreshing if you are doing alot of motoring like to the Baths. They are also in slightly better shape and I like that they have digital fuel meters so you don't have ot fill up on the way back. Which Nauti might have as well, I don't recall if they require you to fill up.