Watercraft rental terms
1. You are responsible for damage
While the watercraft is in your hands, you are responsible for the full cost of any damage, loss, or theft — regardless of who caused it and regardless of fault. That responsibility starts at check-out and ends when the unit is
back with us and inspected.
What you owe for damage to the boat itself is the lesser of the cost to repair it and return it to rental service, or the cost of replacing it with an equivalent unit. Replacement cost means what it actually costs to buy the same or comparable make, model, year, and condition from dealers within a reasonable distance of us. We do not use Kelley Blue Book or NADA — those guides do not reflect what a replacement machine costs in this market.
Some things sit outside that limit and are billed on top: lost rental time, recovery and swap costs, and trailers, gear, and accessories. Each is explained below.
2. How damage protection works
Not every watercraft we rent comes with a damage protection option. Where one is offered on the unit you are renting, this is how it works — and it is worth reading closely, because most misunderstandings we have with renters start here.
Damage protection is capped at the dollar amount you select. It carries a $0 deductible, so it applies from the first dollar of damage. But it stops at the amount you chose, and you remain responsible for every dollar above it. The purchase price is non-refundable, whether or not you end up using it.
It is not full-coverage insurance. The product does carry some liability elements, so it is more than just a fund — but it is not an insurance policy issued to you, it does not cover everything, and it does not cap what you owe.
It does not extend to rented gear. Dock bumpers, tie-offs, life jackets, tubes, fishing equipment, trailers and their hardware — none of that is covered by the damage protection on the boat. If it comes back damaged or does not come back, that is billed to you separately.
The same is true of a damage deposit. A deposit is money we hold against what you might owe — not a ceiling on it.
If you bought $2,000 of damage protection and cause $3,000 of damage, Damage to the unit $3,000 Protection applied −$2,000 You owe $1,000
If you left a $2,000 deposit and cause $3,000 of damage, Damage to the unit $3,000 Deposit applied −$2,000 You owe $1,000
Neither one is a stopping point. They reduce the bill; they do not end it.
One more thing worth knowing: if a coverage provider pays us on your behalf, that provider may come after you directly to get its money back. That is normal in this industry and it is not something we control.
3. Check your own coverage first
Most personal homeowner’s and auto policies exclude rented watercraft. Please do not assume you are covered — call your agent before your rental and ask specifically about renting a personal watercraft or boat.
If you already own a boat or jet ski with a marine policy, ask your carrier whether it can extend to a rented or temporary substitute unit. Many can. It is a two-minute phone call that can stand between you and a five-figure bill.
While you have your agent on the phone, ask about rented gear as well — trailers, tubes, life jackets, fishing equipment. Our damage protection does not reach any of it, and a personal policy sometimes does.
We do not provide you with liability, medical, or physical damage insurance, and we cannot confirm your coverage for you.
4. Lost rental time, and our rates
When a unit is damaged, it stops earning. It sits waiting on parts, on a shop, or on a hauler while the calendar keeps moving and the reservations on it get cancelled. That loss is real, and it is part of what you are
responsible for.
Lost rental time is charged at the published full-day rate for the unit you rented, for each day it is out of service — from the day of the damage until it is repaired or replaced and back in the rental fleet. It is capped at 30 days per unit.
Read that carefully, because the 30 days is a ceiling, not a default. If the repair takes six days, you are charged for six days. The cap exists so you know the worst case going in.
Published full-day rates
Unit Per 24 hours
Personal watercraft (jet ski) $450
Pontoon $750
Sport boat $450
Fishing boat $250
These are the rates lost rental time is calculated from. Your own rental price is whatever is shown on your reservation.
Short repair on a jet ski — six days out of service
6 days × $450 full-day rate Lost rental time $2,700
Long repair — parts on backorder, 30+ days out of service
30 days × $450 full-day rate (capped) Lost rental time $13,500
Lost rental time is billed in addition to the repair or replacement cost, not
instead of it.
The same principle runs the other direction, and it catches people out: if a unit goes down during your rental because of damage, the time you lose is yours. There is no refund, credit, or extension for the hours or days you did not get to use. You still owe the full rental price, and our lost rental time is billed on top of it.
5. Recovery, towing, and unit swaps
If a unit has to be retrieved — off a sandbar, off the bottom, off the side of the road, or from wherever it stopped — you are responsible for what it costs to get it back:
• $2.50 per mile driven, measured from our location and back
• $135 per hour of labor, one-hour minimum, from the time we leave until we return
• The same rates again for each additional vehicle, boat, or person the recovery requires
• The full actual cost of any outside recovery, towing, dive, salvage, or environmental response service, whether we arrange it or you do. These charges are billed on top of damage and lost rental time.
Swapping a unit mid-rental
If something on a unit fails mechanically and it is no fault of yours, we will get a running replacement out to you when we can, and we absorb the cost of that swap. That is our problem, not yours.
If our inspection shows the unit went down because of damage caused during your rental, the swap becomes yours: transport out, loading, hauling the damaged unit back, and labor, at the rates above — billed on top of the damage itself.
6. Trailers, gear, and safety equipment
Trailers, life jackets, dock bumpers, tie-offs, tie-downs, hitches, adapters, tubes, fishing gear, tackle, and other equipment are not part of the boat and are not covered by the damage limit or the damage protection on the boat. If an item comes back damaged, or does not come back at all, you are responsible for the cost of a comparable new replacement plus any labor to install it.
Everything that goes out with you is written down and checked back in. Take a look at that list at check-out and ask about anything you are unsure of.
7. If you tow it yourself
Transport is where we see expensive, avoidable damage. Here is the part most renters get wrong: your auto liability coverage generally covers damage you cause to other people while towing. It generally does not cover damage to our boat sitting on the trailer behind you. That gap is yours, whether or not you bought damage protection.
Our trailers are not all rigged the same way, and the equipment on them varies by unit. Rather than give you a checklist that may not match what is in front of you, we will show you how your trailer is set up at check-out. What we need from you is this:
• Everything must be properly secured before you move. The boat to the trailer, the trailer to the vehicle, and every strap, chain, and connection we show you at check-out. If you are not certain something is secure, do not pull out — call us.
• Confirm your tow vehicle and hitch are rated above the loaded weight of the trailer and boat.
• Do not rely on the winch strap alone to hold the boat. It holds the boat forward; it does not secure it.
• Do not swap our hitch, ball, coupler, chains, straps, or connectors for your own.
Please do not perform maintenance or adjustments on our equipment. Do not tighten, loosen, or work on lug nuts, bearings, brakes, wiring, or hardware. We service and inspect these trailers, and renters trying to help have caused real damage. What we do ask is that you pay attention while you are on the road:
• Watch for signs a tire is running low or getting hot.
• Make sure the straps and connections stay tight and have not worked loose — re-check them within the first few miles and at every stop.
• Watch for anything that looks, sounds, or feels different than when you left.
If you notice any of that, stop somewhere safe and call 715-227-3004. We would far rather come to you than meet you at the shop afterward. Trailers rented from us are for hauling our equipment on your reservation, and nothing else.
8. Who may ride, and who may drive
There are two different questions here, and they have different answers.
Riding
Anyone who has signed a waiver for your rental may ride, along with anyone listed on a waiver as a minor participant. That is a straightforward thing to arrange — if someone is joining you, get them on a waiver before
you go out.
Driving
Only people listed as authorized drivers on the rental documents, who meet the driver requirements, may operate the unit. Not a friend taking a quick turn. Not someone you meet at a sandbar. Not an unlisted swap of drivers on the water.
This is the single rule that most often turns a manageable bill into an unlimited one. If an unauthorized person is operating, the damage limit comes off and any damage protection you purchased does not apply — no matter how the damage actually happened.
Driver requirements
• Operators of our watercraft must be 18 or older. That is our rule, and it is stricter than state law.
• Anyone born on or after January 1, 1989 must hold a boating safety certificate accepted by the Wisconsin DNR and carry it while operating. This one is state law and we cannot waive it.
• Wisconsin separately prohibits renting a personal watercraft to anyone under 16, and prohibits anyone under 12 from operating one at all.
If you need a safety certificate, the DNR-approved courses are linked in section 14. Take care of it before your rental date rather than at the landing.
9. The rules that actually cost people money
The full set is in the Navigation Rules you sign. These apply to every unit we rent, and some are stricter than state law by design:
• Know the rules where you are operating. You are responsible for knowing and following every rule and law that applies on the water you choose — including, but not limited to, hours of operation on that lake, no-wake and slow-no-wake zones, local ordinances, and fishing rules, seasons, and licensing. They vary lake to lake. Section 14 tells you where to look them up.
• After any contact, shut it down. If you hit anything, run aground, or the sound, vibration, or handling changes — kill the engine, do not restart it, and call us. Restarting after the pump or prop takes debris is what turns a small repair into a large one, and the extra damage is on you.
• No repairs, no adjustments, no tampering. That includes GPS and monitoring equipment, safety equipment, and the engine cut-off lanyard. Call us instead — we can usually talk you through it in a couple of minutes.
• Life jackets. A Coast Guard-approved wearable life jacket for every person aboard, correctly sized. Wisconsin law requires every child under 13 to wear one at all times while underway on any boat.
• Keep your distance. Slow-no-wake within 200 feet of shore, and within 100 feet of any other boat, dock, pier, raft, swimmer, or restricted area. Stay 100 feet off anyone being towed.
• No spraying or splashing people. It is reckless operation under Wisconsin law. It is also how people get seriously hurt and how a great deal of damage happens, so we treat it as a hard rule.
• Clean, drain, dry. Before you leave any landing, remove all plants, animals, mud, and debris and drain all water from the boat, trailer, and equipment. Citations and cleaning costs from a violation are yours.
Breaking any of these is a material breach of the rental agreement. When damage results, the limit described in section 1 no longer applies and you are responsible for the full amount.
10. Jet skis: shallow water, beaching, and capsizing
This section is specific to personal watercraft. Almost every expensive jet ski repair we do traces back to one of these three things.
Depth
Never operate, idle, start, or restart a jet ski in less than three to four feet of water — as a rule of thumb, deeper than waist-deep on an average adult. Shallower than that and the pump pulls sand, silt, gravel, rock, and weeds straight into itself. That is the most common damage we repair, and it is not wear and tear.
Beaching — and how to do it right
Beaching a jet ski is allowed, and honestly we often prefer it to a dock. Most of the cosmetic damage we see comes from docks. What matters is that the engine is off any time the unit is in shallow water.
1. Coming in: shut the engine off well before you reach shore and coast in — or step off in deeper water and walk or push it in.
2. While beached: perfectly fine, as long as the engine stays off.
3. Going back out: push the unit out by hand, rocking it gently side to side as you go so any sand or debris shakes clear of the intake grate.
4. Once you are in three to four feet: climb aboard first, get settled, then start the engine. Never start the engine while you are climbing on. That is how people get hurt and how the pump swallows what is under it.
5. Then idle out to open water before you get on the throttle. In three to four feet of water an adult can simply walk the unit in and out. That is the safest method there is, and it is what we would do.
If you do use a dock, use the dock bumpers we send with you and place them so they actually sit between the hull and the dock. Bumpers only work where they are.
If you pick up weeds
Call us at 715-227-3004 first — most of the time we can sort it out with you over the phone in a few minutes. Do not attempt repairs. If we agree it is just weeds in the grate, the safe way to clear them is with the engine off, with a second person helping you, gently tipping the unit onto its side and pulling the weeds out by hand. Then you are usually good to keep going.
If it capsizes
There is a right direction to roll a jet ski back over and a wrong one. There is a sticker on the stern showing you which way. Follow it exactly. Rolling it the other way floods the hull and the engine with water, and that is a catastrophic failure and a very large repair bill.
• Roll it upright only in the direction the sticker shows.
• Once upright, let it sit for at least ten minutes before you restart it, so the oil drains back where it belongs. Restarting sooner damages the engine.
• If it starts and smokes heavily, or will not stop smoking, kill the engine immediately and call us. Continuing to run it through that is what destroys engines.
Hours
Wisconsin prohibits operating a personal watercraft between sunset and sunrise. There is no lighting exception — a jet ski simply cannot be on the water after sunset. Sunset is earlier than dark, so plan your return around it.
11. Boats: lights, batteries, and towing people after dark
Unlike jet skis, our pontoon, fishing, and sport boats may be operated after dark — plenty of people fish in the evening — provided the correct navigation lights are displayed and working. If you are not sure which lights you need or where they are on your unit, call us before you head out and we will walk you through it.
Batteries
Boat batteries are easy to kill and expensive to be without at six in the morning.
• When the boat is not in operation, turn the battery kill switch off so the batteries do not drain.
• On multi-day rentals, if your unit came with a battery tender — the fishing boat does — plug it in each night. Skip it and you may find you have no charge for the next day. A service call for a battery drained this way is billed at the recovery rates in section 5.
Towing people — tubing, skiing, wakeboarding
Our sport boat is equipped with a tow bar and is the one unit in our fleet set up for towing people. If tubing or skiing is part of your plan, rent that unit, or make sure the vessel you are using is genuinely equipped for it.
We advise against towing anyone behind any other unit we rent, including personal watercraft. Jet skis have a tow hook on the back; that does not make them a tow boat. Towing a person changes how a vessel handles, requires an observer or a proper mirror under Wisconsin law, and it is where the serious injuries in this sport happen. If you tow anyone behind an unauthorized unit anyway, understand what that means:
• You do so entirely at your own risk.
• It removes the damage limit, and any damage protection you purchased does not apply.
• We are not responsible for any injury, death, or damage to you, your passengers, the person being towed, or anyone else, however it comes about.
Nobody is towed after sunset, on any vessel.
12. If something happens on the water
Stop operating. Do not restart. Call us at 715-227-3004 before you do anything else. Do not move, repair, clean, or adjust anything.
If it is safe, photograph the unit and the location. Get the name and contact information of everyone aboard and of anyone else involved. Then cooperate with our inspection. Calling early almost always makes the outcome better, not worse. Trying to fix it yourself almost always makes it worse. We are usually able to talk you through the situation on the phone, and if we cannot, we will come get it.
Separately, Wisconsin law requires the operator to notify a DNR warden or local law enforcement without delay and file a written report with the DNR within 10 days if an incident involves death, a missing person, injury beyond first aid, or property damage that could exceed $2,000. That obligation is yours as the operator, in addition to calling us.
13. Fuel, deposits, timing, and cancellations fuel
Units go out full and come back full, at your expense. If we deliver and pick up, we top off the tank and charge the card on file for the fuel used plus a refueling service fee.
Deposit and card authorization
Rentals carry a damage deposit or a card authorization. Where you have purchased damage protection through our rental program, that protection stands in place of a separate damage deposit — the protection amount is typically $1,000 or more, which is above what we would otherwise hold.
By renting from us, you authorize the card on file for more than the initial hold. If damage, fees, or costs exceed your deposit or your damage protection amount, you authorize us to charge that card for the remaining balance. Charges come out of any pre-authorization first, and a receipt is available on request.
Before we charge for damage
We send you written notice describing the damage and the amount, with supporting documentation, before charging your card for damage, lost rental time, or recovery. Invoiced amounts are due within 15 days.
Pickup and return
Your pickup time is the one shown on your reservation. Some of our time slots start earlier than 9:00 a.m. If you want a time that is not posted online, call and speak to someone in advance — we can often arrange it, but it depends on staffing and it has to be set up ahead of time, not at the counter.
Return is by 6:00 p.m. unless your reservation says otherwise. Late returns carry a late fee. If a unit is not back and we have not heard from you within 24 hours of your return time, we notify law enforcement.
Self-return is available on some rentals. If you use it, follow the posted return instructions exactly. The unit remains your responsibility until we have inspected it.
Cancellations and refunds
Refunds require at least seven days’ notice before your reservation date, unless you purchased cancellation protection.
If equipment is not running right, tell us immediately. We can often swap it or refund the affected portion — but that applies to a genuine mechanical failure on our end, not to a breakdown the rental caused. Renter-caused failures are not refundable, and as covered in section 4, there is no refund or credit for rental time lost to damage.
We do not refund for weather, water conditions, or how the day turned out
overall.
14. Wisconsin law and local lake rules
Boating rules change, and individual lakes and towns add their own on top of state law. Knowing the rules where you launch is part of your responsibility as the operator. These are the sources we use:
• Wisconsin DNR — boating safety certification, including approved online courses
• Handbook of Wisconsin Boating Laws and Responsibilities, the official DNR handbook, free to read
• Local boating ordinances by lake — check this for the water you are launching on, including hours and no-wake zones
• Boat transportation and invasive species law — what you must do before you leave a landing
If a sign at the landing says something stricter than what you read here, follow the sign.
15. Questions, or terms you want to discuss
None of this is meant to be a surprise or a trap. If a term concerns you, ask about it before you book, or within 24 hours of booking. The terms are negotiable and we will talk through any of it in good faith. If you decide
you would rather not go ahead, tell us within that window and we will cancel the reservation and refund anything you have prepaid, in full.
After that 24-hour window, and once a rental has begun, the normal cancellation policy in section 13 applies.
Call or text 715-227-3004
Email [email protected]
Throttle RX Rentals LLC · 7460 Main St, Danbury, WI 54830
This page is a plain-language summary of the watercraft rental documents you sign at booking. It is provided for advance notice and does not replace, modify, or limit those documents. Where this page and the signed documents differ, the signed documents control. Wisconsin law governs all Throttle RX rentals.