Richmond Retro Boat Rentals
Picture yourself cruising the James River in a rare, vintage boat that has been restored to its original jet-age beauty. With the sleek design of the vessel and stunning views from the water, you’ll be a sight to see as you sightsee in Richmond!
Drive a Vintage Runabout Boat with Family & Friends
That’s right, you get to drive the boats, no captain’s license or boating experience required! Each boat has a max capacity of 4 people so you and 3 crewmates can explore the channel in style. Perfect for a unique date night, birthday celebration, or quick getaway on the water!
Bring Your Own Beverages and Food
We encourage you to bring your own food and beverages to enjoy on board. Beer, wine, seltzers, and champagne are all welcome (21+) as long as they are being consumed responsibly. The driver of the vessel is not permitted to drink any alcohol at any time and we do NOT allow hard liquor. You are also welcome to bring any non-alcoholic beverages and food to enjoy. So pack a homemade snack or order takeout from your favorite Richmond restaurant and hit the water!
Enjoy a Smooth, Peaceful Cruise on Eco-Friendly Electric Boats
We’ve retro-fitted these vintage boats with modern electric motors. They’re quiet and eco-friendly, allowing you to enjoy conversation and fresh air as you navigate RVA’s waterways. In addition to replacing the heavy-polluting motors, we also saved these gems from being junk in someone’s back yard or a landfill.
Sea Suite Cruises RVA Reviews
We did the Riverboat cruise as part of a company outing and had a wonderful time! I would love to do it again with my family and friends.
One of the best engagement events we've had. The staff on the boat were helpful, pleasant, and entertaining. The trip started on time, the boat cruised down the river for the whole hour and 45 minutes, we brought our desserts and drinks and they helped us clean up, and the ride was smooth and calm. Thank you for a memorable event.
Had a great time during the cruise! I’ve been in the James River - kayaking - rowing laboriously to avoid being swept by the flowing waters. Felt so pampered just relaxing! The staff were friendly, professional and pleasant - a big plus to our event!!!
Absolutely lovely experience with a beautiful view of RVA at sunset. Can play your own music, BYOB and a deckhand/stew will serve you from your cooler, and very ample seating/standing room. They encourage dancing and having fun time. Would absolutely recommend this to anyone who wants to have a great time on the water ❤️
This was a really fun experience and I hope to do it again. We rented a paddle boat for a birthday party and were generously upgraded to the larger tiki boat, at no additional charge. The crew were friendly and helped serve drinks from behind the bar. Everyone in our party had a terrific time tooling around the river. Bonus that the weather was cooler with autumn setting in. If you have a spring or fall celebration coming up, I highly recommend!
We booked a private cruise to celebrate a 50th Birthday! The weather and skyline for taking pictures were perfect. Everyone had a great time. The captain and mate were exceptional. We will definitely book again in the future.
Great evening ! Captain Nick and Kim were fabulous! Friendly and engaging! Fun night celebrating a 50 th birthday for my nephew!!Highly recommend for a good time!
My team had a wonderful time on the Tiki Boat. The staff was helpful and easy to work with. I would definitely recommend.
Good to be with friends on a cloudy day. I wish the captain and crew had shared more about the river and their experiences. That we had been warned about a different boat. would have brought wine.
Weather put a real damper on our experience. Staff were nice. We were disappointed that there was no information about Richmond, point out details about skyline. Understand Jimmy Dean lives on James River, former cruise passed his house and pointed it out. So many rusty former bridges, etc along river, would of like what they once were and what role they played in the history of Richmond.
It’s was amazing just not long enough!! Plan on doing it again near future!
Too expensive for a very short trip back and forth the same stretch of river.
Chelsea and Hartwell were fantastic! They brought the vibes and made us feel welcomed. Great time with great people, couldn't recommend more.
We had a great time on the tiki cruise!! Chelsea was great taking care of hosting and making sure the drinks were flowing and the food was covered back up while we enjoyed dancing to the music!! Highly recommend this cruise for your next outing!
Booked the 5:30pm tiki boat for a group of 7, didn't really know what to expect. We ended up having a great time! Boat staff was nice, boat itself was enjoyable, so glad we went !
What a fun and enjoyable cruise on the James River this afternoon! Besides being perfect weather and downtown Richmond being a beautiful part of the river, Thornton and Capt Nick took excellent care of us! Great way to celebrate a 40th birthday!
BOOK THEMMMMM we had so much fun they have a speaker on board that you can connect to so definitely have a designated DJ lol they already had ice and waters in the cooler so they were prepared for us 😊
Amazing experience our captain and Carter were extremely nice and we happened to have amazing weather. Would 110% recommend this expierience. You are also welcome to bring any food and drink you would like. Absolutely loved it.
Amazing! The guides were so cool and they played great music (and played the songs i requested). i had so much fun! 🙂
Nick and Thornton were an INCREDIBLE team!!! It was obvious that they were both invested in providing our group with an AWESOME experience! Sea Suite Cruises RVA is lucky to have Nick and Thornton representing them!
We had a great time in the boat! The crew was fun too! Love to know more about the small boat rentals and their requirements.
Lots of retro fun on the electrified and well preserved Shirley last week. Nice slow (governor holding speed to 5mph) ride with surprisingly NO river traffic at all during our 90 minute trip. We were annoyed by the steering though, which required constant correction just to maintain a straight course.
I recently celebrated my birthday with a tiki boat cruise on the James River with Sea Suite Cruises RVA and it was an unforgettable experience. The scenic beauty of the river provided a stunning backdrop, making the entire event feel special.My friends and I had an amazing time, and their enjoyment was palpable throughout the cruise. The atmosphere on the boat was lively and relaxed, perfectly suited for a celebration. The staff were exceptionally helpful and attentive, ensuring that everything ran smoothly and that all our needs were met.Overall, it was a fantastic way to celebrate, combining beautiful views, great company, and excellent service. I highly recommend this Sea Suite Cruises RVA’s tiki boat cruise to anyone looking for a unique and enjoyable way to celebrate a special occasion.
We had a great time! Our Captain and First Mate were awesome. Definitely will do it again!
The crew was very professional and courteous we had a lovely cruise transitting the James river.
Staff was professional, patient, friendly, and overall provided great customer service. The space was clean and had ample storage space for drinks and to keep items cold. Although this was a paddle activity, I was grateful we did not have to since it was so hot outside. Will definitely do this again.
We had an excellent time. The captain and the attendant was really nice. They made sure we had everything we needed. It was a great ride. I recommend it to anyone...
We had a great time celebrating my birthday. The crew made everything so stress free and we had so much fun. We will be booking again!!
It was a great ride, I felt safe and wasn’t worried or concern about anything. The crew was well respectful and very exciting to be sailing with. I would go on this boat ride again and bring more family/ friends.
Five star treatment. The staff was so flexible and felt like family as we cruised. Everyone had such a good time. We will definitely schedule again.
We had so much fun! Sea Suite Cruises was great to work with! We had a mix up with booking and they accommodated our request even though it wasn't showing on their end. Great times. Great company!
Very Fun Experience! Nothing but good vibes! Beautiful Scenery, Great Host, Will be returning!
Very fun boat trip!! We went out the morning before a wedding, it was a great time and amazing way to spend the time together before getting ready. There was music and it was BYOB, great for any type of event!
What a fun company adventure we had on the Tiki Boat cruise! Aiden and Captain Justin were wonderful and everyone loved doing something different and fun! I highly recommend Sea Suite Cruises, and Rachel was so easy to work with and very accommodating to our last minute changes! 5 out of 5 stars for sure!
The booking process was straightforward and the customer service was excellent. The staff was friendly and made sure we were comfortable throughout
First time cruisers!! I was not sure what to expect but my boyfriend and I had such a great time. One thing I think people are unsure of is food/drinks…so it’s BYOB and food. We came with wine , white claws, pre made alcohol beverages and charcuterie . Can’t wait to book again with friends 🙂
We had a wonderful evening cruise. They provided a fun, casual atmosphere, and were extremely helpful in setting up food and ensuring that everyone had beverages available to them. Very friendly, would definitely recommend!They were even kind enough to delay our departure a few minutes so a few people running late could still join. But they made sure we were back on time so the next cruise group would not be delayed.Our group was there for a professional event, but it was such a nice time that multiple people mentioned they were interested in booking another cruise for themselves for birthday parties, graduations, etc in the future.
Boat and crew were awesome but seating at the bar area was very very uncomfortable.
Carter was an excellent guy towards me and my friends we had a great time ! Will definitely book again !
The wife and I had a beautiful time definitely will be back the customer service was awesome the boat was clean the rental time was definitely more then enough time I encourage everyone to give this company a try it’s definitely worth it
We booked the paddle boat for my wife's birthday. Reservations were simple and I was kept up to date on waivers and progress as our date approached. On my wife's birthday we had the perfect start to our day. We and four other couples enjoyed a wonderful cruise up and down the river. The weather was perfect, the boat was more than big enough for all of us and the crew was friendly and helpful. They pointed out some sites they thought might interest us but otherwise just let our group of friends enjoy a rare opportunity to spend time together. Huge thanks to all involved. I highly recommend RVApaddle/SeaSuite cruises, and have already considered when I may book another cruise.
This may be the underrated experience in Richmond. I rented an entire boat for a friends and family outting. It was nice to be able to listen to the music that we wanted to and everyone just vibed for both hours.We knew to bring our own food. We were delightfully surprised that there was a server on the boat (Sorry that I forgot your name. You were amazing)!!!!!!She served us food and drink and we tipped her well.It wound up a tearful event for us for different reasons, BUT I would absolutely recommend this!Hopefully Virginia laws will ease up and they can serve drinks as they do in other cities.
We did the public tiki boat and had a great time! Definitely recommend bringing your own food and drinks to enjoy, which we did and it was great.
We had a wonderful trip. The captain and his mate (deadhead)were absolutely great. No one showed up I guess do to the weather but the crew still gave us a great experience.THEY ROCK!!!!Will be booking with them again
Everyone had a good time and the two employees on the boat were very nice to everyone.
10/10 experience, will definitely rebook again soon! The crew went over and beyond to ensure everyone loved their experience.
Rachel booked our cruise from the dock. Thanks a bunch Rachel. Chelsea was the perfect host on the boat. She made it so much fun. She even convinced us to take the cruise when we go to Washington DC.
This was so much fun! My family and friends really enjoyed our time on the paddle boat! Hope to do this again soon!
Just had a bachelorette party 🎉 it was great! The weather wasn’t that great but we still had lots of fun! The stuff was awesome 👏 We will be back during the summer!
We had a blast at our Tiki Boat Cruise last night! Scheduling the event was super easy and the staff was very helpful making the process a breeze. It was great to sit back & relax with our real estate team. Can't wait for next year!
We had a company event tonight on both of their boats and we couldn't be happier with the entire experience. The crew was amazing and fun - not over the top annoying like some of the cruises - just went with the flow of our group. Highly recommended.
THE BEST!!! had a wonderful time and we will be returning! we brought food & drinks. They provided ice and Bluetooth for our music. The day was perfect!
We booked the whole boat for our women's group and we had the best time! The staff awesome and exhibited a lot of patience dealing with us.. lol. Would absolutely recommend this. We had a blast!
We celebrated Father's Day aboard the Paddle Club RVA with our family. It was fun for all ages and everyone can't stop talking about how much they enjoyed themselves!
I was part of a corporate event today and we had such a great time with paddle club rva! They were super nice, professional and helped us enjoy the day. Highly recommend!
Cruise the James River in a Small Classic Boat
Our fleet of meticulously maintained and rare classic fiberglass runabout boats from the jet-age era (1958-1963), have been made available for everyone to enjoy on the James River embarking from Rocketts Landing. With fanciful fins and headlights, retro-cool colors and chrome details, we’ve kept their vintage style but upgraded the motors to a quieter, more sustainable option.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Are there boundaries to where I can take the boat?
Yes, we do place certain boundaries on the waterway. This is ultimately for the safety of patrons. We hand out a detailed map (see below) during our safety and instructional guidance prior to leaving the dock, but as a general rule of thumb, we ask that patrons stay within eyeshot of the dock.
Do I need boating experience?
You just need to be able to prove that you are 21 years old with a valid photo ID! Our knowledgeable dock attendants will provide you with information to keep you safe while enjoying a day on the scenic James River from Rocketts Landing. It’s comparable to driving a golf cart with a forward and reverse throttle. All boats are electric with a maximum speed of 4.5 miles per hour. Boats are equipped with life jackets, anchor, paddles, and a blow horn for passenger safety.
Which payment methods do you accept? Do you offer gift cards?
We accept all major credit cards and offer gift cards so you can share this experience with a friend or family!
Do you provide life jackets?
Having an ample number of life jackets available for each passenger is a requirement on each boat and each boat is outfitted with life jackets accordingly. Anyone over the age of 13 is not required to wear a life jacket, but all passengers are more than welcome to wear them for their safety and comfort. All children under age 13 are required to wear a life jacket while on the boat.
Are kids allowed? Is there an age limit?
As long as parents are on the boat with the children and feel comfortable taking them, we allow children of all ages. We do require children age 13 and under to wear life jackets and have sizes specifically for infants, youth, and children, in addition to adult life jackets.
Are dogs allowed on the boat?
We do not currently have a dog friendly boat option available.
Do you sell drinks?
We do not sell drinks but we encourage you to bring your own beverages. Beer, wine, seltzers, and champagne are all fine to bring aboard as long as they are being consumed responsibly and the driver of the vessel is not drinking at any time. We do not allow hard liquor (i.e. bottles of tequila, vodka, etc.). You are also welcome to bring any non-alcoholic beverages and food to enjoy during your time on the water!
What is the longest time I can be on the water?
Please refer to the online booking Fare Harbor for hours of availability. Our standard rental times are 90 minutes. If you’re interested in taking the boat out for longer, please contact us at 804-214-6360.
What should I bring with me?
There are a few things we highly recommend taking with you. While we provide complimentary speakers, we do recommend you bring sunscreen, water, or whatever you feel will best prepare you for the outdoor elements. Cruising down the James River provides a lot of opportunities for amazing pictures of the city skyline and adjacent scenery so have your cameras at the ready!
What are the options for parking?
There is a parking lot by Island Shrimp Co as well as street parking available.
How fast do the boats go?
The boats cruise at approximately 4.5 MPH. Retro Boats abide by wake and speed protocols on the James River and Rocketts Landing Marina.
What activities are prohibited while riding the boat?
The following activities are prohibited on all Retro Boat Rentals:
- All swimming and fishing off the boat is prohibited.
- Docking anywhere other than the dock where you initially disembark from
- Smoking (electronic smoking devices are okay, but nothing with open flames)
- The driver is prohibited from drinking
The rules of engagement are monitored and strictly enforced. We also have other charter boats operating along this route, and our captains and crew are trained to monitor and enforce the rules for Retro Boat Rentals RVA.
Boating should be a fun and relaxing activity, so the rules we have in place are enforced to ensure that it is a pleasant, safe experience for our guests and other boaters in the channel!
Can we rent more than one boat?
Yes! If you’d like to rent more than one boat and see that are both are available at a specific time, you may do so. Please just reach out to our team at 804-214-6360 so we can adjust the calendar accordingly.
Rent a Vintage Boat near Rocketts Landing in Richmond
PRICING:
Monday-Thursday: $150
Friday-Saturday: $200
CRUISE DETAILS:
Capacity: 4 people
Rental Duration: 1.5 Hours
Location: 4708 Old Main St. Richmond, VA. 23231