Down Cape Charters & Boat Rentals

Down Cape Charters & Boat Rentals

Down Cape Charters & Boat Rentals
5
Boat ToursFishing Charters & ToursDolphin & Whale Watching
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Sailing charters, shark spotting, whale watching, charter fishing, Nantucket day trips, scenic boat tours, boat rentals, wedding events, corporate outings, ash scattering memorials and a special view to the Wequassett July 4th fireworks event! Down Cape Charters & Boat Rentals is a family owned business located on the eastern shore of Pleasant Bay, the largest contiguous bay along the Cape Cod National Seashore. For the past 30 years we have established ourselves as the area’s leading source of watercraft rentals, charters and tours. Come, join us, and see Cape Cod the way it’s meant to be seen!
Harwich, Massachusetts
Meets animal welfare guidelines

Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles83 reviews
Excellent
80
Very good
2
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
1

Tom P
4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
I rented a Hobie Getaway Catamaran with my daughter and her boyfriend. On the day of the rental, I got a call from Down Cape that the weather was bad and they'd have to cancel. They promptly refunded my original fee and were very helpful with me identifying an alternative date.

The makeup day was beautiful. None of us were advanced sailors, but I knew enough positioning the boat in the wind and tacking. The Down Cape team at the rental shack was very helpful on how to set the sails, but it definitely requires at least a passable level of sailing experience. If you want to start small, then the 14' Hobie Wave only has a single sail and is super easy.

The wind conditions can be low at the beach where you launch from, so getting started can be tricky. But once underway, things pick up the closer you get to the inlet.

I've been renting from Down Cape for the past 4 years and have always had an enjoyable experience.
Written August 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

changeslattitudes
New Orleans, LA56 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022
I had a group of 10 visiting Cape Cod and a boat excursion was a must. Several of the "public" charters where you can buy tickets and be part of a larger group on a scheduled sailing were not up and running yet "for the season." I discovered Down Cape and trusted both the excellent Trip Advisor reviews as well as their location at a high-end resort that I figured would expect high quality. Down Cape did not disappoint at all. They were easy to reach via phone and e-mail, and their website provided accurate details and real-time availability, which I appreciated. Booking was simple via the website. For the quality of boats, tour, and location, I felt the rates were very reasonable. Our boat was in pristine condition, and our captain was as friendly and as accommodating as I could have hoped. We did the Nausett Beach Tour" and were able to wade ashore, see seals, Chatham harbor, and plenty of Pleasant Bay. I highly recommend Down Cape and would use them again.
Written June 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

William D
11 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
We wanted a good sailing experience, so we chose the 12:30 time slot. We had good steady winds, as is usually the case in Chatham. The weather was perfect and the heat of the sun was offset by the nice wind. Captain Steve was the consummate professional captain, with tons of experience he guided us expertly through the narrows. He had lots of information about Pleasant Bay that he shared, as well as some great stories (no self respecting sailor doesn’t have great stories to share). The boat was comfortable and we were allowed to bring our own beverages, which we used to supplement the provided bottled water. When we returned to dry land we took advantage of the bar services at the Wequaset Inn, to fully round out the experience.
Written August 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jess Clewis
syracuse, ny13 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Family
We chose Down Cape Charters and Boat Rentals for an ash scattering service, and they made the process meaningful and comfortable for us. Captain Tom was a thoughtful and accommodating captain. The outfit brought red roses for us to scatter at sea, along with our loved one’s ashes. They gave us time to tell stories and share readings, and held a traditional final-watch bell ringing. It’s a comfort to know that our loved one has a final place in the waters outside of a place they loved, and would recommend Down Cape Charters for anyone hoping to share such a memory with friends and family.
Written August 23, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Caymee W
3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021 • Couples
If you are debating whether to do a sailboat cruise with Down Cape, there is no question this place is the best!!! I can’t speak highly enough about Down Cape Charters and Captain Chris!! My husband and I did a sunset cruise in 2017 and it was so wonderful and memorable we came back this year (June 2021) and did it again with our families. We had captain Chris both times who is incredibly talented, calm, fun and so knowledgeable about the cape!! We brought wine, beer and snacks. We laughed and enjoyed the beautiful scenery while Chris pointed out different homes and parts of the bay and told us wild stories about all his years in the cape (sharks, whales, seals oh my!!!). It also doesn’t hurt that the boat leaves from the stunning wequasett resort. Get there an a hour or two early and have a drink and oysters at Thoreau’s or the Outer bar and grille. We will certainly be coming back for many more years to do this sunset sail or other tours with Down Cape. Thank you Down Cape Charters!
Written June 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Joanne G
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2020
We had an incredible time with Down Cape Charters & Boat Rentals! The boat was beautiful, the Captain was extremely professional, and they provided bluetooth speakers, blankets, coolers, water, cups and everything else we could possibly need. The Captain went out of his way to make sure we found awesome spots to sail in. Can't wait to sail with these guys again!
Written June 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

laflaneuse
London7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022
If there's anyone out there who wants to scatter the ashes of a loved one in the vicinity of the mid-Cape and especially Chatham then there's no need to look any further than Down Cape Charters.
How can you go wrong with someone such as Kris Rozniak, who was prepared when asked to put his boat in the water a week early because "they always tried to take of scattering groups".
Our trip threatened to fall foul of an early May storm and Kris and the boat captain, Nick, accommodated us by taking us out a day early.
Scattering ashes at sea was a first for us but if there's any good way to do it then doing it with Down Cape was it.
I'm sure that they put the same care and attention into their fishing charters but we had one that got away...
Highly recommended!
Written May 8, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jennifer H
6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Family
Our group of 8 (teens & adults) did the four hour whale watching tour. We ran into fog and rougher seas and Captain Doug did an awesome job of reconfiguring the trip. When conditions proved poor for spotting whales and some in our group felt queasy, he brought us back in and did a fantastic harbor tour!
Written July 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Trip00633757933
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2024 • Couples
My Boyfriend loves sharks so we went on the shark tour with Captain Nick and his first mate Grace as well as his spotter pilot Marlene. They were both amazing and very knowledgeable. Eventhough the weather wasn't the greatest they all made thier best efforts to get us some shark sightings. We saw about 4 sharks n had a great time. Can't wait to do it again next year. I highly recommend it to anyone who has a love for sharks.
Written October 14, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jerry C
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023
My Family chartered a boat for my dad and mom cremation sprinkling. The crew was compassionate and helpful from the start The first attempt to perform this ceremony had to be changed due to weather but they were able to reschedule us in for another date with no issue. These guys are a class act and I would highly recommend them.
Written July 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Down Cape Charters & Boat Rentals - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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