Squamish Harbour Boat Rentals

We bought a Groupon for a 1-​hr boat rental and ended up taking a boat for two hours. Regular rates were $ 65/​hr for two hours or $ 75 for a single hour, and weekend minimums are 2 hours, so the groupon doesn’t save as much as one would think. Staff appear annoyed at the fact that we were using a groupon. $ 20 for insurance with $ 500 deductible.
I booked two days before and got a morning 2-​hr slot. When we arrived, there was nobody at the office itself so we had to scour the dock to find the staff to help us. There arn’t any washrooms in the office either and the nearest one is a block away.
We ended up getting a 60hp boat and noticed the prop was stripped of paint and slightly bent, but they said that they know about it being caused by the previous group and already charged them for it. So they keep on using a damaged prop and charged the other group anyways? Nice…
We got an escort out of the bay and immediately ran into an area filled with para-​sailors blocking the entire area and had to stay slow and waste time waiting for the area to clear before proceeding. In our 2 hour tour, we managed to head just South of Anvil Island, where there are Seals swimming in the water and sunbathing on the rocks. There were a number of logs floating in the ocean so extra caution is advised.
On our way back, we again had to wade through the mess of para-​sailors and wait for some time for outbound traffic to clear before proceeding into the narrow channel.
All in all, the experience was mediocre. If they don’t like groupons, they should keep that fact to themselves, and perhaps take the the 5 minutes to change out a frigging prop if its been damaged before the rental. The traffic was high in the narrow channel, and navigation is poorly marked. There’s a post with a white band they said to follow on the way in, but there’s more than one post with white markings on it so keep an eye out for the one that’s not rusted.
Edit:
Went back a second time to take a friend out to Squamish area. Once again, we got a boat with some paint stripped off the prop. Unfortunately, for some reason, ‘more paint’ came off the prop and they charged us $ 270 for a new prop, but apparently we could buy the prop from them for an extra $ 60 if we wanted. $ 270 is outrageously excessive for simply paint getting stripped off. Definitely take pictures of your boat before and after the boat ride if you’re going with these guys. Definitely not coming back.
In comparison, Sewell’s in Horseshoe bay is much more convenient overall with better rates and accommodations. Also in comparison, asking about the staff regarding tri-​blade prop damage, stripped paint is normal wear and tear, and they only charge $ 60 per blade if it’s bent and $ 180 if the prop has to be replaced.
Love the Squamish area!

We did the living social deal for $ 35 for one hour. We took an extra hour because we wanted to enjoy the day and not be too rushed. We took the $ 20 insurance too.
We just realized that after paying $ 65 for the extra hour plus the Living Social deal ($ 35), that we paid $ 100 plus insurance, plus tax (more than it would have been to just pay for 2 hours without the Living Social deal.)
They sell 2 hours at $ 65.
We got ripped off.
They even had the nerve to complain that they don’t make any money on the Living Social deal.
Not impressed…

Squamish Harbour Boat Rentals had a Living Social deal for $ 35 (HST extra) for a 1-​hour boat rental. I’m not sure what the regular rates are because their website links are broken, but I imagine they are much more expensive.
I booked one week before and they said there was only a 9AM slot available. I checked with my group and called them back to confirm. You’ll need a credit card to confirm your booking.
They told us to be there 20 minutes early, so at 8:40. We arrived at 8:40 sharp and it was closed. We called their number and no answer. Just after 9, two workers showed up and asked if we had a reservation. They told us someone had told them the first reservation was at 10. I told them it was at 9. They didn’t apologize and just started getting the boats ready. We didn’t mind because we weren’t on a tight schedule, but they should have either called to confirm or apologize for it. They just assumed we wouldn’t mind being bumped later. Also, if they were so booked and wanted us in at 9, why did they show up late? I’m not sure I like their business practices.
That being said, Dave was really friendly and we had a lot of fun. It’s nice to be able to drive a boat without a boating license. We decided to decline the $ 20 damage waiver insurance ($ 500 deductible if something happens) because we were only going to be out there for an hour and the water was quite still. If you are going to be out for longer, I would recommend it. If you have a bunch of people on your boat, it’s only $ 5 extra and it’s worth it. If you’ve never driven a boat before, get it!
The Living Social deal made it affordable for us and I would probably come back. I hope they get a bit more organized though. Oh, and I guess they get a free star because the weather was absolutely perfect the day we went.