Captain Jack Lobster Boat Advanture

WARNING!!! This guy is a joke. We took our family vacation from Iowa to Maine and had called several weeks in advance for a «reservation». When we arrived, he had double-​booked and then claimed he had no record of us. Then changed his story when he showed me his «reservation» book — our name had been ERASED by «someone» and guests of the local inn had been penciled in. Apparently, he has a «understanding» with the inn and guests there get to bump others. No sense of business, poor records, treats families very poorly. Our girls were devastated and this guy didn’t care. When we got back in the car my 7-​year old composed herself and said «that’s ok, Daddy. He’s not a very nice man. I don’t want to go on his boat anyway.» DO NOT COUNT ON THIS GUY OR TRUST HIM! He was actually brazen and didn’t care how he treated out-​of-​staters. We went downtown to the local museum after he turned us away and I asked some of the established citizens about him. Suffice it to say, the locals aren’t a fan, either…
I have to put one star or the review won’t post. He actually earned a ZERO.

Captain Jack’s lobster boat trip is fantastic! We took the kids on a beautiful sunny morning in June and had a blast.
The captain and first mate were funny, interactive and informative. The kids got to hold the lobsters, play with sea urchins, and touch the crabs.
We didn’t go that far out, but enough to see a bit of the harbor and learn a lot about the lobster business. At the end of the trip, we bought a few lobsters right off the boat for $ 5 a pound. That night, we feasted!
We will remember this trip for many years to come and highly recommend it for families or anyone who wants to learn about the lobster business. We loved the fact that this is a real working lobster boat, not just a tourist operation.

We went on a 1 ½ hour excursion with Captain Jack (Jack is actually his 12 year old grandson. His name is Steve) on his lobster boat. Since lobsters are a main reason we visit Maine, this is a great way to learn about those who make this a livelihood and actually experience it for ourselves. During our excursion on his relatively modest boat, we checked on about 15 traps both inside and outside the harbor. We were fortunate to be there on a calm clear afternoon so the water was very smooth. The most disappointing part of the trip was we only caught 4 barely legal sized lobsters. No doubt the passengers were the most lucrative catch that day. However, it was interesting just learning about how lobster fishing is done — how the traps work and the type of bait used. We also learned about the very cutthroat and territorial nature of the business and some of the shady tactics used by some fishermen.
Captain Jack has been lobstering for over 30 years so he’s full of knowledge and interesting tales. He’s very personable and interesting to talk to. Since we were his only customers on our trip, the boys even got to drive the boat for a while. I would suggest making a reservation if you’re just passing through and have limited flexibility on your schedule. For the 4 of us (2 adult and 2 kids), the total was around $ 100. Not cheap but well worth it.
BTW, no refreshments are provided so be sure to bring liquids on warm days. His boat docks right behind the Rockland police station. Look for the sign in the parking lot.