Lake Anna boat rentals: what to know before you book

Lake Anna is a boating lake with no speed limit on the open water and a main channel that runs long and wide. You do not need to own a boat to do it properly, but you do need to book like you have done this before. Here is the briefing.

Where to rent

The rental fleet lives on the public side. Anna Point Marina runs a full-service operation with slips and rentals. Pleasants Landing rents pontoons and other watercraft, with the bonus of a Mexican restaurant, El Gran Patron, on the property for when you come off the water hungry. Drift & Float books pontoons and jet skis online, which makes it the easy answer for planners who want it locked in before the drive down. And Boatsetter runs peer-to-peer rentals from private owners on the lake, worth a look when the marina fleets sell out.

What it costs

Plan on roughly $400 to $700 a day for a pontoon, $500 to $900 for a ski boat, and $300 to $500 per jet ski. Before you book, ask three questions: what is included in fuel, what the deposit and cleaning terms are, and whether they deliver to private docks. Some outfits will drop the boat at your rental house's dock, which turns the whole weekend up a notch and spares you the launch-day shuffle.

Book like a veteran

Summer weekends sell out before the weather does, so reserve two to three weeks ahead at minimum for July, more for holiday weekends. Take the morning slot; the water is calmer, the sun is kinder, and the afternoon chop belongs to everyone else. The marina will walk you through Virginia's boating safety requirements when you book, and the orientation covers the boat itself. Life jackets go on the kids any time the boat is moving. That one is not negotiable anywhere on this lake.

Where to take it

The program writes itself. Idle out, open it up down the main channel, find a quiet cove and drop the ladder for a swim stop, then tie up for lunch at Tim's or The Cove, the lake's dock-up restaurants. Save the last hour for a slow cruise; the light gets good and the wake settles.

Give the boat a good home

Lakewood's private covered dock pavilion gives a rented pontoon a place to spend the weekend, which means the lake starts twenty steps from the coffee maker. Kayaks are already there for the hours in between. Check availability here.