Are they hard to drive? Do you think I need to reserve one wayyyyy in advance? Thanks!

They are no more or less difficult to drive than any other type of small motor boat - in other words - they are pretty easy for almost anyone.

To answer your other question, unless you are planning to rent one during Christmas/New Years week which is the busiest time of year on the island you shouldn't have any difficulty with availability. Calling a day or two in advance is not really necessary but can't hurt.

Thanks roamsaround!!! We are going for Easter week. I don't know how busy that will be, but I presume fairly. Also, is there one place where you can tell what beaches you can pull up on? And what's the deal with center console?

You can find a list of the beaches you can access by dinghy at this website: www.calypsovi.com/dinghy.html

The center console houses the steering wheel and throttle controls.

Easter week is a busy time - best to reserve in advance to avoid disappointment.

I'm not sure i understand that last comment (although I certainly enjoyed looking at the photos!) Can't you visit any beach on St. John if you have a small-enough boat?

The answer is simple, the rental companies place restrictions on how far from their base dock you can take the dinghy - they want to be sure you can get "there and back" within the "rental Period (i.e. half-day, full-day). Also, most won't let you take the boat to the unprotected waters on the Atlantic side of the island.

you should take the dingys out for a full day..get lunch at the deli..cooler on board and you dont have to be back til 4..take them all the way to Waterlemon the best snorkeling in St. John and spend the day cruising back to Cruz Bay..you can call 340-998-6975 and get a reservation..or help with any kind of boat trips you need..also dont forget about renting a jeep .. hard to find lots of times..

Thanks everybody! Oh, and we already have our Jeep reserved. LOL

RoamsAround, thanks for explaining. That makes sense.