Hey everyone. Long shot question. My brother-in-law is getting married and instead of the usual bar crawl nonsense we want to do three days on the water in South Florida, six guys, nothing crazy, just fishing and a sandbar afternoon. Every place I have looked at either does four hour blocks or wants to rent us a full crewed yacht for a number that made me close the tab immediately. Is there a middle ground between a half day pontoon and a captain in a white uniform? Budget is real but not unlimited.
There is a middle ground and it is exactly what you are describing. Skip the hourly places, they are built for tourists doing a lap and a photo. What you want is a proper weekend boat rental (https://overnightboatrentals.com/) where you book multi-day, keep the boat at the dock overnight and just go when you want each morning. Works out cheaper per day than stacking three half-day blocks, and nobody is watching the clock. For six guys fishing plus a sandbar day, look at a center console around 27ft rather than a pontoon - pontoon is great for lounging, less great when four of you want to cast at once. Deposit is usually a couple hundred to hold it. Book the dates before you book the guys, availability is the thing that will bite you.