Question 1

How do I book a watersports charter?

Accepted Answer

By phone. Call or text 512-839-4573, or email joe@traviswakecharters.com. The calendar on the site still works and still shows real availability — pick your date, your trip length, your start time and your party size, and the page shows the price and exactly what to tell us. There’s just no online checkout on that charter; the last step is the call. Because it isn’t booked online, it doesn’t carry the 2.9% booking fee either.

Question 2

Do you provide a captain, or do we drive the boat ourselves?

Accepted Answer

We drive. Every trip is a captained charter — a TWC captain runs the boat from start to finish, and you and your guests ride as passengers. That is true of every service we offer, the pontoon included. We never hand over the keys: there is no self-drive or bareboat option under any package.

Question 3

What boats do you run, and how many people fit?

Accepted Answer

Two. A Nautique that throws a real surf wave, for up to 12 guests, and a pontoon, also up to 12. Take the Nautique if anyone wants to surf, wakeboard, ski or tube. The pontoon is the better seat for a cruising-and-swimming day — booking for it is paused at the moment, so call 512-839-4573 and we’ll talk it through.

Question 4

How far ahead do I need to book?

Accepted Answer

Call as early as you can — every trip is booked by phone. The calendar stops offering start times inside 24 hours of departure, so a day or more out is the safe window. If you’re already inside 24 hours, call 512-839-4573 anyway and we’ll tell you what we can do.

Question 5

How long are trips, and how late can we stay out?

Accepted Answer

Watersports charters run 3 to 7 hours. Every trip is off the water by 8:00 PM, so your start time has to leave room for the hours you booked — a 7-hour trip has to push off by 1:00 PM.

Question 6

Where do we meet, and what time should we get there?

Accepted Answer

Call 512-839-4573 or email info@traviswakecharters.com and we’ll give you the launch spot and directions. Plan to arrive 15 minutes early: your charter time starts at the scheduled time, so arriving late shortens the trip rather than pushing it back.

Question 7

Can we bring our own food and drinks?

Accepted Answer

Yes — food and drink is the one thing we don’t provide, so bring whatever you want. There’s a cooler on board already stocked with ice and bottled water, and we’ll ice yours down with it. Cans and plastic only, please, no glass on the boat.

Question 8

Is alcohol allowed?

Accepted Answer

Yes, for guests 21 and over, drinking responsibly. Nobody under 21 drinks aboard, and your captain doesn’t drink on duty. If a guest becomes unsafe or unruly, the captain can end the trip early.

Question 9

What should I bring?

Accepted Answer

Swimsuit, sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat, and your food and drinks — cups too if you’re bringing something to share. Towels, life vests, boards, the cooler, ice, water and fuel are on us. Bare feet or soft, non-marking soles on deck.

Question 10

Can we bring our dog?

Accepted Answer

Yes, with advance approval — just ask when you book so we can plan for it. Dogs and service animals need their own life jacket.

Question 11

What if someone in our group doesn’t want to do watersports?

Accepted Answer

Nobody has to ride. Most groups have someone who’s there for the cove, the cooler and the sun, and the day works fine that way. Tell your captain what your group wants and he’ll mix riding sets with swim and float time.

Question 12

What’s included with a charter?

Accepted Answer

Your captain, fuel, a cooler stocked with ice and bottled water, towels, life vests sized for adults and kids, a premium Bluetooth sound system, Phase Five and Liquid Force wakesurf boards, and Liquid Force wakeboards. You don’t need to bring gear — the boards come in a full range of sizes.

Question 13

What else can I ask for, and does any of it cost extra?

Accepted Answer

A ZUP kneeboard / wake skate, Connelly water skis, a 3-person Airhead tube and a floating lily pad are all free on request — tell us when you book so they’re aboard. The only add-on that costs anything is taking both the tube and the lily pad on the same trip, which is $30.

Question 14

Can complete beginners surf?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and beginners are the normal case here rather than the exception. The captain shapes the wave, hands you the right board and coaches you off the swim platform. Say it’s your first time when you book and we’ll plan the day around getting you up.

Question 15

How much does a charter cost?

Accepted Answer

Watersports charters are priced per hour, per boat — not per person — and the rate applies to every hour you book. 3 hours is $250/hr ($750). 4 hours is $237.50/hr ($950). 5 hours is $225.65/hr ($1,128.25). 6 hours is $215/hr ($1,290). 7 hours is $200/hr ($1,400). Texas sales tax of 8.25% is added to the total. There’s no 2.9% online booking fee on these — the watersports charter is booked by phone.

Question 16

What does a 4-hour trip come to, all in?

Accepted Answer

$950 for the charter plus $78.38 tax — $1,028.38 total, with no online booking fee, because the watersports charter is booked by phone. We’ll settle the deposit and the balance with you on the call.

Question 17

Do prices change on holiday weekends?

Accepted Answer

Yes — charters on Memorial Day weekend, the 4th of July weekend and Labor Day weekend are 10% more. It’s the busiest water of the year and those days book out first. The uplift shows as its own line on the booking page before you pay anything, so you’ll never find it after the fact. Every other Saturday of the season is the normal rate — there’s no general weekend premium.

Question 18

When am I charged?

Accepted Answer

Nothing is charged when you enquire — there’s no online checkout on any trip, so the deposit and the balance are agreed with you on the call. Where we’re holding a card, the balance goes to it the day before your trip. Every number is said before you pay, and nothing is added afterward without telling you.

Question 19

Can I avoid the 2.9% online booking fee?

Accepted Answer

There’s nothing to avoid at the moment. The fee only ever applied to bookings taken through the website checkout, and no trip is sold that way now — every one is booked by phone, so none of them carries it. If it’s ever charged again it’s non-refundable, because it covers the cost of taking the payment and our processor keeps its cut either way. Everything else — the trip and the tax — refunds under the normal cancellation windows.

Question 20

What payment methods do you take?

Accepted Answer

Credit or debit card, cash, check, Venmo or Zelle. Every trip is arranged with us directly, so tell us on the call which you’d rather use.

Question 21

Is a tip expected?

Accepted Answer

Gratuity isn’t included and it’s never expected. If your captain made the day, it’s always appreciated — cash or Venmo at the dock is easiest.

Question 22

Can we split the cost between friends?

Accepted Answer

The booking takes one card, so one person books and pays for the trip. Splitting it up afterward is between your group — we can’t run four cards against one charter.

Question 23

Why do you keep my card on file after the trip?

Accepted Answer

Two reasons, and we’d rather say them up front than surprise you. It’s how the balance is charged the day before your trip, and that same card is authorized for guest-caused damage or excessive cleaning, with no preset limit. That charge is rare, and the full terms — including what counts as guest-caused damage and what doesn’t — are in the waiver every guest signs.

Question 24

What’s your cancellation policy?

Accepted Answer

More than 48 hours before your trip, cancel for a full refund of everything you’ve paid. More than 24 hours but 48 or fewer, your deposit isn’t refunded — anything you’ve paid above it comes back. 24 hours or fewer before the trip, nothing is refunded.

Question 25

What happens if the weather is bad?

Accepted Answer

We make the call on the day of your trip, not off a forecast — a gloomy forecast three days out tells you very little about what Lake Travis will actually do. We cancel only for genuinely unsafe conditions. Warm rain on its own doesn’t stop a trip; you’re getting wet anyway. If we cancel for unsafe weather, you choose: a 100% refund or a free reschedule.

Question 26

Can I reschedule instead of cancelling?

Accepted Answer

If we cancel your trip for unsafe weather, rescheduling is free and it’s entirely your call. If you need to move a trip for your own reasons, call 512-839-4573 as early as you can — the earlier you call, the more we can do. The cancellation windows above are what applies if we can’t move you.

Question 27

What ages can come?

Accepted Answer

All of them. Kids are welcome on every trip and we carry life vests sized for children as well as adults. Anyone under 18 needs a parent or legal guardian to sign their waiver, and children need adult supervision on board at all times.

Question 28

Do kids need to know how to swim?

Accepted Answer

No. Life jackets are provided and required for every child and non-swimmer, and available to anyone else who wants one. Tell your captain who the non-swimmers are when you board.

Question 29

Does everyone have to sign a waiver?

Accepted Answer

Yes — every person who boards signs the liability waiver before the trip, including guests who never get in the water. Guests under 18 are signed for by a parent or legal guardian. Read it ahead of time so nobody is filling out forms at the dock.

Question 30

What are the rules on board?

Accepted Answer

The captain is in charge at all times and everyone follows crew instructions. Stay seated while the boat is underway — no riding on the bow, swim step or gunwales in transit. The boat is 100% smoke-free, no glass, and nothing goes overboard. Guests are responsible for damage caused by negligence.

Frequently asked questions.