Imagine unwinding under a thatched tiki roof, favorite drink in hand, with the beautiful Cleveland, Ohio, skyline in the background. Pretty relaxing, right? Now picture the tiki hut on a pontoon boat: this daydream just reached perfection.

The CLE Tiki Barge specializes in exactly this kind of excursion. Headed into their third season this summer, they have two tiki boats that come complete with thatched tiki roofs, comfortable cushioned bench seating, standing room with high top tables and a BYOB bar.

Perfect for parties and special occasions, these tiki pontoons offer one of the most tropical experiences you can find in Cleveland. These two-hour cruises can host up to 30 guests and include ice and coolers, a designated driver (aka the captain) and a first mate/bartender.

Basically, you bring your drinks on board then they ice them, mix them and serve them back to you. All you have to do is sit down, relax and have a good time.

Creating A Unique Experience

Brittany Orlando, the owner of the CLE Tiki Barge, started this business a couple of seasons ago. She comes from a boating family in Cleveland and grew up on the water. Later, she moved to Florida and tiki themes seemed to keep popping up everywhere. That got her thinking that it would be a good idea to bring this theme back to her hometown.

Now securely in their third season, they get a ton of bachelorette parties, some bachelor parties, a lot of birthday parties, then even wedding groups, rehearsal dinners, and a lot of corporate team building. That usually fills their weekdays up.

For CLE Tiki, their season starts in May and they usually continue running until around mid-October, depending on the weather. They have two boats, one that holds up to 20 guests and another they dubbed the [Big Kahuna] which holds up to 30 guests. The [Big Kahuna] also has a sort of little sundeck.

“Cleveland is windy and the weather can be a little iffy,” explained Brittany. “So we figure that as long as you can be in the sun, you’ll warm up a little bit. On top of that, the thatched roof does not cover the entire front, which allows for customers to take pictures with the Cleveland skyline in the background.”

Tiki Pontoon Manufacturer

For their tiki pontoon needs, Brittany chose to go with Sightseer Marine as their manufacturer. She’d done a ton of research, plus she had also owned other boat tour companies in Florida, so she was aware of a few other manufacturers.

“At the time they were not indulgent in the tiki idea yet,” added Brittany. “So I was able to find Sightseer and customize each of the boats.”

When she first went to Sightseer with the idea of a tiki boat, they had just started building their first couple of prototypes with the tiki roofing. They had other clients with similar ideas which allowed Brittany to get together with them and collaborate, taking different ideas from each of their boats and then putting them together.

Sightseer offers a variety of packages such as different seating options, bathroom options and bar options. Brittany worked with Sightseer to measure and get the graphing and architectural elements which would determine the ultimate layout. These steps dictated where she wanted the helm, the bathroom, the seats, whether she wanted fixed tables and how much coverage she wanted the roof to provide.

“I would drive up at least a few times a month to sit down and lay everything out,” described Brittany. “Then we would just go from there and start piecing it together.”

Perfecting Paradise

When designing her tiki pontoons, Brittany knew there were some key features she needed to have to make the boats functional and comfortable for the ultimate party experience. One of the main things she knew she couldn’t compromise on was a bathroom for the boat.

“It’s a drinking boat,” laughed Brittany, “You’re on here for two hours drinking, so we absolutely had to have a restroom. That’s a big sell around here.”

Another thing she knew she’d need was cupholders, again because it’s primarily a drinking boat. Having cups sliding off tables and flying all over was hardly an option for this party boat. The answer was an adequate number of cupholders so that guests always have a spot to put their drink.

Brittany also knew that a bar setup was paramount. Even though it’s BYOB, she wanted it to be like other venues you rent out for special occasions. For example, in a wedding you rent the hall. It’s the same idea with the tiki pontoons. CLE Tiki Barge provides you with the bartender/first mate who then serves you what you bring, just like at a wedding venue.

From there, all you have to do is sit back and relax while enjoying the nice summer weather and all the sightseeing skylines and landmarks Cleveland has to offer. Cruising along with your beverage of choice in hand–it doesn’t get much better than that.

Organizing Your Ride

CLE Tiki Barge does private party rentals with group sizes of up to 10, from 11 to 15, 16 to 20, and then from 21 to 30. Just last season they opened up public seating. That means that if a couple of people want to come on board, they can register for a time. Then if they get a group of four that want to register, they try to pair them together so that they can make a group of at least eight to 10 people to go out.

That means that whether you have a large group or it’s just you and one other person, there’s always a booking option available for you at the CLE Tiki Barge. All you have to do is hop on their website and book a tour.

So if you’re ready to kick back and relax on a unique tiki pontoon for one of the most tropical experiences that Cleveland has to offer, look no further. Come and join the CLE Tiki Barge and leave all your worries at the shore.

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