Sunset Beach Marina

This was my first visit to Cheat Lake @ Sunset Beach. We came from the Pittsburgh area with my 18' boat. It was about an hour and forty minutes drive from Monroeville at the speed limits. The transition from route 119 to route 43 was poorly marked. We didn't plan on taking route 43, but without signage to stay on 119, our route changed and 43 is a toll road and added several miles to the drive.
The gravel parking lot was about 80% full on a Saturday at 10:30 am. The the double launch ramp was good with one long dock to tie up to. This is also where you can rent pontoon boats and kayaks. We were somewhat surprised to only find two port-o-lets available at this location. However, after exploring the lake we did find very nice restroom facilities at the playground and beach locations. There were probably others at eating location's which we did not visit.
The open water was good and not crowded considering the number of trailers in the lot and marinas filled with docked boats. I would visit again.

This was our second experience with the marina. 1st time we rented a SUP without a reservation on a weekday with no problem. Had a blast. Yesterday we rented a pontoon boat for our family (9 of us, all family). The boat was ready, gassed up and cleaned on time. We rented for 3 hours and asked permission to extend if we were having too much fun. They confirmed that the boat was available if we needed more time, so we called them from the lake to ask for an extension. They said sure so we kept the boat out another 1/2 hour. Staff each time was friendly, explained all procedures with the rentals etc. Kids had fun swimming, beautiful lake. Will return!

We frequently visit this area and sunset marina is our favorite. The people are always so friendly and helpful. We rented a pontoon for 5 hours and enjoyed a wonderful day with beautiful scenery. There’s also a GREAT restaurant next door too!

Inadequate staff:
I rented with Sunset for my birthday. Due to the coronavirus, I called to ensure I could have 11 adults around the time I made the reservation. I was told that was fine. A few days before I was set to rent with them, they called to ensure I was 25, and I asked if I could still have 11 adults. My group showed up with 11 adults. We were not informed of any issues with the number of people. A female staff ensured us that "Nick made sure there were 11 life jackets." There were not enough life jackets for everyone. We were banned because "the limit was 10" even though the website says it fits up to 12 people. We explained to staff that we were not informed of a problem with how many people we had and did not have an adequate number of life jackets. The staff we spoke to basically called all of us liars when she said, "I don't think she would do that," referring to the previous staff not informing us of an issue and not ensuring we had enough life jackets in case of emergency.

Boat Appearance:
We had the Blue something pontoon. The pontoon was not worth the money. The fuel gage was on empty even after refilling with gas, and there were tears in the seating. We did enjoy the radio on the boat.

Pros:
Cheat Lake was absolutely beautiful! It rained (we ensured that we could still be out in the rain), but that did not stop our fun. It was really cool looking at all of the nice houses and mountains everywhere. Being on the boat was the best aspect of my birthday!

For the money and compared to everywhere else we rented a pontoon this boat was in terrible condition. None of the electronics, including the stereo worked. The seats were in such bad condition you couldn't sit in many spots because something in teh seat would stab you. My mother had to sit on a life jacket the entire time to avoid bein stabbed by the seats. Also the fold down ladder was so little that even the children couldn't get back in the boat with out being pulled out from someone on the boat. Where there should have been a gate on the side of the boat was instead just a piece of fiber board duct taped on. It looked really trashy.

We had a great time on the lake. It was hot and water temps was 81 degrees but we were able
to cruise around and catch about 8-10 fish. Mostly catfish but one perch and one big bluegill.

Sadly Sunset Beach Marina was the only place we could rent a boat for the day. A nice pontoon toted us around all day.

This was our first time in West VA and our first time ever renting a boat. The staff was very accommodating and gave great direction. We rented the boat for 3 hours and had a great time swimming and exploring. Made for a really memorable trip to West VA!

Loved our time on the water. The pontoon boat was ready on time. The staff were friendly and helpful. Our children and grand children had a blast. Swimming and fishing. They had toddler life jackets for the youngest that worked perfectly. I only wish they still did tube rentals for our teenage and adult sons. But we will definately return. The seat cushions needed some repair they kept bending into the storage area. But it did not compromise our fun. The pontoon ran great and was clean.

We rented a pontoon for 2 hours. We had a terrific time. The customer service is second to none. Word to the wise go to the bathroom before you arrive as there are only port a potties. I would also change ahead of time. Lastly I would rent for at least 2 hours so you have time to cruise around and time to swim. We can't wait to come again!!

We arrived late in the afternoon and still got a pontoon boat. They gave us a good deal on the rental and a quick lesson on the "HOW TOO's" of driving around this lake. Me and the girls had a blast. We pulled overswam..had a very lovely day on the lake. We will return.