Ocean City's Tipsy Tikis offers a different kind of night out

With this new business, Ocean City visitors can tour the resort by water while enjoying a cocktail on a tiki bar boat. 

Tipsy Tikis officially took to the water over Memorial Day weekend. The boat takes on the appearance of a floating tiki bar and allows groups of up to six people to enjoy a 90-minute ride around Ocean City's waterways while drinking cocktails.

Tipsy Tikis was started by two families who wanted to bring something different to the resort. The idea was inspired by a friend who participated in a similar floating tiki bar experience during a trip to Florida. 

“We wanted to bring something similar," said Katie Harcum, co-owner.  

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Now with only a few weeks under their belt, the company is already expanding. It will be adding a second boat later this summer to offer more tours or attach both boats together to double the party. By next year, the company will have increased its amount of tiki bar boats to station them around Delmarva to offer more tours, Harcum said.  

The current boat is docked behind The Shark on the Harbor restaurant in West Ocean City, allowing for easy pickup with restaurants nearby for a meal before or after the tour. 

Harcum and her parents, along with another couple, began the process of starting their own tiki bar business in Ocean City. As locals, they knew tourists would enjoy a different kind of entertainment, she said. Add alcoholic beverages to the mix, and it's a perfect addition to a week's vacation. 

“Nothing has ever come here like this before," she said. 

Harcum said the family found a company who typically only built stationary tiki bars, but offered to make a tiki bar boat for the first time. 

“A first for them and a first for us," she said. 

The Hawaiian-style tiki bar boat is 14 feet wide by 24 feet long, according to the company's website.

It's built with the highest level of buoyancy possible, 32,000 pounds, to provide stability while being flexible enough to handle wake and waves, according to the website. The boat's hull design keeps it close to allow the boat to pull up to shallow areas for pick up or drop off.

The tiki bar boat has a 60hp outboard motor and a Bluetooth-capable speaker system, according to the website.

The boat's tiki bar is crafted to include a hut-thatched roof, walnut bar top and six bar stools to sit and enjoy the 360-degree view. It also includes aluminum and stainless steel railings with a walnut bar rail and various natural bamboo structures, according to the website.

The tiki bar only serves alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Harcum said the menu features various beers, wines and mixed drinks, and guests can request certain drinks to make sure it's on-board upon booking. 

The rules of the boat are simple: It can hold up to six passengers, and each guest can enjoy up to five alcoholic beverages during the 90-minute tour, according to the website. 

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Harcum said customers can ask for a longer-than-90-minute tour for an increased rate. The tours go either toward Assateague Island or between the Route 50 and Route 90 bridges to Ocean CIty. 

The reception of Tipsy Tikis so far has been great, Harcum said. Whether it's young families, families with children of drinking age or groups of college friends, everyone has enjoyed the experience. 

Tours can be booked through the Tipsy Tikis website, Harcum said. 

The price of a ride on Tipsy Tikis increases over holiday weekends, but a standard 90-minute ride is $420 for up to six people. Maryland state tax of 6 percent and a 6 percent booking fee is also added to the cost. 

“It’s definitely worth it,” she said.

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If you go: 

What: Tipsy Tikis

Where: Behind The Shark on the Harbor restaurant,12924 Sunset Ave. in West Ocean City

Parking: The West Ocean City Boat Ramp parking lot, no parking available at The Shark on the Harbor restaurant

When: Running daily until Sunday, Sept. 30

Contact: Tipsytikis.com, 443-606-0822

On Twitter: @The_MegRyan