Tom Y.
Yelp
This is going to be long-winded, but if you want excellent service and a good price; this is the place for you.
So, to start off, I am from Florida, a tiny town near the spaceport called Cocoa Beach. While not a hoary a surg spot as St. Cruz, we do have a bit of surf culture. Being on the east coast, we are, of course, more advanced and sophisticated than westerners.
One aspect of our advanced technology is our adoption of a modern development; the stand-up paddleboard. This is a surfboard where the rider remains on his feet, and uses a long paddle to navigate through the waves. Many surfers use the paddleboard on days when the waves are too small for their shortboards. It's said you get 128 extra days on the water when you add a paddleboard to your quiver. Some of us just paddleboard. I am in the latter category.
My wife planned a trip to coastal California to visit our boy, and we packed up the siblings for a week on the bay. Richie loaded up the Jeep with boards for the kids, and I planned on renting a paddleboard. Lots of folks rent them back home and I'd assumed with all the surfshops, it would be easy to rent a soft-top at least. Boy, did I think wrong.
We walked from shop to shop. The clerks went slack-jawed at the mention of the word "paddleboard." Nobody had any idea of whether such a thing existed, much less if it was available to rent. We were shunted off to a kayak rental in a canal who was horrified at the idea that paddleboard could be taken into the ocean.
The swell was due in on Tuesday, and we planned our trip to Pleasure Point. I was the only one of the quartet without a board. We'd done our first explorations in St. Cruz and I busily Yelped on our way to the beach. "Eh," I said. This Capitola Beach Company might be worth checking out.
They dropped me off and went around the one-way streets while I ran in to gather intelligence. As I ran in the shop, I was met by a manager. "Could you wait outside, please?" Rather than being offended, I was pleased to see folks taking COVID-19 seriously.
We talked, and I asked, "do you know anybody who rents paddleboards?" The answer surprised me.
"Of course," he responded, "we rent them in the trailer over by the bandshell." Anticipating my next question, he said, "you'll probably want to head north where the waves are better. You can park in the loading zone across the street while you get your gear."
The kids in the trailer were magnificent. The smallest board was half the size of the Exxon Valdez, but the kids said they don't get many calls for a small SUP. John and Gabbie went back to the store for leashes, and they were kept outside while the Manager quizzed them on board size and surfing style. He promptly brought out two perfect leashes, at half the price of the same product at our RonJons. By the time they finailzed the purchase we had the Valdez loaded on were ready to hit the ocean. Elapsed time, 24 minutes.
Are there scores higher than 5? Personalized service, great prices, outdoor facilities, and COVID precautions! What could be better. This place rocks.
I have since come to find out that Paddleboarders are not welcome in Calie. Idiots. Well, you know what? We are the future. Am I the one who ripped the "No-SUPs on the waves" sticker from the sign at . You bet I am. We paddleboarders are surfers too. That's our ocean to. The only difference is that we are smarter and better looking than surfers. Bravo to this place for treating me as human.--