Great Lakes Watersports

Been using Great Lakes Watersports for 3 years now. By far the easiest and most experienced place to rent any watersports in the area. Instant waivers and what not made things super easy unlike other places we have tried. Jet Skis are great but they are fast and plenty powerful. The crew is awesome to have nearby keeping things safe too. One of the few places that really care about your experience and safety before anything else. The pontoons were also much better experience than typical pontoons I’ve been on. They use Tritoons that sit up higher to handle Lake Erie much better. Lots of room and you can hook up your own tunes. The scenery here and views of downtown are literally second to none. Sunset cruise was absolutely gorgeous.

Large number of boats for rent, 4 staff working that day, walked up and got 3 kayaks easily without a reservation. Could not go out to the lake due to higher winds, but was really nice to kayak up the river and back. Easy put in and out. Easy paperwork to rent.

My experience renting a boat from Boat Rental Services was excellent. The staff were absolutely outstanding—very polite, friendly, and patient. They explained everything clearly and made the whole process smooth and enjoyable. The boat was clean and comfortable, and the trip was a lot of fun. The prices were very reasonable considering the quality of service I received. I highly recommend them

Super easy reservation. Staff was friendly and helpful. They send a guide with you who watches the time so you dont have to and they were great! They offered to show us the submarine, Rock &Roll Hall of Fame, Asked if we wanted to swim and brought us to the cleanest water to jump in and swim, and asked if we wanted waves or smooth lake and took us to the best spots. The guide was NOT the fun-police and was only there to help when we wanted it, otherwise they sat back and let us do whatever we wanted (jumping waves, doing spinouts, top speed runs, go anywhere we wanted, etc). It was lots of fun and I'll be going back! We had a SeaDoo GTI 130 (newer model, maybe a year or two old), black and orange. Went 50mph with 2 people on it. Ran great, strong ski. Had forward, neutral, and reverse.

Was fun and great. Had quality time with friends and family. Was able to bring our own snacks and drinks and fishing gear. We swam and fished. Most of all we soaked up the sun

Rented a pontoon boat from them yesterday everything started off great, but then they were annoyed that we brought our Jet Ski with us. These idiots win as far as coming out telling us that we couldn’t dock on the ski when the person on the Jet Ski signed a waiver as well. They handled the entire situation unprofessionally when it was literally a 50-year-old parent birthday. Then the absolute hilarious part is that the owner came out on his boat, approached our boat and said who are our renters lol. Owner is a complete airhead. He then asked us do you guys even have life jackets like he’s the Coast Guard or something? These guys need to get off their high horses. There’s a certain way to speak and deal with your paying customers and a handle situations professional in these guys are not it. What I will recommend is do not by any means attempt to rent anything from them. The whole ownership is ran by straight clowns. Get your shit together.

We rented one of the SeaRay's for a 4 hour rental with our family. The boat worked great and the guys working at the dock we very helpful and easy to work with. Was a great way to spend the day on the water. Highly recommended.

Such a fun thing to do in Downtown Cleveland. My friend and I both did the single kayaks for two hours around $40 each, and it was so worth it.

We loved the parasailing experience over Lake Erie! Fun, experienced staff. Be sure to request a dip in the lake!

10/10 recommend boating with GLWS! I've also been kayaking a dozen times. The staff is always super friendly and helpful Best summer outing!

I've been with a group renting one of the boats from Great Lakes a couple of times now, and it's a pretty fun experience. Full disclosure, I haven't been the captain or the one to make the reservation, so I can't speak to those parts of the experience. There's some public parking near the dock, and you go up to the little shack to sign your waiver. There isn't a bathroom at this dock, but you can walk down to where the big boats for the music cruise dock and there's a small restroom over there. Once your whole group is signed in, the boats are at a floating dock, and you can just hop on and go. We've done both the pontoon boat and the speed boat. The speed boat was definitely more fun, because it goes faster, but the pontoon is a little more roomy for a slow cruise, your choice. You can bring snacks and drinks along for the ride. There are usually a handful of staff launching boats and getting people loaded. They're friendly and fun. One slight drawback to the 2 hour cruise is that you are on the inside of the railway bridge, so if it's down, you're stuck on the river and have to wait for it to go back up, and sometimes it's a pretty narrow window. If you're on the lake side of the bridge, you risk getting stuck outside and running over your time. I believe the Captain has to do a little safety course prior to the activity, but otherwise, it's pretty easy! Definitely a fun activity, and a way to get yourself a boat day if you don't have an invitation.

Best experience ever! Parasailing is so fun here, definitely will be coming back again.

I love that you can kayak on the Cuyahoga River by downtown Cleveland and see the city! A friend and I recently tried out Great Lakes Watersports and had an enjoyable time. Just be aware that they don't take reservations for kayaks, it's first come first served, so be prepared to wait. They open at 11am so we thought we would be safe getting there at 10:30, but we were wrong. Apparently there were people who got there around 9am! We ended up waiting two hours for our chance to go out on two single kayaks ($25 each hour). The wait actually wasn't bad because it was such a nice day and we do like each others company so we just chatted it up. Staff is friendly, but I would say things did seem a bit frazzled and disorganized. To be fair, I don't think they realized July 4th would be observed on Friday the 3rd and that lots of people would have the day off so they weren't prepared. I think it would be helpful to set up online reservations to avoid this kind of chaos and waiting, but it's their business and they can run it how they want. It won't stop me from kayaking with them again. I think I would just avoid holidays/weekends next time! As for the trip itself, we decided to avoid the lake since it was busy with holiday boaters and instead we went up the river to Carter's Bridge. You will have to continually paddle going up river and I apparently worked some muscles I forgot I had. It was neat to get a different view of the city and it was actually pretty peaceful, although the river was a bit smelly (fishy). Round-trip took us about an hour and a half. I would like to try GLWS again and go out on the lake to see the city from that angle. Oh make sure you bring a towel because you will definitely have a wet booty afterwards! Ooo and you can find free street parking by Harbor Inn. And if you need to use the restroom you have to walk up to Shooters.

Family had a great time on the blue pontoon. No anchor but we stopped north of edge water beach and swam awhile. Deep but clean water - yes it was clean. Drove inside the break wall to rock and roll hall of fame and back into the river towards Great Lakes Watersports. Staff was very friendly and helpful with instructions and loading our stuff and dad with wheelchair onto boat. Boat did not go fast as expected so our 2 hours seemed shorter as it to 25 minutes just to get to near Edgewater. Will do 4 hours next time.

Very cool experience. Everyone was really nice and helpful! Will definitely be going back!!

amazing experience. 10/10 recommend if you're looking for an outdoor adventure on the water in cleveland

I can't even give this place a 0 stars. I came at 5:15 and kayaked for 30 minutes before being stopped by a cargo ship towed by the coast guard who made us pull over. I called the gentleman at the clubhouse or whatever that shack is and asked if we could have a discount for being forced to wait 25 minutes. He said "we'll figure it out when you get here". And proceeded to charge me full price. Place is the worst kayak rental I've been to. I recommend going to an establishment where the management actually cares about its renters.

DO NOT GO HERE! COMPLETE RIP OFF! I arrived on time for my jet ski rental and no one told us that signing the waiver and taking the boat exam we were going into our jet ski rental time. By the time we were done with the paper work we were 20 mins in. The owner refused to give us a refund or reschedule. Please don't waste your money here. The owner does not care if he's customers. Very rude coworkers!!!

Under new ownership so the jet ski experience was very different. It used to be 100 an hour flat rate. Now it's $150 an hour PLUS tax PLUS $42 for fuel fill up. Which I only used about a quarter tank so I don't understand why I'm being charged for a full tank of gas that I'm not using but whatever.. the total charge for 1 hour on a jet ski came out to $216 AND they ask you to tip as well? also you are now escorted and monitored by an employee of theirs to the designated riding area..... With the previous owners you were allowed to go anywhere you wanted as long as you were back at your scheduled time. Paid $216 (plus $20 tip) for one hour on a jetski and was only allowed to ride it in a designated area. completely unsatisfied couldn't even really stretch out the JetSki without going to far from the employee that's watching you. I would definitely rent a kayak here again but not a jetski.

WATCH YOUR CHARGE ACCOUNT AFTERWARD!!!. Will never use this company again. We rented a pontoon on 9/6/20. It had less than 1/2 tank of gas. The guy said they ran out of gas but I can use what's there. The manager went to get gas & hadn't come back yet, but not worry - that I wouldn't have to pay for it. On Monday night I noticed there was a $26 charge with no explanation what it's for. I called first thing Tues. morning & the phone said they were closed - see you next summer. I emailed their email and never got a response. I've been disputing with credit card co for 2 months now.

Kayak (single, double), jet ski and boat rental on the West Bank of the Flats by Shooters and the Music Box Supper Club. They open at 11a which seems a bit late to me for peak season. I would arrive a little before that especially if you want a kayak, which you cannot reserve. Just minutes after 11a on a Saturday there were only a couple singles kayaks left and the doubles were already all taken. By 1p when I returned there were none left and people were waiting. The process was quick. There were plenty of dock hands to hand out life jackets and launch the kayak. One driver's license is required per party which they hold in the office. They take prepayment for the number of hours you estimate that you will be gone. They accept credit cards. Included in the price is a life jacket, paddle and a waterproof bag to hold your keys and cell phone. The kayaks are nice open top kayaks so there is plenty of leg room for a 6' person and extra room to put the waterproof bag, water and whatever else you bring. I liked this company and would hopefully get to use them again this summer. Free parking and restrooms by Shooters.

Not only is the location great but so are the owners and the prices. Hubby and I went on a wednesday afternoon in June. It was not too busy being during the week but there were plenty of kayaks, jet skis and even boats that can be rented. The owners were so friendly. We will definitely go back as often as we can.

We had a lot of fun renting kayaks from this place ! Staff was super friendly & Pat only charged us for an hour even tho we went a little over. Will definitely be back!

We had a great experience and found the staff friendly and helpful. Our two boys loved being on the jet skis and the view/environment was very cool. Thought the price of $110 for an hour of jet skiing was very reasonable. They upgraded us to a bigger jet ski at the end so all four of us could go out together, no charge. Highly recommend if in the area!

Every summer, my friends and I rent kayaks from Great Lakes Watersports for some good ol' DIY cruising. The staff is super knowledgeable, and its totally worth doing, whether you're a novice or a veteran! It's also a summer activity that totally rules for you to entertain your out of town guest. Top things to know: 1. NO call ahead reservations for jet skis or kayaks. 2. YES to call ahead for boat rentals. 3. Super easy kayak rental process - just be over 18 and bring your ID. NO deposits or loopholes! About 3/4 of their kayak inventory includes double seaters, while a smaller amount are single only. With the price at roughly $25/hour, their prices are competitive with other rentals around the area. In my humble opinion, Great Lakes is the best place to rent from if you truly want to see CLE from a beautiful vantage point that is comfortable to physically get to. You can't beat the river views! Wish I had more photos to share with you, but I have a crippling fear of trying to take an artsy photo and dropping my phone in Lake Erie... you know my luck. If you've lived in CLE your whole life and never kayaked on the river, especially against the Cleveland backdrop... what are you waiting for?!

My girlfriends and I rented a pontoon boat for a bachelorette weekend for a few hours. This was a great decision because it was HOT and the sun was shining. We made a reservation and the check in process was pretty easy. Warning: you do have to take a 10 question quiz before you're allowed to take out the boat. If you fail the first time (like we did) the staff works with you so you should be able to pass it on the retake. The staff is super friendly. You can bring your own food and drinks on the boat, and the pontoon boat even has a table if you bring a huge spread. We mainly just drank, but it was nice knowing the table was there. You can also bring an aux cord and hook your own music up to the boat radio. It was super windy the day we went out, so we didn't pass the break line, but we still had a great time. You can park in the adjoining lot for a $5 flat rate. There are a ton of restaurants and bars in the area as well, so you can really get your parking money's worth before or after taking a boat out. Overall it was a fun, unique way to enjoy the day with a group of girlfriends.

I really hate to leave a bad review as I rented a tandem kayak from here earlier this summer with zero issues and had the pleasure of being helped by a very kind young lady. However, this past weekend I rented the Yellow Voyager Tritoon boat for 2 hours...or what should have been 2 hours. We showed up at our scheduled time of 3:15 and I understand I should have came a little earlier to allow for extra time to take the driver test, but you will soon understand why this did not even matter. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a specific employee who displayed a poor attitude throughout each interaction we had with him. Right away, we filled out the waivers, as did our guests, and the driver test was taken. I noticed the boat we were renting was not at the dock. In fact, the boat did not return until about 3:45. My point is, even if we were ready to get on the boat at our scheduled time of 3:15, we would not have been able to. The previous party still had it. We would have lost 30 minutes of our trip either way. We were only on the water for 1.5 hours but I paid for 2. I was told that since the previous party was behind, as well as us, and there was another group after us, we would have to be back by 5:30. This only gave us 15 extra minutes, instead of 30. I did not appreciate how the situation of being behind schedule was partially diverted onto us when in reality, showing up 15 minutes earlier would have made no difference. No sort of compensation was offered for this. As we were on our way back to the dock, I received a call on my phone (it was 5:32 aka 2 minutes past the return time) from the same employee mentioned earlier. His tone of voice was extremely rude as he greeted me with "Where are you?" followed by "You need to get back here right away. Pick up the speed." It was a bit upsetting that he was being such a stickler about our time, even with us losing 30 minutes! Upon our return, I was told I owed $50 for gas, which I thought was a little odd considering a 2 hour rental comes to about $30 in gas and we were only on the water for 1.5 hours. I kind of felt that this particular employee giving me a hard time was purposefully harassing me. Unfortunately, I do not know his name. I will add that a different young man working was extremely nice and helpful. Again, I really hate to leave a negative review based on the actions of one employee, but I think it is important to mention. I am requesting that somebody in management reaches out to me.

Not sure how to rate the actual jet skis since we didn't get to. We drove out there and paid for parking and then were met by I guess the owners, maybe they were husband and wife. The wife was super nice but the husband seemed angry about something. He kept muttering about how we might mess up the jet skis if we used them (we hadn't used them yet). Also, he got upset at us when my fiancé asked where the restroom was. Just overall, kind of strange guy so we left.

Our "bucket list" day kicked off with so much laughter & good vibes thanks to Wes and Connor!! We rented a jet ski for the hour & everything from taking our short quiz to getting out on the water was full of laughter. Connor was absolutely hilarious & Wes was just an overall amazing guy - this company is so lucky to have these two, because beginning to end it felt just like going off of our own dock and we absolutely loved it. Can't wait to come back for a little more fun!!

Rented a double kayak with my daughter and had the best time paddling up & down the river. The staff were very nice & accommodating, they launch you & pull you in when you're done so no worries getting on & off the river. The views from the river are amazing! Overall a great experience & look forward to going again!

I walked up with a group of 8 people. Then it was 9 people then it was 11 people. They got us in the water right away, and it was memorial day weekend so I'm sure they felt overwhelmed, but they didn't portray that to the customer. They were so accommodating and friendly! Their prices are super reasonable too! Such a fun time! They're also in a super convenient location. I would highly recommend this place!!

THE BEST!!!! Hands down the best place to rent jet skis and kayaks in Ohio!!!!! Very impressed and the owners are amazing!

We had a great experience! It was easy to rent a boat and they even came out to check on us to make sure everything was going ok. Everyone working was super kind a friendly!

Everyone that works here is so nice and helpful! The owner and his wife are the nicest people and such a delight to talk to. It was my first time kayaking and I couldn't have imagined a better experience. They made sure we knew everything we needed to know and they weren't going to try to charge us extra if we were to go over a couple of minutes. I highly enjoyed speaking with every person that helped us and felt very comfortable in a situation that could have been very awkward/ nerve wreaking. The prices are right and the location is perfect. You can also rent jetskis and boats and if that was something I was interested in the the future, this is the place I would go! I can't wait to go back and take my boyfriend who I know will love it just as much as I did! Actually, I think I just might go back this weekend :)

A friend and I decided to have a little river kayaking adventure on a sunny Saturday morning in August. After being turned down at a place in Rocky River due to lack of a reservation on a Saturday morning (oops!), they very nicely referred us to some other places, including Great Lakes Water Sports in the Cleveland Flats. I called Great Lakes around 11:30am to make sure they were open and to see if they took reservations, and the guy on the phone said yes they were open and they are first come first served, but we should be okay if we arrived soon. He also told me to mention two guys' names to the parking attendant to get a discounted rate of $1 for parking in the Nautica Complex parking lot! Not sure if that's a day-by-day thing or not, though, so I would highly suggest calling and asking on the day you're planning to go. Once we found the place (located on the river right next to the new Music Box Supper Club and good ol' Shooters), we were greeted by a nice guy, who explained the costs and waivers needed. I thought the pricing was very reasonable: $20/hour per single kayak, with any hour thereafter half price. We only kayaked for about an hour, but if you want a more leisurely pace, I would suggest planning for longer. We also learned that you can bring a koozie and some beverages, which we will now plan on for next time! The worker helped us get into our neon green "sit on top" kayaks, and gave us a bit of instruction, as my friend was a first-time kayaker. We chose to paddle up the river into the great scenery of the Flats and downtown Cleveland. It was a beautiful day and something fun and different to do. It was also a pretty good workout, so I would suggest not going too far, because you have to paddle back as far as you go out! Once we returned, the Great Lakes crew was good about only charging us for the hour even though we were a little over. The experience overall was really fun, and good value for the money. I wish I would have discovered this place sooner, as they will shortly be closing down for the season. I may be back next Saturday!

My fiance and I decided spur of the moment one Sunday afternoon that it might be fun to rent a pair of jet skis. A quick Google search brought us to Great Lakes Jet Ski on the West bank of the flats, right next to Shooters. It was a little hard to find because the sign was not very obvious, but the parking attendant pointed us right away (and the racks of life jackets were a dead giveaway). The forms and registration were quick and the licensing didn't take long. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. We got underway in no time at all. It was a blast! My only gripe would be the price, but I doubt it is any lower elsewhere in the area. Overall it was a sweet experience.

Great Lakes Watersports is awesome! We were on the water in no time thanks to their friendly service. We split a tandem kayak rental which cost us only about $13 each for an hour and a half! The staff is very friendly and chill and answers any questions or concerns you may have before going on the water. We did go on a weekday afternoon so it might be a little busier on the weekends. Definitely a fun experience and will be back!

Don't waste your money! Horrible service! I will never go back! Staff is rude! They are the worst business in Cleveland! Don't go there!

The location is perfect. These guys are so professional and amazing. They were in constant communication with us in regards to our reservation. They are really nice, they want you to have fun and enjoy yourself. They're very transparent and honest. We had such a great time we're going right back next weekend. The skis are in perfect condition, easy to use. I can't say enough good things about them.

Pretty sure this is one of the only places downtown to rent kayaks, boats, and jet skis right near the mouth of the Cuyahoga river by Lake Erie. Rented a tandem kayak for an hour and a half, and had a great time, with great opportunities to get pics and views of the city and the new flats items under way. Friendly staff, and would definitely recommend others to it.

My super outdoorsy brother was in town from SF so we decided to rent a tandem kayak and explore via the river and lake. The staff was super nice and kayaking was a fun way to see the city from a different view. They have life jackets and even little waterproof bags to put your stuff in so it stays dry. I'd definitely recommend the kayaking as something fun to do on a nice summer day.

Bought my boyfriend an hour of jetskiing for his 30th birthday! The owners were friendly and accommodating. They do not accept reservations but we had no problem getting a jet ski for the two of us to share at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon. A bit pricey ($129 for the hour after tax) but definitely a really fun adventure for a special occasion! Highly recommend.

This is a great organization. They are very thorough - which is important. We take the jet ski out - to the inside of the breakwall and have a fun but safe time!

Had a great experience using Great Lakes Watersports! Staff was very friendly and helpful. They know their job thoroughly, advising us on equipment, weather and lake conditions. The equipment is in excellent condition and well cared for. Could not have been more pleased!

So happy to have found them because summers in Cleveland have just gotten a lot better!! You can rent a kayak, jet ski and even a boat for a couple of hours!! It's amazing and prices are affordable! and you are right in the flats!! We kayaked to the browns stadium, it was cool!

The jet ski were pretty cool in the beginning, till we were done jet skiing, they were very rude. Drive those things very careful or they'll a course you of damaging it

I would not recommend this business. We rented one of their tritoon boats and had a poor experience - the sunshade did not work, they gave us incorrect instructions on the trim which caused the boat to stop/go slow, and three people confirmed we could make it to Avon Lake and Lorain in 2 hours and we couldn't even make it to Bay Village (we wanted to go to Lorain and take a pic of my grandma who lives on the lake; looks like they've updated their website since my initial google review). When we complained, owners wife said they would make it right. Said they emailed to offer to return some money. Only email I ever received from them was a demand that I take down the 1 Star google review I gave, and accuse me of lying about my experience. Interestingly enough, they could never produce the email they claimed to send offending a partial refund. STEER CLEAR folks. If you have any problem, they will deny it and make you out to be the bad guy. Lack of accountability and responsibility by this business. If you do rent from them, record every conversation. Renter beware.

Great equipment. Great location. Very thoughtful accommodating owners. I can't say enough about what a great time we had. THANK YOU!!

Great afternoon spent out on the lake. Very helpful and knowledgeable even for novice boaters. Plus it's the only place in Cleveland that you can drive the boat.

Great family owned business! Fast fun and financially friendly.

I had family in town and at the last minute we decided to try to rent a boat. We lucked out and they had a pontoon boat available. My brother and cousin own boats, so we had built in captains. What a total blast!!! The boat was in great shape, well kept and very clean - I am a germaphobe and it passed MY test. Melissa and her husband were so fabulous to deal with. The kind of people that you would want to hang out with! The pontoon is built for Lake Erie. It was really choppy out but the boat did well and we had a great day! We rented a tube and had a fabulous time on that. The pontoon is a beast with lots of power for tubing. So, add this to your "must do" list! We will definitely be back!

Boy was this place a little diamond in the rough. In the now almost extinct environment of the Cleveland Flats, we found this awesome little Jet-Ski rental place. My wife had planned an event out on the open waters of Lake Erie for my 29th birthday, and it was so much fun. But we all know how much fun Jet-Skiing can be. What makes this place great is the service, prices, and the awesome (family) staff. They are just great people and are very knowledgeable and kind. I will be recommending this place to all my friends and family and will surely be back again.

It was fun but me and my bf payed 100 dollars for an hour and then was told we hit something after the fact we payed a 1000 dollar deposit CASH and was chased down and told we hit something and we need to watch it next time on a stern voice the staff is stupid and the lady at the counter is terrible .. Never go there

We have rented the Avalon twice and we can't get enough of it. I didn't know that it is family owned but this place is a summer gem.

What a great experience! Coming from out of town, we called ahead to get information. The woman who answered the phone was very knowlegeable and patient. When we arrived, Kevin, the owner, and his staff, Grant and Connor were most accommodating, especially with our son, who has special needs. The equipment is clean and well kept. And prices were very reasonable. We rented kayaks and had so much fun we rented a Jet-Ski afterwards, which the kids loved!