Paddle Boston: Cambridge, Kendall Square

Friendly, efficient, help you in and out of kayaks. Basic sit-inside kayaks but dry and clean. Life jackets were good quality and they checked for proper fit. On arrival you must watch a quick safety video and sign waivers. They will rent you a dry bag for car keys etc. ample parking nearby and a public restroom a short walk away.

Paddle Boston in Kendall Square is a great spot for kayaking during the summer. The location is perfect, right on the Charles River, offering stunning views of the Boston skyline and a refreshing escape from the city’s hustle and bustle. The staff is incredibly friendly and helpful, making the rental process smooth and efficient. The equipment is well-maintained and clean, ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience on the water.

We had an amazing time kayaking on Charles River. The staff were welcoming, professional and helpful. Definitely recommend seeing the Boston Skyline that way.

Had a great kayak on the Charles! Great location. Quick and easy set up. Friendly staff.

This is a must do activity in Boston! The staff was friendly as well. I would recommend going earlier in the morning just so that the sun doesn’t sting later on as there’s no shade along the river.

10/10 would recommend for Boston residents and visitors alike! Rent a kayak, double kayak, stand up paddle board, or other types of boats. It's a beautiful way to see Boston!

Boardwalk. Canoes and paddleboats. Accessible by bike or car. Very busy but one of the best spots to hop onto the Charles by boat.

Fun, Exciting, and non-generic date idea. Be aware you WILL get tired but most importantly don’t get ran over by other boats. Happy paddling!

Fabulous experience and we highly recommend for anybody! Easy to reserve online or with a phone call. Special rates for afternoon/evening paddle Tons of staff that were very helpful and friendly We left from the Kendall Square location and paddled out a small little canal entering the Charles river by the sweetest little floating wetland! How do I under the Longfellow Bridge we found ourselves in a swarm of community boaters which was super cool to see from the water - They all headed for the dock at 5 PM and the river was ours We headed over towards the Esplanade and discovered a little hidden estuary that was amazing to paddle along. It was our highlight of the Boston trip so far

We went out for a team kayaking outing organized by my employer. It was fun to go out on a beautiful day (sunny and 73) with 40 people. Most of us got single kayaks, 5 of us got double kayaks. Once everybody arrived, they gave us a small lecture about how to get it, get out, what to do in special circumstances etc. Pretty straightforward! This was my first time to kayak and I was not sure how easy it would be. I got a single kayak and I really enjoyed the experience. We were there for around 2 hours and had the freedom to go wherever we like on the Charles river. It was fun to see the vehicles/trains on the bridge, duck tour boats passing by close to our kayaks, helicopter landing on a nearby building. It was a great workout too! As I went there for the employer sponsored event, I am not sure about the pricing. But I will definitely go back with my family to chill on the Charles river.

Had a great time kayaking in the Charles River! The rate was $45 for a double kayak for 1.5 hours. This amount of time was great since it's pretty tiring after a while. Bring some drinks and small snacks. They allow bags in the kayak and give out water proof covers if needed. The city view of the buildings and bridges is gorgeous. I suggest booking in advanced or you'll be waiting in line for a couple hours. Made me want to go kayaking more!

Rented two double kayaks ($49/kayak) for the morning/afternoon time slot. Originally booked for 12pm and realized 11 hour before that the time slot no longer worked and emailed them in a panic. By the time I woke up at 9 am they responded and helped me move my time to 1 pm! Online waiver makes the process super fast. Didn't ask us for ID but I brought anyways just in case. The $49 is for 3 hours of kayaking, which seems really well priced since it's for a double kayak! :D They also have a deal with Za where you can go for a discount after kayaking. Unfortunately we went in a Sunday so Za wasn't open, but it seems like you can make a really nice trip out of it.

This is a review for my online shopping experience at paddleboston.com. They had a paddle which is very hard to find in stock anywhere so I thought I would give them a try. The customer service I received from Marc was incredible. He was really quick to answer emails and ended up taking my order over the phone. I would definitely shop here again. The only negative part about my shopping experience is that the website is pretty bad, necessitating the need to phone in my order, and even the automated phone system seemed a bit outdated. I kept getting an "invalid extension" message, even though I was just dialing '1' for the store option. Eventually got through after a few attempts.

The kayak experience itself is great & the price is affordable. My 1 star review is simply about the customer service. My parents are in their early 70's and were in town and wanted to challenge themselves to kayak the Charles (admirable!). Needless to say, with their age, it was not easy for them to get in and out of the kayaks with bad hips/legs/etc. My mother was having trouble getting out of the kayak and ended up rolling out of it onto the deck when one of the workers quipped - "we call that the beached whale technique" and started laughing at her expense. About as inexcusable as you can get.

Had a very dangerous experience with Paddle Boston (Allston location) and would NOT recommend to anyone. We were not informed that there was a huge crew race happening on the river that day, with 100+ boats coming at very high speeds all morning. We were told that we had to stay to the side, as close to shore as possible, and were not given options to reschedule. The staff provided no instructions on how to navigate the kayaks nor any safety precautions for first timers. My kayak collided with a racing boat in a narrow section of the river under a bridge. I had three very hard hits to my head with their paddles and am still experiencing symptoms from this mild concussion. While I am the only one who had an injury, my friends also had trouble steering their kayaks and many were also at risk of collision with the crew races. Such race events are planned far in advance and this situation should have been made clear before we traveled far distances to arrive for our kayak trip (at the very least, we should have been able to move our reservations to later that day after the races). I am still healing from my head injury and will never recommend this company to anyone. Worst of all, when I called the company to report the incident, they were extremely rude and unapologetic, and even blamed me for the accident. Stay far away.

Pros: + Friendly Staff + Lines, but moves pretty quickly + Reasonably priced - $20 per hour for a double kayak + Plenty of options - kayaking, canoeing, and standup paddle + Photographic scenery Cons: - Limited assistance once you get on the lake. - You will get soaked. Make sure you grab a dry bag

My parents and I enjoyed the kayaking itself, the view was amazing and it was so relaxing. However the staff were horrible! they were extremely unfriendly, offered no help as we were putting on our life jackets (as first timers) and had no clue what to do in case of an emergency situation on the river. Staff should be re-trained! and safety measures definitely need to be implemented!

My family and I used to canoe on the charles river every summer when I was a kid and i've been dying to take my boyfriend since he moved to Boston 4 years ago. We finally visited this past saturday to celebrate our anniversary and we had so much fun. This is such a great activity that's affordable and different. We rented a double kayak and took it out towards the kenmore area and back. The views of Boston were incredible. It was 100 degrees outside that day so I think it deterred a lot of people from doing outdoor activities, but the weather on the water was perfect. It costs $22 per hour for a double kayak, and $1 if you need a dry bag for your belongings. An awesome couple of hours on the water ran us $36. I highly recommend Charles River Canoe & Kayak.

So. Much. Fun. My best friend and I had the best time catching up and paddling through Cambridge. Along with the gorgeous city scape, it was also fun to see other boats and even Duck Tours pass through! I think this is a really fun activity for friends, dates, or even a family outing!

Had a great time on the river. It was easy to rent a kayak but we received little to no instruction on safety and operation...which was fine but also I wonder if people occasionally find themselves stuck in weird situations without some guidance? We spent about an hour on the water before docking the kayak again, more than enough time to tire out my arms. I liked that they had a huge drum of 50 spf lotion for all customers. We paid $22 for a double kayak for one hour and $1 for a dry bag. Dry bag very recommended.... splashed a lot of water when paddling :)

I was very happy with the service and think this is a great rental company. However, I was very disappointed with how some of the staff were treating each other. One man who seemed to be the manager spoke so condescendingly to the customers, but more importantly to his coworkers. One coworker actually stormed off- I certainly hope this is not acceptable behavior to management. It made my friend and I extremely uncomfortable.

Great service from the workers! They were so friendly and nice. I recommend going in the summer or even fall. I just went this past weekend and the weather was not cold at all. Perfect temperature. The boats and equipment are also all very clean

Came here on a whim and had a great afternoon canoeing and paddle boarding with friends on the Charles! Reasonable prices, lots of boat options and friendly staff. They have dry bags for your belongings and life jackets. We took a canoe out as well as a paddle board. The canoe was nice and relaxing and my friend on the paddle board only fell in once ;) You have to take a quick quiz before taking off that explains safety and the rules of the river (who has right of way, etc.). It can get a little crowded/busy on the Charles but if you stay alert, it shouldn't be an issue. Definitely would recommend this company for families and friends from out of town!

Wanted to enjoy a nice Sunday on the water but the blond woman with the bad leg tattoos was yelling at everyone and making us all miserable while waiting in line. Just because she's having a bad day shouldn't mean everyone trying to go out and enjoy paddling on some water should be made as miserable.

I had a wonderful experience here! The staff was very friendly, boats were in great condition, and the prices were very affordable. The manager, Shawn, was very kind and I would definitely come back here next time I'm in Boston. My girlfriend and I were searching for a fun, cheap, outdoors activity while on our vacation - if that's what you're looking for, look no further than Charles River Canoe & Kayak! Nothing better than a lovely morning on the water :)

It was a beautiful sunny day. I wanted to go kayaking. I even invited friends from out of town, and they drove down all the way here, so that we could all go kayaking together. We walked over to Charles River Canoe & Kayak and asked if we could rent kayaks. The girl sitting at the table, with her arms crossed, responded in a grumpy manner: Wind Stop. I asked very politely when we could come back to kayak. She looked at me, annoyed and grumpy, and told us she had no idea. There were at least 30 people sitting around, waiting on the grass, hoping that they would be able to kayak. Another kid working there told me that they would announce when people could go back to kayak. I was thinking to go to a bar nearby to wait, so I asked how they would announce it. Would they shout? Hold up a sign? Send us a text message? Well, the kid looked confused and said... I don't know how we will do it but you will know somehow. Clearly, he had no idea how to handle this kind of situation. We were told that we could sign waivers first, so we did. The girl sitting at the waiver counter looked horribly grumpy. She seemed to hate her job. She unhappily gave us the waivers, as if it was the hardest thing to do. We decided to go to a nearby bar and grab a cocktail while waiting. We checked back every now and then. We noticed that the number of people waiting were getting smaller. The grass patch that had at least 20 people was soon empty. More and more people got turned away. The girl always had her arms crossed. I feel really bad for the employees here. They seem to hate their job. They don't want to be there. They don't want to talk to anyone. They have terrible attitude. They want you out of the tent, entering the tent means that you are bothering them. The only time I saw an employee perk up was when her friend came by to bring her Starbucks frozen drink to her. Another employee started telling people go away to other locations and try their luck. She also refused to make eye contact, she stared at the table and told people to go to Allston or something. I could barely remember what she was saying since she was talking to the table and not the customers. We waited over an hour and definitely saw people who had managed to get their boats out earlier, continue to kayak. My advice to you: try to interact with the employees as little as possible. If you can, avoid this place!

Kayaking, canoeing and standup paddle boarding on the Charles River is my favorite summer activity in Cambridge. It is something that tourists and locals can all get behind. All of the different sites on the river (Boston, Cambridge, Waltham) have their unique charm, but I prefer the location next to Harvard Square. I love sharing the river with the rowers (although I don't believe the feelings are mutual!). The historic bridges, university buildings, and willow trees are lovely. Charles River Canoe & Kayak offer a special deal for students that is very reasonable (approximately $100 for the whole season). With the pass, you can bring a friend in your double kayak or two friends in your canoe for no charge. They also offer dry bags so you can safely paddle with your electronics and valuables. The staff is always super friendly and I have never had to wait for more than a few minutes for my canoe. Also, I appreciate how knowledgable the staff is about the winds and currents on the river. They will never send out boats when the weather is unsafe. If you are in Boston, you can't leave before spending some time on the Charles!

Went with a group of college buddies and had such a blast! Wanted to go full-speed but we ended up just singing Disney tunes at the top of our lungs all the way down the river instead. Gotta make sure you wear comfortable clothing- my jeans were way too warm for a summer day like this so would recommend waterproof clothing or at least lighter clothing that will dry more easily. The life jackets were comfortable and did not allow for any extra or unnecessary movement. Gotta do this justice if you're going to be on the Charles- next step is to get on that rowing machine and erg your way onto the river!

Kayaking on the Charles is such a great summer activity for visitors and locals alike. I love going at least once a summer, you just can't beat the views of the city from the Kendall Square dock. This company has other locations including a dock in Allston which I would also recommend! It's pretty peaceful and serene farther up, surrounded by the trees and nature. You can even do a one way rental from Allston to Kendall Square. Highly recommend this activity! Pro-tip, don't bring too many valuables. You can rent a dry bag for $1 but it's not worth the risk. Oh! And wear lots of sunscreen, the sun is pretty strong out there on the water.

Lines move really quick. Reasonably priced rentals and friendly service. Do yourself a favor and get a dry bag.

If I hadn't met Miss K, I'd be in the Navy. Or working on a tanker. Just the idea of being on a boat earns any place four stars before I even get there. And it would have remained at four stars if not for a SNAFU we faced after we started paddling. The SNAFU turned it into a five-star experience. That's right. Let me tell you the story of how we found a silver lining in a cloud of embarrassment and turned it into a beam of sunshine. Ed, the elderly instructor, gave us life jackets and watertight bags for our things. Then he began instructing. He went through a well-rehearsed series of canned jokes and then explained the types of strokes. There's a forward stroke, a backstroke, and a down stroke. The down stroke is for turning. Push water back to go forward, push water forward to go back, create a rudder to turn. That's what I would have said to beginners. Ed went on for about ten minutes, expounding like Socrates on what is one of the most straightforward ways to navigate a vessel. Most of it was unnecessary. He then explained how the tour would work. It would last about two and a half hours round trip and we would spend a lot of time hanging on to other kayaks in a cluster so we could hear him talk about history. He explained that his voice didn't really carry so we needed to be close to his kayak to hear him. I had noticed that he was quite soft-spoken. I wasn't too excited about this but the prospect of being out on the water kept me enthusiastic. Once in the kayak, we started paddling and immediately sailed into the wall. Ed and the rest of the group had gathered about twenty yards away, hanging on to each others' kayaks, waiting for us. Someone pulled us back and we paddled right back into the wall. Ed told the others to paddle ahead gently and came to check on us. Patiently, he explained which side of the kayak to paddle on and in which direction if we wanted to reverse. It fell on deaf ears. I usually thrive under pressure but I was trying to recall his lessons and listen to his instructions at the same time. He freed us from the wall and, trying to compensate for rowing too far right, we rowed really hard in the opposite direction and ended up under the pedestrian walkway. We take the blame for not communicating and for not paying attention to the direction in which we were paddling. I was in the back so I had 95% of directional control, according to Ed, so most of the blame fell on me. Instead of the see-saw movement necessary to move in any direction at all, it looked like I was trying to stab a shark. By now, Ed, the man whose voice doesn't carry, was bellowing like a dictator rallying his troops. With every murderous stroke of my paddle, he lost more and more patience. He knew he wasn't getting through to us. We wanted him to get through to us but the yelling only frazzled us. I wish I could have seen what he looked like yelling. He's a fit, older man with high cheekbones and a deep tan. But with bulging eyes and pulsating forehead veins, he must have looked like an open-mouthed Skeletor with eyeballs and porn 'stache. Somehow, I hit upon the right stroke and we popped out from under the walkway like a bar of soap from a pair of wet hands. Right into the wall from which we came. We made a few more useless strokes, plowing against the wall like there was gold on the other side, until Ed, exasperated, lowered his voice and told us it wasn't going to work. We stopped trying to kill the river and looked at him shamefully. He told us that we were just not at the level we needed to be to keep up with the group, but we could try paddling around by ourselves. I couldn't tell if we had been kicked out or mercifully put out of our misery. Whatever it was, we were embarrassed. We sat for a minute, red-faced, and then started paddling again. Right away, our paddling improved. After jostling with other kayaks, we found ourselves out on the Charles. Using Miss K's head as a reference point, I kept us fairly straight and got the hang of directional control within ten minutes. All of a sudden, we found ourselves facing a huge body of sparkling blue water and bright sunshine without any restrictions or history lessons. And we were mobile and functioning as a team. I've never been so happy about essentially being declared a retard by an instructor. We spent more than three hours paddling at a furious pace around the Charles River, exploring most of the shoreline and getting a close look at rich old bastards' boats. Near the CambridgeSide Galleria, we spotted a lesbian wedding and I steered us towards the grass so we could watch and clap for equality with the wedding party. I became so comfortable with steering that I was helping others by the time we came back. It turned out to be the most fun I have had on the water in years.

This was a great activity for a sunny day! It was very cheap. For two people it was $23 total. We ended up falling in the river (because the other person in my kayak flipped us) but honestly it made it that much more fun. The kayaks were made with great quality.

Amazing place to kayak and very cheap and friendly people. Can catch nice views of boston skyline and Cambridge

This place was okay. Really good pricing and their selection of boats are great. But I wish they told you how to use the kayak, they just push you out with no instructions. Really nice view and easy to get to.

Honestly never had a more pleasant experience doing this activity! I'm 280lbs and 5'4, so naturally I was super worried about my size and potentially not having fun. The staff made me so comfortable and confident about participating and I genuinely wanted to cry from how fun it was for me. Process was easy (make sure to sign waiver before you get there via email). Will be sure to go back soon!

Great trip! Seasoned guide, Michelle. Very nice, very patient. We had group of 7. 4 adults, 2 teens, and one 10 year old. We enjoyed her knowledge of the city, her skill of leading, and the training before the trip - 20-30 minutes of training and scenarios. Very relaxing for families. The equipment was very good and also very clean! The dock hands were experienced enough to make your kayak - fit right and comfortable. Really nothing negative to report -- all positive! Go and enjoy!

Nothing beats a serene kayaking adventure with a +1 on a summer Boston Sunday. What my friend and I wanted was a relaxing morning on the Charles, bookended of course by efficient administrative service. We got that and more. With a quick 5-minute sign up process, including a safety quiz and liability forms, we were already on our way into the kayak. They even provided complimentary sunscreen, a huge plus under the beating sun. Prices were extremely reasonable, at $20/hr for a double kayak (two-person capacity). We made it back in about an hour, managing to cross under the Longfellow and Massachusetts Ave bridges (around 3 miles). For the $20 we paid, the views we received in return were gorgeous. As they say, every experience will only be as good as you make it. Charles River Canoe & Kayak can help make your experience a smooth-sailing journey.

Prices are reasonable, and the experience is priceless with the Boston Skyline. You have to take a quiz with the safety information, and sign a waiver before you can rent your kayak. We paid $20/hour for a tandem kayak and rented a dry bag. Service was friendly, and you're provided with a life jacket and paddles along with your kayak. The water felt super warm, almost like bathwater. Be watchful of the other folks in the water---some inexperienced little kids with a small sailboat almost ran us over. And watch out for the Duck Tours. Had a blast and would love to come back here next time I'm in town.

Had a great time on the sunset and city lights tour. The guides were excellent communicating and giving tips for less experienced paddlers. The views of the city during sunset and at night from the water give a cool perspective, like paddling under bridges when trains and cars are going over. It was a nice way to relax on the river, and pretty easy to find from Kendall station.

Best of the three (of four) locations. (I haven't tried the Waltham location yet) The first thing we noticed is the long lines when we got there at 3pm. We were told that the wait was 45 to 60 minutes. Since we wanted to get on the water around 4:30, we went off to get a bite to eat along the Charles (Note #1: The options at Kendall are limited on a Sunday afternoon). We saw the couple that was in front of us in line paddle by where we were on the banks about 30 minutes later. By 4:15pm the line was down to 3 people. We signed waivers, showed our ID and off we went to pick a kayak. Note #2: There's a quiz. Take the quiz. If you don't, you'll just delay the process. The questions are pretty silly and I'm not sure she checked our answers. Note #3: You pay at the end, so after checking in, you go straight to the kayaks. What else is there to say: Being on the water is great, and how far you go, and how much you paddle is up to you. The meter's ticking all along. We kayaked to the BU bridge... the one with all the graffiti on it. The river gets narrow there so we cut across to the other bank and worked our way back to the esplanade, cut through the lagoon (which was calm, but pretty trashed up... it was the day after July 4th), past the community boating and then back to the rental place. Returns are a breeze too. I have tried the Brighton location which is nice, and the Newton one which is quieter, but if you want to see Boston from your kayak, this is by far the best location.

Love their selection of boats and am a two-time customer of their used boats at the end of the season. The second boat that I bought was not a good experience due to some miscommunication and oversights. I called Bryce the store manager and told him my story. The reason I am giving 5 stars is for what happened next. Any company will experience an oversight or lack of internal communication where the customer suffers, but how they handle it is the measure of their integrity. Basically, Bryce had my problem solved within hours of my call by doing exactly the right thing even though it took time and personnel away from the store. I was out on my new boat the next morning. I believe you can expect the same guarantee of products and services no matter how you interact with CRC&K and recommend them highly.

The go to place for kayaking! Train accessible, cheap garage with plenty of space. $1 for 3 hours!!! Very nice. Sometimes there's even food stands/trucks!!! Wow! Single kayaks, doubles, triples, canoes, even paddle boards. Simple as that. Everything's in decent condition, don't expect brand new kayaks or anything LOL. Charles River isn't anything special, but it's a great way to chill with friends. Even cross the river towards the Esplande to chill, pretty good. Make sure to check the wind because it was pretty high when I went and I got soaked every minutes. Don't forget to dodge sailboats and the duck tours boats. They even have wet-bags that are like... waterproof bags to put your stuff in LOL. So convenient.

Kayaking along the Charles always remains a highlight every summer I do this. Yah can't live in Boston without traveling along the Charles in style- gorgeous views of Bahston with the tepid wind caressing your face. Paddling and maneuvering is pretty easy, it's really just a matter of arm strength and trial and error. There's no short introductory class, ya'll on your own here unless you personally ask. Girls, don't worry. Despite our scrawny arms, me and a girlfriend got around fine. $15 for 1.5 hours worth of kayaking w/ a group of 7. The river is free reign for you to explore, just watch out for incoming sail and duck tour boats. Dress accordingly, ideally choose water proof shoes as the base of the kayaks already have a little water. I recommend the use of fitness gloves-putting strain on the wrong part of my hands caused a minor friction burn.

Are you visiting the somewhat decent city of Boston when the weather is great and are you somewhat bored? Are you looking for something physically fun and exciting? Are you fearless of the water? If you said yes to all of my questions, this place may have your answer. Boating is probably one recreational activity I have started to appreciate recently, due to doing Dragon Boat racing on the Charles River about a year ago. I went with a group of friends with some excitement, since I was looking forward to getting back into the water and doing some boating when the weather was more than 28 degrees Celsius. By the time we finished filling out the waiver forms, passed the safety quiz, obtained our life vests, and got a brief overview about the kayak paddle we got onto our kayaks and headed out into the river for some fun. Within 1.5 hours, we got some great views of the city, paddled through a man made "lagoon", talked with some random people on sailboats, raced against each other, and went under the Longfellow Bridge and Mass Avenue Bridge. It was a lot of fun. Despite the really warm weather, I did not mind getting splashed by a few drops of water from the paddling. All of us thought we had a great time. Prices are reasonable. You definitely save some money if you are with someone and rent a two-person kayak. Overall, if you are visitor or local, and looking for something fun and exciting to do in the somewhat decent city of Boston, with some physical activity, this is a great choice. If I had another chance to do this fun activity again with a group of people, I would definitely do it.

No one would ever use the word outdoorsy to describe me. But I was invited to go kayaking through a mentorship program with which I am involved. I figured, let's give it a shot. And I'm sure glad I did. First of all, the location is convenient. It is located about a five minute walk from the Kendall/MIT T-stop on the redline. Prices are reasonable. Prices start at $15 per hour per person for kayaking. The staff is helpful and kind, and they guide you in and out of the kayak. We did 2 person kayaks and thoroughly enjoyed our hour. The view of the Boston skyline from a kayak is incredible. The opportunity to take pictures while on the water is breathtaking. You can bring food on the kayak. There is actually a cupholder for bottles of water. You will get wet. So dress appropriately. I highly recommend this activity on a warm summer day. The breeze over the Charles has a wonderful cooling effect. Even if you don't feel it immediately after, you will have an excellent work out from this activity. Your arms will definitely feel sore within 48 hours. I'm looking forward to going out on the Charles again.

Closest to where I live, and I'm so glad it is. Staff was courteous, and the price is very decent ($9 per hour for single seat kayak, $20 per hour for double seat kayak). They also provide waterproof bags for you to put anything into for $1. If you're in Boston, I'd definitely recommend coming here, as the view of the city from the Charles is exceptional. If you're a first timer, I'd also recommend starting upstream so that you have an easier time traveling back to the rental place when you're a bit winded.

Awesome place to go for a fun and cheap adventure! We had so much fun getting to see all the sights to beautiful skyline of Boston and getting to try something new and fun together! This place will not disappoint!

Overall experience is good just the staffs not that friendly to us. Kinda ignored me when I asked questions

Paddleboard, kayak, canoe? Choose your (water) weapon. And be prepared to work out those stringy, lanky girl arms of yours. A rental is about $18/hour, on average, and all the equipment is in pretty great shape. You fill out a waiver, take a made-for-dummies water safety quiz ("If a boat is coming at you, do you a) move out of the way or b) wait until it hits you?"), and you're well on your way into a kayak, as a cute little pup with a STAFF collar runs circles around you on the dock. Grab a dry bag for $1 to keep your iPhone/camera/insanely expensive electronics dry. Let's face it: the most hardened grown man cries at the sight of a ruined piece of electronic equipment. This is a great way to see the city from a different vantage point, so friends from out of town would LOVE this. It beats the typical tour of the freedom trail and all that tried touristy stuff. And of course, it's a fun workout that beats the ho-hum of the gym any day. This may just be me and my tendency to seem approachable to weirdos, but some random old man yelled "No texting!" at me from the bridge as I passed under (I had no phone). I can't escape the crazies even on a river. But I was tempted to ask him to throw me a cupcake from SWEET (which, by the way, should deliver to kayakers on the river. There MUST be an app for that). P.S. Bring lots of water and sunblock. That is, unless you're ok with the thirst of death mid-river, and lobster thighs at the end of the day.

The experience would have been much more delightful if the staff was to be more adequate and friendly. We went there at 6pm and they were rushing us to go in the kayaks and come back as fast as possible, since they close at 7pm. It wasn't a good start of the experience. Other than that, a great way to spend an hour or so! When we went, the weather was windy and there were a lot of waves which made it even more fun. I recommend when going on the kanoe/kayak, take the first right and see the beautiful Boston! You can even try to peddle to get to it!

As my BF and I embarked on our adventure we were gifted with some free sunblock (score) before we pushed off. After 4 years living by the Charles river I had never seen it from this vantage point - a unique and fun experience! The skies also decided to cooperate by being cloudy and blocking direct sunlight. The filtered sunlight made for beautiful photos and a relaxing trip. Towards the end of our hour I was getting motion-sick so we paddled our way back, outracing all of our other adversaries. Unfortunately, we couldn't quite find the original bridge/dock that we left from -- this led to some maneuvering challenges and eventually a tight squeeze though an opening probably not meant for kayakers. All the more fun and adventure for us (but maybe more clear markings would help us directionally-challenged).

This is the option if one wants to go out on The Charles (the river for you out of towners) for a nice canoe or kayak experience. The staff is okay, not the friendliest. They didn't smile and they were very robotic in their explanations of the different options available. The equipment and dock workers were good. Unfortunately a huge lightning/thunderstorm came through 10 minutes after we went out. Had to paddle back soaking wet for safety. They didn't charge us for the episode, but in hindsight it seems if not for safety then for customer service they should have some sort of up to the minute weather service.

Really good place. They had 25 percent off today. We were 5 people. 2 in a double kayak, 2 in single kayak and one on a kids kayak. We paid 50 dollars. The workers manners were great; everybody works happily there. I certainly realized how relaxing is to kayak on a quiet river. Also, the weather was delightful and the water was warm. Very good breeze pushing us down the river.

Loved this so much. Has been in our bucket list for a few years. Easy parking garage literally steps from the kayaks. Easy and reasonably priced for a fun time.

Very impressed. Large selection. My wife and I spent 2 hours picking out just the right kayak for her, a Stellar S14. We learned a lot from Mark. Will definitely be back.

Really fun way to spend a day. The kayaks are cheap compared to other types of entertainment in Boston. Kayaking on the Charles gives you one of the best views of the Boston skyline.

Nice place with good rates and good people. We went on a day where there was a tour rolling through and were told we could only use a double but ended up waiting for 2 singles. The staff were pretty nice in accomodating and apologizing for the delay. We still ended up getting charged a double so we saved some money!

For starters, I love kayaking, and water sports in general, so it would be hard not to have a good time anytime I'm on the water. This place was pretty affordable, the water and the boston skyline view was beautiful. Only took away one star, because when we arrived, the guy who provided us with the waivers to sign, told us the wait could be up to 1-2 hours, and that once the boats go out they wouldn't come out for an hour at least, so we might want to try the allston/brighton location---it was like he was trying to convince us not to sign up for this location! We opted to stay, the lined moved quickly and the wait was only 30 minutes! So I don't really understand what this guy was trying to do, would he get to go home early or something if he deters customers away????