Diane & her team did a great job of accomodating our family on Father's Day! Our father has some…read morephysical impairments, and Diane was friendly, prepared, courteous, and made sure that we had a great (and safe!) time! Her team did everything right to ensure that our paddles, life vests, and canoes were disinfected properly, too! Thanks for a great day! We'll be back!

We LOVE Nashoba Paddler. From camps for our kids, to a leisurely Sunday paddle, or a full-moon…read moretour, we've had only the best experiences here. Great boats, great river, great staff.

Great assortment of equipment and friendly staff! Kayak, Paddle-board, Canoe or Paddle…read moreBoats....prices are reasonable as well!

I recently went to Charles River to look at their kayaks. I told Marc, the salesperson, what I was…read morelooking for, type of kayaking I do and my budget. Marc was very helpful, knowledgeable and took his time showing me different kayaks and explaining their features. He was outstanding. I purchased a kayak, car carrier and PFD and Marc made the buying experience very enjoyable. If you looking to buy kayak or accessories I would highly recommend visiting their store. Their staff is professional and their prices are competitive to any other retailers.

We were out at Hopkinton State Park for a summer bbq picnic so we had already paid the $5 to park…read morein the park (ha!). To locate Boating in Boston, we drove down the main drag of the park and turned in at Birch Street, then we continued on till we spotted the boats. There's a small lot right by there, another lot before them by the beach, and after that it is quite a walk upwards to the next lot on the opposite side of the dirt road. Tip: don't park on the grass - you might get a ticket when you're not looking. Paying $25 for what otherwise would have been free parking isn't quite worth it. They had a tent set up for registering on one side with a driver's license (though they didn't take ours, they just scanned them), and for paying on the other side. With only one staffer handling things on either side, the lines moved rather slowly. Waivers are required to be completed for each participant, but only one license is needed per group. We came and left at good times when the lines weren't atrocious, but we could see how things might get frustrating at times. Once we passed the divider by the water we were fitted with life jackets, grabbed our two headed paddles (one per person), then headed on to the multiperson (straight ahead) or single person launch (to the right) where we were set in a boat and given a push. Yes, no lesson on how to handle the paddle, no nothing. But fortunately both my cohort (who took the back seat and the lead in directing our ship) and I had been around on one of these things before. But if you haven't, you might want to say something to this affect before you are sent off on your own in a boat with a paddle. We kayaked around the two little forested islands and back again. With no motor boats in the water it was a relatively calm and stress free time out in the water. Though we came with a voucher that would have covered a one-hour single kayak ($15/hour), two-person kayak ($20/hour), canoe ($25/hour for 2-3 people), or stand-up paddleboard ($20/hour) rental, we found that a two-person kayak rental was charged $1.25 in tax while the single kayak was not. Expect to get wet, so if you can, wear clothing that dries fast or consider bringing a change of clothing.

With Groupon & BuyWithMe in hand, I came here on 2 occasions, one to learn how to sail! Two - to go…read morekayaking! This location has plenty of parking, but beware, you may have to pay for parking to enter Hopkinton State Park, which they don't have posted on their website, but it's only $5/car which isn't bad at all for a day of fun! The staff at Outdoor Recreation was nothing but friendly and helpful! They do take your license when renting a kayak, so don't forget to get it back at the end of the day! Kevin, my instructor, was extremely great during our sailing lesson. Going through our safety lecture, some vocabulary, and the overview of the day. We canoed over to our sail boat, learned how to set everything up and went through some of the actions. Each of us took several turns at how to sail the boat, how to tact, how to run, and so forth. It was seriously an amazing day on the water. If I could afford to, I would love to sign up for a 4-week course, but alas this is not my time to do so. But perhaps in the near future. Upon return to Outdoor Recreation a few weeks later, it was nothing but a great time. The staff got us squared away in no time. Got our life vests on and into our kayaks quickly and safely. Spent about 2.5 hours on the water and around the lake, enjoyed the sun and fun! Would definitely love to come back again. Perhaps next time, I'll have saved enough money to have purchased my own gear. But until I have my own kayak and PFD, I'll definitely be using Outdoor Recreation again for whenever I want to hit the water and relax on the lake.

So I'm not exactly sure what I was thinking trying paddle boarding. I think it had something to do…read morewith the fact that my friend and I had wanted to do it when we were down in key west but ran out of time. Suffice it to say, this fool can barely walk in a straight line sober. I had no business attempting to stand up on a floatation device. Anyway. I'm going to claim temporary insanity, but as soon as I saw a Gilt deal for SUP I was on it. It also didn't hurt that Jill is one of my favorite instructors at btone, so I figured it wouldn't be a bad time. It was really windy when we went out and lets just say i've had enough Charles river on me circa Brandeis rowing 2007-09, so i was way too chicken to even stand up on the board for fear of falling into the cesspool of hepatitis. A B C--pick your flavor. Bless my instructor Ingrid's heart, she was so patient with me. Today is the day after and i'd say a good 60% of my body is screaming "whyyyyyyy?!?!?!" if nothing else, at least i got a killer work out...and definitely an awesome view of the city. can't beat that. I suggest bringing a waterproof disposable to snap a couple of shots. some logistics stuff--you may have to reschedule to a location other than the one you were planning on depending on wind conditions. Jill is savvy with an iphone, so communication/planning isn't an issue. If you're meeting on the Charles, you'll be pulling into the riverside boat club parking lot (free) across from Trader Joe's. Just look for the out of place UHaul to the far left of the lot. Remember to bring your Gilt voucher if you have one, and definitely some cash for your instructor.

Jill was an awesome instructor. We had such a great day out on the water. I would highly…read morerecommend her to anyone. We will definitely be back for more stand up paddle board as soon as the water warms up.

CR not only rents but also SELLS kayaks, a dealer for several stellar lines (including Stellar!)…read moreThey are extremely knowledgeable, often have demo models to try out at the Newton site. It is so important to try before you buy or order, and they help with that process. As they did, patiently, with me, when I came looking for advice on a replacement ocean kayak with greater stability. They have some used kayaks for sale but can facilitate an order for a newer model. Their brands run the gamut, and their advice, from my personal experience, is beyond sound. It is rock-solid excellent. Their Waltham shop can also repair minor and major damage, kayaks and canoes...which is reassuring. Rocks sometimes magically appear out of nowhere...with the expected/unexpected results.

I drive by here almost every day and have always wanted to try it. I am so happy I finally decided…read moreto check it out! I went with 3 other people and we rented two double kayaks for 1hr ($40 total). They give you everything you need and the process is very easy. All of the staff members were very friendly. They had kayaks, canoes, and paddle boards and people of all ages were there renting them. We even saw an older couple with their dog on board. So cute!! If you're looking for something to do on the weekend or even after work on a weekday, you should check it out.

From start to finish we found them to be professional, understanding and supportive, by phone and…read morein person. They were quick to address our issue with the boat and quick to get it back to us from pickup to dropoff! We won't hesitate to go back and recommend them to anyone looking to purchase--to anyone needing service. Most courteous people we have had interactions with in boating!

Wow. Great place to buy a boat. Found the Pontoon I wanted, contacted Kris in the sales office and…read morehe took care of the rest. Bought the boat sight unseen and it arrived at my house exactly as he informed me. Very professional and easy to deal with. Very trust worthy. Too bad I dont live in that area, I would deal with them always.

For the price, this was worth it. We bought a Groupon for $22 -which was for a 2 person tandem…read morekayak rental for 2 hrs. However, when we got to the rental shop no one was there. We arrived 10 minutes before they opened. We waited for a few minutes after opening and one of the young men informed us he was going to the restroom before he opened. Once we signed the paperwork, it was quick, but, we were given very little instruction. Perhaps we should have inquired, but no real info was given. The employee did bring our kayak down to the water for us and assisted us getting into the kayak.

I loved going to the Lincoln Woods beach to use the EMS Kayak Rentals !! was so easy super fun, and…read morethey help you with life jackets and put the boats right on the shore for you. It is a bit high in price esp if you have a big family. We paid 50$ for 3 people for 1 hour. It was a fun time we are def going back

Equipment is always in great shape. And their employees are very helpful…read more We vacation with 4 family's. We typically get a paddle board and 2 kayaks. The boards and kayaks see steady usage by both adults and kids. EMS rentals has become a fun part of our vacation experience. Highly recommend.

Great to get out on lake pearl and paddle around the lake. Busy weekend days can be tough fighting…read morethe boat waves on a paddle board. It's a nice way to spend the afternoon.

Had an evening event in Boston, so decided to go kayaking earlier in the day. Place was well…read moremanaged and kayaks were in great condition. Spent about three hours on the Charles and enjoyed every minute. Current was mild and scenery was spectacular. Looking forward to doing it again next time I'm in the Boston area. Enjoy!

This was a great way to get the kids some time out to themselves on the Charles. We showed up near…read moresunset (last boat goes in at 7:00) and the kids kayaked until just after 8:00, when all boats must be ashore. The water was higher due to recent rains, but the kids (17 & 15) were able to easily navigate the river on the paddle downstream and again on the paddle upstream. At $20 an hour for a single kayak, this is a pretty good deal, especially if you have teens who want an excursion. Totally worth the time, even with the waiver/safety video you must have to be able to go boating. Go enjoy the Charles at your own pace!