3rd year in a row renting kayaks from this wonderful business…read more Always a warm and welcoming greeting when you walk in, Life jackets are always clean as well as kayaks. The men helping you load and unload off the kayaks are so polite. You will also be directed which way to go, so you aren't battling the tide. Bathrooms are spotless. If you want a great experience go here.

We strongly recommend this place!!! Great for families to individuals. Easy checking in and out…read more Bring a small cooler, sunblock and good vibes!!!

Captain was really great and got all the groups onto fish. Some great stories and really does a…read moregreat job with the younger kids on board. Our mate Matt was excellent and did a very nice job landing fish and showing everyone on board different species. Was a very nice time today on a late August trip with many fish over the rail!

What a great time today. They put us on fish and our party caught a few keepers. The captain and…read morehis mates ran a good boat, kept up with bait and landing fish. The best part was the stories from the captain and the attention that the mates gave the younger fishermen. We will be back and we highly recommend the Albatross!

This pirate cruise was great. It was as "authentic" as possible. The boat did look like an actual…read morepirate ship, the kids were given vests, a pirate tattoo and face paint. The staff really catered well to the kids and the kids had a great time. The staff may have been actors since the skit seemed professional. The all stayed in character the entire time. They also had a new activity for the kids every 15 minutes, creating a map, finding the pirate, squirting the pirate with squirt guns, finding treasure and eventually a limbo dance. Definitely recommend if you are in the area

Amazing experience! Our 6 year old absolutely loved this adventure and the "pirates" really put on…read morea fun and interactive show. I saw someone else mentioned it would be cool if the captain/pirates had more of a pirate look to them and I agree, but they still did such a great job regardless. Our daughter loved the "tattoo" and dress up, also had a lot of fun with her eye patch and pirate hook. Highly recommend as a unique experience when visiting cape cod with children.

Marty and his crew repowered my Key West 17' CC with a Suzuki DF90A. The price was good and Marty…read morewas able to diagnose some follow on issues, being able to water tests easily at his shop. During the overhaul issues were found in the console with strength of the steering mount and in the fuel tank sender and pickup. They added an aluminum plate to help the steering and got the fuel system working well. Boat runs like a new boat, turn key and go. The boat was designed for a 2 smoke and the added 100lb weight of a 4 stroke caused some on the mooring problems with deck drainage. Marty suggested we replace the bilge hatch with a more waterproof one and put a little ballast in the front of the boat and that worked fine. Marty showed me a boat at the dock that was just delivered and asked how much I thought it cost. I guessed 800k and he said 1.4 million. I think the repower work on little 17 footers may be a charity for us regular folks.

10/10 would recommend for boat rental!…read more After seeing some pretty worrisome reviews on Google and Yelp for other powerboat rental businesses in the area, I found Ship Shops and chose them due to their fantastic reviews and simple rental process. Judson went above and beyond to ensure that we would have a great day - explaining the maps of the area, and talking to us over the phone when we needed some help dropping the anchor. We come to the Cape every summer and will definitely be returning to Ship Shops next year to do it again!

We stopped in last minute and everyone was so welcoming and friendly. Access to the water is steps…read moreaway, so took about 15 minutes to pay along with brief safety instructions and a guide to the area. Kids loved looking for the scavenger hunt wild life the girl at the front desk told them about, and I loved that she asked them what they saw when we returned :) They were all so great with kids! We will definitely return next year!

So much fun! We had a blast in our kayaks. It was super easy to park, get the kayak, and get out…read moreinto the water. They do it all so you don't have to get wet at all if you don't want to. We went at a pretty busy time but Ashley helped us out and balance 3 groups of customers at various stages to get us set up and show us the map. 10/10 experience will do again

Your Dismissive and Inappropriate Response to Serious Safety Concerns…read more Your response to our extremely serious and well-documented safety concerns was not only inappropriate--it was dismissive, defensive, and deeply unprofessional. Let's begin with the most glaring issue: you told us someone would be in touch immediately--yet a week later, after multiple follow-up attempts, we've been ignored entirely. That alone speaks volumes about how seriously you actually take customer safety and communication. Had someone simply picked up the phone, responded to an email, or made a good-faith attempt to follow through on your own promise, this could have been resolved privately and constructively. But instead, we received a generic request for a Google review--not a personal reply. That alone is insulting. Now, regarding your response: "We have been in business for 22 years..." Longevity in business does not exempt you from accountability. It's not a shield from legitimate safety failures, nor is it a valid defense when a customer provides photo evidence of an unsecured carabiner mid-air on your ride. Saying "we've never had an incident" is meaningless when the situation I documented could have become one. Safety is not retroactive. "People cannot get out of the parachute unless they want to." This is a completely inappropriate, condescending, and dangerously dismissive statement. The issue here isn't whether someone wants to exit the harness--it's whether your equipment is secure enough to prevent accidental failure. My daughter's carabiner was visibly open and unsecured, something you can clearly see in the photos I sent that your company took. "You are making assumptions... we understand the equipment." I didn't make assumptions--I took photos. I didn't just say "I felt unsafe." I described, in detail, a chain of negligent actions, and backed them up with objective documentation. Your unwillingness to acknowledge this, coupled with a blanket statement that you "know better," is both arrogant and alarming. "You tipped the crew $20." This is perhaps the most bizarre and inappropriate point in your entire response. A gratuity, given under social pressure or out of politeness, has absolutely nothing to do with the safety concerns raised. Bringing that up is both irrelevant and in poor taste. The fact that your only real defense is to list credentials and dismiss my firsthand experience suggests a total unwillingness to engage in honest self-evaluation. That, more than anything, is what worries me most. I reached out to you privately, respectfully, and constructively. I provided detailed descriptions, documented evidence, and an opportunity to improve--not just for me, but for the safety of future customers. In return, I received a patronizing response, full of deflections, non-answers, and a complete refusal to accept that something serious happened on your watch. The safety of your passengers and the integrity of your operations depend on your ability to acknowledge and address issues--not on how many years you've been in business or how fast your staff can move.

The experience we had last week was extremely scary and I'm honestly still shaken up. Photos…read moreattached where you can see the open carabiner on the right side. I've also reached out to the company multiple times about it and originally received a response that they'd be in touch immediately. To date, a week later and after multiple follow up attempts, they've completely ignored all additional follow up attempts although I can see that all messages have been received. The negligence that day and since is alarming and frustrating. I cannot believe a business would conduct themselves in this manner and completely ignore a customer with such serous and legitimate concerns who was just trying to ensure safety of their customers, employees, and business and share it with them directly. Instead of contacting me I got a text asking for a Google review. I contacted them yet again letting them know so they could contact me directly to discuss but that final attempt to communicate was also ignored. Below is my initial correspondence to the company. Last week my daughters and I went out with my husband and a bunch of other people at 10am. I truly feel the boat was understaffed for the number of guests. The employee (non captain) was scrambling much too fast to ensure safety or compliance. They were loading groups on and off so speedily that I was concerned there was no time to check things accurately. When we were in the air my daughter said that her carabiner was opened. It was hard to see. I told her it was ok to keep her calm. As you can tell in the attached photos, it was never secured. I'm unsure why you don't have locking carabiners or at least check what you do have much more carefully. I was sick to my stomach the entire time afterward imagining what could have happened. Also, as the one staff person was running around he left the camera box unattended and it slid off the seat forcibly, slid across the floor of the boat and smashed into a younger passengers toe. It started to bleed immediately and he was in a lot of pain. The crew played it off like it was nothing--seemed they knew how to play it down as to not make it an issue. After that, the staff continued to leave the box unattended and my husband caught it a couple times before holding onto it himself for the duration of the trip. The staff person was rushing between attaching people and taking photos and doing anything else that was needed and it was too much for one person to do safely. They also allowed a person who was only riding along to parasail which added a whole ride to the trip and caused them to rush even more so they could stick to the tight schedule. There were several other things that happened that were disconcerting during our trip but the harness issue is by far the most serious. I'd like to discuss this issue and understand what steps will be taken to address it in the future so that nothing terrible happens to any passengers, crew, or your business. This isn't the kind of work that can afford rushing or carelessness and as nice as the staff person was, he was not setup for success with the staffing or materials he was provided with today. Based on my experience the day of and subsequently, I would highly advise not engaging with this business.

Do not hesitate to book this trip. I booked a sunset cruise last minute, and we had such a…read morephenomenal time! 2 hrs long, BYOB, the naturalist doesn't go over board on information , but gives you highlights about what you're seeing and passing. The sunset was incredible, and with it being Covid limited capacity and each group spread out. Captain Joe and the naturalist are happy to take any picture you want, and have a great restaurant recommendation next door to marina, Mattakeese Wharf. Great for couples, kids, and an evening night out!

Hard to overstate how great a time we had on our trip! We were two families with 4 children…read morebetween 5 and 10 on the sandbar trip, which is geared toward kids. From the moment we arrived at the boat, our guide Andrea had all the kids completely engrossed: she had a table set up with live shrimp, fish, sea squirts, etc. ready for the kids to look at under magnification. After a 15 minute ride out to the sandbar, Andrea led us around on foot for about an hour and it was fascinating! Her ability, with almost every step, to identify creatures with interesting stories was a blast for kids and adults alike. Her knowledge is encyclopedic, and her manner is pure enthusiasm. Get on the boat!

YRSC is great. Most instructors are young college students who have gone through the program…read morethemselves. The very young beginners start out sailing in knock abouts to learn the ropes. Those looking to race will sail two-up in 420's or singly in Lasers. Many of the racing instructors have experience racing for their high school or college sailing teams. Friendly, safe, warm, inclusive atmosphere. Good equipment, usually decent wind, and clean water on Lewis Bay.

A great place to learn the art of sailing with an experienced and professional staff, the salt air…read moreand sea breeze learning on classic Cape Cod Knockabouts is what songs are made of!

Jeff and Jason were incredible hosts to my son, my husband and I. We could hear the various boat…read morecaptains communicating over the radio, and the fish simply weren't biting. Captain Jeff did not shy away from moving as many times as needed to find the fish, which he did. Each of us caught two or three stripers/blues and pulled in a few skates. In landing the skates (which is apparently something fishermen don't want to do) Jason used the experience to further entertain our curiosity. Skates are ticklish. Yes, that's right--if you tickle their bellies, they curl up around your hand and their mouths look like they're smiling. I may even write a childrens book from the skates' perspective of the bizarre experience of being kidnapped by jigs carrying switchblades, to be tickled on video by humans and then dropped back off at home in the sea, ha! Poor jokes aside, we are already planning our next charter with the delightful family behind First Light and would be remiss not to recommend that any who are reading this do the same.

The best beach we've found in Cape Cod. The reason? All year round dog friendly beach, the beach of…read morewhich at low tide extends for what must be a mile out. People bring their 4x4s here and park and play (but not many of them). Get to South Street off 6A, and then drive, drive, drive to the end of South Street (it's bumpy and gravely and a fun ride) where we can park in a nestle of trees. From there it's a quick hop over the dunes via the path, and endless splashing and playing await. Check the tide times for Barnstable harbour, and head on down for low tide! There's even some rocks to play around on if you do hit high tide....

Amazing exposed beach during low tide. Best place to take…read moreyour pup , not crowded at all. Atv , suv access point to beach. You will see little fishes in the puddles of water just chilling ... Just amazing place to be .