I was in the market to purchase a new sea kayak. Since they are pretty pricey, I wanted to make…read morethe right choice. I decided to check out, The River Connection, where I purchased my last kayak from. They only sell sea kayaks. No recreational or fishing kayaks here. Walking in, you will be greeted and helped by the owner, Marshall. He is extremely knowledgeable, so any questions you have about kayaks or kayaking, Marshall will have the answer. Marshall goes above and beyond to earn your business. He also offers free demos, sells top-quality gear, and has instructional programs.

If you're looking for a high-quality kayak and someone who truly knows what they're talking about,…read morego see Marshall. This guy is the real deal. His knowledge of kayaks is unreal -- from materials and stability to what works best for beginners vs. experienced paddlers, he breaks everything down in a way that actually makes sense. On top of that, Marshall's just a genuinely good soul. No pressure, no sales tactics -- he really just wants to help you find the right kayak for what you need. You can tell he takes pride in what he does and cares about the people he's helping. I walked away with an amazing kayak and the confidence that I made the right choice thanks to his guidance. If you want quality gear and honest expertise, Marshall is your guy. Highly recommend! ‍

Just an excellent place to get in a kayak for a leisurely paddling on Roundout Creek…read more The people were very friendly and helpful. It was easy to get started, with plenty of room to row a little upstream to the small dam or down to the islands in the small river.

The driveway comes up quick off the road. There's a sign for the business. There's a house at the…read moreend of the lot but the business operates out of trailers on your left side as you pull in. We didn't reserve any stand up paddle boards but we were greeted by a friendly college student who got us out on the water quickly. We boated under the bridge and saw a man made dam before heading over to the sand bar where our kids splashed around and played in the mud. We had kids as young as 6. If you're just paddling, I think 1 hour is enough but if you want to stop and play on the sandbar then 2 hours. Great time with a great business.

Good follow up letter I feel is very worthy of mentioning these things. Happy Kayaking!…read more "Atlantic Kayak Tours has been running kayak tours and instructional programs for 25 years. Our prices are lower than most other outfitters, while our equipment is the best available and our staff are highly trained. We offer programs starting at $20. Full day programs are about $100 and the equipment used on these programs range from $1,500 to $4,000 per client. We offer the boat ramp for free and are happy to have the paddling community use it. There is not a yearly park launch permit needed for car top boats (only for trailered boats). Safety policies are needed as kayaking now has the highest number of accidents of all boat types (according to the Coast Guard). Just this week a power boat hit a rowing shell just south of Norrie. We are proud to be the winners of the Sea Kayaker Magazine award for "Best Tour Operator in the Northeast", voted by the Readers. We continue to work hard to be the best outfitter in our area. " -Bill, Atlantic Kayak Tours

Our group of eight shelled out nearly $500 for the Norrie Short Tour at noon. I did the booking for…read morethe majority of us, and expected a confirmation email with all the pre-tour "need-to-knows." Whether their email never showed up in my inbox or it did and I accidentally deleted it, I'll never know. But lacking a proper confirmation, I emailed AKT explaining that I have not seen/read any confirmation info from them and would like one re-sent, to which Janice replied with a simple, "No worries, you're good!" and "We'll see you soon!" with no other details of what to expect. When we showed up at the scheduled time of 12:00PM, Janice greeted us with a reprimand "You should've been here at 11:30AM!" ...Why didn't she mention this in her email the previous day when I expressed concern over not knowing the specifics? "I ASSUMED someone in your group got the email" she said over and over. So we were inadvertently late. OK, all experienced kayakers, our group just wanted to get out on the water. Knowing there were eight of us, AKT should've had eight kayaks out and ready to go. Nope! We had to wait for Janice to count the kayaks...slowly... "one...two...three...four..." (gets distracted, starts over) "one...two...three...four...five...six...seven." Then count us: "one...two...three..." This goes on for a while, despite our plea "we just need one more boat!" Next comes a quick paddling lesson on the lawn and eventually, we launch. What's the plan? No one knows. Were any of us given options or shown a map? Nope! We don't know where we're going or if the two older gentleman who've been waiting in the water are also guides or if they're paying customers like us. To what should we be paddling towards? Can Janice offer some guidance or communication, please? A little history lesson would be nice, too... we ask about the mansion on the hill, she mumbles something about a German family owning it and then yells that there's a barge upriver and that we should avoid it. Well a-doyyy! We head towards Esopus Island. All are paddling well, with the exception of one of our friends who was given a kayak different from the rest of ours, ill-fitting to his 6'3" frame. Janice suggests he pull ashore the island to swap out with a smaller feller. We see what they're doing and all pull into the cove, too. "Don't get out here! Don't get out here!" she hollers. OK but are we gonna explore this island? "Paddle up the west side!" she insists without gesturing which way is west. Our group gets more and more spread out. Janice gets more and more panicked. We wondered if she was a substitute for a real instructor, or if this was her first day, or if she was on drugs. At one point she pushed off from shore but forgot her paddle. All this confusion lead to a mini-revolt among my friends. Without any kind of communication about the plan, the tall dude took off to another cove. Janice ordered a couple of us girls to stay put in a different cove. More confusion and micromanagement without communication. We would've been much, much happier had AKT simply rented us the gear and left the planning to us, but that option wasn't available. Instead, they charged us $60 a head to babysit us on a "tour" and for Janice to make excuses for poor planning and communication. I've met other guides at this company and they all seemed chill and eager to share their knowledge of kayaking and the history of the area. Janice however really missed the mark and left us all pretty disappointed with what was supposed to be the focus of the whole weekend and reason we camped at the adjoining state park in the first place. https://paddling.com/learn/10-tips-for-kayaking-with-a-group/

We had a great three days taking ASA 101 with Kris while on vacation in the Hudson Valley. His love…read morefor the sport of sailing and for teaching is evident. He's great company and has endless stories about sailing and life, in general. The marina is conveniently located in the Hudson Valley and is welcoming to beginners. We feel very fortunate to have learned how to sail which such a highly experienced instructor who is also a lot of fun.

Thanks to Captain Kris, I went from never hoisting a sail to understanding the basics of sailing in…read morejust 2 days. His ASA101 course is packed full of wisdom that goes far beyond the textbook. The experiential learning on the Hudson is both challenging and inspirational. And, we did manage a few laughs along the way. His class was a life changing experience for me. Captain K, I owe you a nice Cuban! ;) Thank you for this great class. I highly recommend it!

Phenomenal service! The staff gave us an informative run down of the area along with tips on…read morepaddling in the kayak.

Great staff, experienced and succinct. They assessed our group quickly, and made sure we were ready…read moreto go in good time. The kayaks are well suited for the Hudson river waves.

Absolutely delightful 2 hr cruise from Newburgh NY down the Hudson to West Point and back. A…read morenumber of interesting national regional and local historical sites long the way made the time pass quickly. Normally there are 75 to 90 people on board, we had a total of 14 and had the boat pretty much to ourselves. The crew on board were fantastic able to mingle with guests providing additional local information along the the way. This was a wonderful experience and delightful way to spend the afternoon drinking Spaten Oktoberfest and Kölsch while cruising down the Hudson. Thank you Diane for the inspiration!!!

10/25/2023: A delightful two hour afternoon tour aboard the Pride of the Hudson in Newburgh, NY…read more Boarding began at 12:30 pm for the 1:00 pm tour. Seating is available inside and on the top deck. A bar is located inside. The captain narrated the wonderful sites along the way-Bannerman's Island, Cold Spring, Storm King Mountain, Breakneck Mountain and West Point. The fall foliage was breathtaking. -Definitely bring binoculars for great viewing. The entire crew was wonderful. A shout out goes to Belinda. Parking is available in front of the dock. Just check-in with the crew to be sure you're in the "right parking". Please take any valuables with you. Pride of the Hudson is a wonderful experience!

I was out on my boat on the Hudson River early on a Sunday evening and needed gas. Every fuel dock…read morethat I stopped at was closed for the day and I was starting to run low. Instead of burning gas going to each marina, I began calling ahead. Rogers Point was getting ready to close, but the person who answered the phone (it's a yacht club run by it's own members) said he will stay open and wait for me. I filled up and we were able to enjoy the rest of the night on the boat thanks to Rogers Point. The member who helped me also said to call the marina by radio any time when they're closed and any of the members will be glad to come out and open up the fuel pump. Great place just north of the Walkway on the Hudson for any boaters who are ever in need of gas - and reasonable gas prices.

I have to recommend Springtown Cycles on Springtown Rd. I was out for a ride on the (wonderful)…read moreRail-Trail and my front fender lost a screw. Made a hideous noise as it rubbed on the front tire. Just then I reached Springtown Road, saw a sign for their shop--just a few hundred yards away--and upon arrival they fixed me right up. No charge, good humor and great chat. Both father and son were nice, knowledgable and sent us on our way fixed up and fine in minutes.

Great experience - seamless, proactive, helpful. Located right by the main trails so you don't need…read moreto take the bikes anywhere in a car. Couldn't ask for more. Thanks Craig!