James, our guide on our rafting trip, was amazing. He is an amazing guide who taught everyone in…read morethe raft how to navigate in the water as a group within the first few minutes. James loves what he does and has many years of experience. He speaks multiple languages fluently and is knowledgeable in everything! James made our rafting trip truly memorable. Not one second of the journey was boring with him as guide!

Bought a new Pyranha Scorch small kayak! Order went well with delivery within a few weeks. Jim…read moreanswered all questions and was very knowledgeable about kayaking was buying! Transaction went smoothly! This was a 2nd kayak after 45 years with same brand!

This place is amazing. The scenery is beautiful, it's located in a great area (across the street…read morefrom Nantasket Beach), and the staff is truly wonderful. Very helpful, knowledgeable, and keep everything clean. I go there as much as I can. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

We went here during Phase 3 of COVID as we are trying to keep social distant and entertain our…read moretoddler. I called the day before to confirm we could rent a kayak for 2 adults and take our toddler. I was happy with the social distancing measures they had in place. They had a sign to please wear a mask and keep space. Once you rented your kayak you had to wait to go on the dock until the party in front of you had left. They requested you sign the waiver online so there was no handing out of pens and paper. We lucked out with the weather the day we went because the water was fairly calm. You could head over to worlds end, get out a swim if you wanted and there was a few other places to get out. Overall great experience, we will definitely be back.

I was hoping to learn sailing this summer but this place is very disorganized. The people…read moreconducting orientation have apparently not even been out on the water. And discourage you saying the water is really dirty. They have you take two classes on land on your own and then take a boat out on your own by coordinating yourself on Slack. It's not really a place to learn with a coach. Might be fine if you're just here to rent - can't speak to that.

This is a review just for kayaking:…read more On a beautiful Sunday, we wanted to kayak. We first went to another sailing pavilion that was unfortunately closed and then tried Community Boating. The office / guest services area inside is pretty well staffed and they have bathrooms and lockers so seemed promising. Unfortunately after you pay it becomes clear the main intent of this place is sailing. If you want to do anything else, do not come here. I had to chase multiple people down for us to get assistance with getting paddles and we had to go out into the water on our own with little to no direction. In the end, we didn't even get to spend the full 2 hours you pay for out on the water because it took so long to get setup on our own. Don't come here for anything but sailing!

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.

This passed summer, my girlfriend wanted me to try canoeing and it was surprisingly fun and…read morerelaxing! The staff was very helpful in finding the right size oar for you as well as the life jacket. Then, they push you off in the canoe and best of luck on your journey!! Joking, but you are pretty much on your own though, but it's so easy to figure out even though it's my first try. I forgot the price, but it barely puts a dent in your wallet for going around the river for a few hours. There's ample parking as well, and if you need a special canoe/kayak, you can request it ahead of time and they'll have it delivered. Also, they had a day where you help bag trash you find along the river and they comp you for today's canoeing. I can't wait to come back again next summer!

Think they own the whole area around the boat house. There are family's with kids and dogs walking…read moreand playing around the boat house, they drive their cars where ever they want and park them on the grass when there is plenty of space for them to park in the parking lot.

Stopped in very last minute as they were closing on a slow late summer Tuesday. Was driving…read morethrough and wanted to see some loon's if at all possible. The dog and very competent daughter greeted upon walking in off street. Marty the Owner came out and recommended paddle board and directed to nearby lake. They were spot on! The family of 7-loon's right in area Marty recommended (great long paddle). What an experience! So grateful found these folks... our country needs more like you these days. Thank you Marty, grown daughter and dog!

This is a great shop, very impressive. With EMS gone now we have fewer choices when looking for…read moreoutdoor wear. I really liked what they had for men's and women's outdoor clothing. Interestingly enough, they also carry a decent selection of used gear: backpacks/sleeping bags, etc.. Great experience in this wonderful shop.

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!

Whenever I travel, I look for opportunities to get on the water, preferably in a kayak. This was…read moremy first time paddling the Charles River. I was staying in East Cambridge so traveled upstream to the Allston location which didn't turn out to be as scenic or straightforward as I had first thought, though once on the water, the trip was beautiful. The website says the easiest way to get to the Allston location is by mass transit (the Harvard stop on the Red Line) then another 1.5 miles on foot. I was using my gps (make sure you start out with lots of battery power for this trip) but even then, I took a wrong turn when trying to cross the bridge and get to the correct side because of road traffic (you have to fund the foot path that goes under the road which I found only because I happened to see a large group of students and followed). Also, the "1-mile stretch of the walk along the river was actually blocked by temporary fencing so you actually had to walk on the opposite side of the street and can't see the river at all. I would recommend using a car service to get here, if you're unfamiliar with the area. The launch area consists of a check in kiosk (remember to fill out your waiver online to save a little time) and a storage shed for the equipment (no restroom, as far as I could see and nothing else anywhere close by. No need to reserve ahead of time, as they had many kayaks (single and double, thankfully NOT the sit-on-tops), paddle boards and canoes. You can borrow a dry bag at no charge, they set you up with your paddle and pfd, then you get in at water level from the floating dock. I did the one way trip to Kendall Square (5 miles, $10 feet), passing under 7 bridges, lots of green space plus a number of beautiful crew boat houses. This section of the river is flat (no current) and the wind wasn't strong at all. So lovely and peaceful with some geese and cormorants along the way. There were a number of other paddlers and a few crew team practicing so you aren't totally alone but I found it perfect. As you get closer to the center of Boston the noise from the road and people using the paths which lines the shores picks up, but there's a screen of vegetation all along the river so it still very scenic. Between the last two bridges, the wind picks up and there were quite a few sailboats on the water, too (looked like there was a public sailboat launch on the Boston shore. There were also a few boat tour boats, but not a lot which was really nice. The end point is located in a small canal leading to Kendall Square. The set up there has a tent over a table for check ins and a little trailer for checking out. Note that when I went, this lower area of the Charles River was still unfortunately plagued by toxic algae, so be careful about getting the water on you and wash off as soon as you can. Staff at both ends were pleasant and efficient. Total cost was very reasonable ($45 + $10 one-way fee). They tell you the trip takes between 2 and 2,5 hours (I did it in less, but you should take it slow and enjoy it, if you have the time!)

I booked a kayak here and travelled to the Kendall Square location. I should have gone the other…read moredirection - the most difficult part was near the Kendal Square location, and I was paddling against the wind and current most of the way. Other than that, it was a great trip! It's a nice mix of peaceful trees and city views. I also paddled through a sailing team practice, which was cool. The boats were in great shape. The life jackets were showing their age, but I guess that's what you get with rentals. They estimated 1.5 - 2 hours for this trip, and it took me about an hour.

I never knew this was here! Had a great time and the staff were friendly and accommodating.read more

Nice lake and boats but... We arrived and the rangers at the…read morepark (this is the Cochituate State park site) told us there were high levels of cyanobacteria in the water, and not to get wet and/or to make sure we wash off after. Oh, and there is no hose and the bathrooms had closed at 2 pm. But there is still an $8 parking fee ($30 for out of state!) and the business is renting boats like crazy, with no warnings on the web site or at the boat launch (we had paid in advance).

Our extended family had an absolutely fabulous time in June at an important family kayaking event,…read moremade possible by Aquahoppers; thank you Donna and WT!! Donna was extremely accommodating regarding our arrangements (which were not straightforward!) and her flexibility and suggestions made our whole morning go incredibly smoothly. They delivered 8 single kayaks at 8:30 in the morning, which completely eliminated any hassle for us, and met us at the end of our kayaking and took care of everything. Mobile kayaking is a great concept! Donna and her 1st mate were super friendly and very pleasant and fun to work with. Simply fantastic and highly recommended.

What a great couple. What a great service. Why bother loading and aggravating getting the kayaks to…read morea lake when these 2 will just meet you wherever with the kayaks and off you go. Reasonable price and superb knowledge between them both. They take the time to set you up and take the time to make sure you had fun. They obviously love what they do and want everyone else to enjoy it too!