We went on a very impromptu paddleboarding run on a Saturday. Everyone at the shop was extremely helpful, a little bit of language barrier and snafu here and there, but they were the most pleasant and gave us recommendations based on our time frame and experience level. They sell some incidentals at the shop, but didn't try to upsell. We were instructed to pick up the life jacket, but they brought the paddleboard over to the dock across the street. There was no demonstration, but it was easy enough to figure out that I started backwards on my board and the family was nice enough not to say anything about it (lol). We did a very short ride, an hour out in the water. The paddleboard and the paddle seemed well-maintained (not that I am an expert). The course they suggested was perfect as it gave us some time in the water. Because it was the height of the day, it was not very crowded out in the water, though I could see larger groups starting their rides by the time we came back to shore. It was a surprisingly pleasant experienced and I love that it's a family business. I would visit the Peconic Paddler again. read more

My husband turned us on to this place. It's very low key and chill and he couldn't be more right. What an amazing day out on the Peconic River in Riverhead. They made it so easy. They helped us decide what would work best for our group. They gave us all life preservers and had us in the water and going within 5 min of arrival. Easy Peezy. You can go as long as you want or just do a quick float about. We did about a 2 mile trip, (took about 3 hours)we arrived at a small waterfall and the kids got to get out and play about a little. They loved it, don't forget your water shoes and your bathing suit. You cant really swim but you will get somewhat wet. Pack a lunch or go to the end where there is a spot to get out and grab and taco or some ice cream. Maybe both. The trip back went a little faster as you are going back with the current. If you are always wondering what to do with the kids ( of any age ) I highly recommend you try this place. read more

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Great time on the Peconic river!!! Took 2 trips so far and can't wait to go again!! First time we stopped for pizza and it was delish! Family run biz and they are very nice and accommodating!! Highly recommend read more

Had a great time, no problems. canoes and kayaks read more

This place is so much fun! The new owners are so nice and helpful, the rentals are great, and the water is so relaxing! Great place to go when you just want to have a fun, stress-free day with family and friends. Wonderful time, unforgettable memories! All the old reviews are from previous ownership -- Go and check out the NEW owners... The place is turning around for the best! :) Keep up the good work! read more

Just had the most wonderful day on the Peconic River! All three Paddler employees we spoke to were super nice and helpful - it's my understanding they are the new owners and all of the negative reviews were from prior owners. They helped us select our kayaks and recommended the river for a scenic trip, although you can also bring them down to the canal. The river was so peaceful and we saw a bunch of wildlife! Herons, a Swan and her babies, a muskrat, Osprey and loads of geese. We kayaked all the way down the river to the pizza place and grabbed a quick slice before heading back! Such a nice day, will definitely come back. read more

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Own my own kayak; during my search I stopped here and was surprised. This may be a nice option for renting and a day trip, but they overcharge in many ways. Don't buy here if you're planning to make an investment, and don't launch from near here if you want a nice day on the water. 2013: had a 'going-out-of-business' sale where they seemed to have zero intention of selling anything, not budging a penny on pricing and insisting 'you get what you pay for'. Yes, I will...elsewhere. read more

Avoid. Having their latest "Going out of business" sale for the 8th consecutive year. Not run or staffed by paddlers or people interested in kayaking, canoeing, or watersport. Customer service? Sorry, wrong place. The staff acts as if they are being bothered by one's questions. Lots of old/dirty/dusty equipment being sold as new. If intending on making a deal here, do research first. spending 30 seconds doing this will make even the most novice boater infinitely more knowledgeable than the staff here, and will prevent one form being ripped off. Hopefully they actually do go out of business and allow someone with brains, money, and desire to take over. read more

I had a great experience yesterday, its a fun kayak trip. We saw two great blue herons, turtles, swans, unusual ducks and geese. There also was lot of friendly small damsel flies, it was like being in a Disney cartoon, You can stop for pizza down river and get 10 per cent off if you show your Peconic Paddler receipt. A very interesting kayak trip I highly recommend it. read more

This spot is amazing, first of all the river was extremely fun to take my friends on. We're all 21 and enjoyed ourselves. On top of that the service was impeccable. Never met sweeter people in my life. At the end of the trip I forgot my keys in the bathroom and they were kind enough to return back to the spot and open the door for us. Would recommend 10/10 times if u need a trustworthy and fun experience. Huge thanks to Barbara and tom. You made our experience 1 of a kind read more

Friendly Top notch service!! Clean, quality equipment with efficient check in! Our trip exceeded our expectations...We saw an abundance of wildlife while paddling in scenic beauty!! There was even a beach where we stopped to take a swim and have lunch. We will be coming back again and highly recommend Peconic paddler to all :) read more

Previous owner is gone, nice new family in charge and we had a wonderful day of kayaking on the River!

It was 25+ years ago that I visited the Peconic Paddler. In search of a nostalgic outing with a friend I reserved an 8:00AM canoe trip along the Peconic river. What a colossal disappointment. No one was there at 8:00 so I called the owner on his mobile phone primarily to ensure we were at the right place. 15 minutes later, a new employee stumbles in to tell us "We're not doing the Peconic river option today, the tour I "reserved" 4 weeks earlier. So, did they wind up renting us a couple of beat up kayaks? Yes. Did my friend and I have a good time paddling around? Yes. Is the place an unorganized dump on the brink of extinction? Absolutely. Oh, and ladies...Don't even attempt using the bathroom but if you absolutely must, don't touch a thing. I understand this may be the last season for the current owner. Perhaps it was a well run business in years past but I would strongly suggest taking a pass. It needs to be sold to someone with the resources and drive to do CPR on the place. read more

I own my own kayak but I wanted to do a day trip with a friend who doesn't own a kayak. This place is horrible and I wish they would sell the place so someone who really loves what they're doing would take over. The place is dirty, the kayaks are a disaster, and the customer service is nonexistant. With kayaks sitting outside not covered spiders and other critters will get in, just a fact of life. I asked them to spray out the inside with a water hose. The guy acted as if I had just asked him for a million dollars. I ended up doing it myself. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else. read more

New owners took over and they've made MASSIVE improvements to the business. Expanded hours and more staff are making a difference, with the new owners dedicated to seeing the business succeed. Its great to see local businesses thriving and I will definitely be paddling with them again very soon! read more

Small time hustler--tries to pass off used kayaks for new "demos". Garage sale aesthetic. Would avoid unless looking for a rental and in a pinch. read more

The shop was fully stocked with great looking boards and yaks that the friendly staff was happy to talk about. Had a great time checking out he Peconic from a SUP and would highly recommend this hidden gem to anyone. Will be back soon to rent if not buy a board!! read more

This place is fantastic. Riverhead, NY in on the north shore of long island about an hour outside of the city. You can rent kayaks or canoes here at a very reasonable rate for a couple hours or for the day. I'm a bit conflicted about the kayaking area, on one side you're not really surrounded by nature because most of the kayaking area (that isn't rough open ocean) is a marina (basically a parking lot for a ton of boats). On the other side not only do you get to gawk at all the beautiful boats as you paddle by but the water in the area is extremely calm and beautiful. If you paddle about a mile past the marina you will get into the open ocean with choppy water and speed boats with no speed limits (the boats have to be idling along slowly in the marina area). Just past the marina there's a golf course and bordering the course there's a small sandy beach which was a perfect place to pull the kayaks over and have a little picnic which was great. Peconic Paddler is a great place and I'll be sure to come back again soon. read more

Peconic Paddler - Boating Near Me - Riverhead, New York

This place, while it has some cars pass on the side of the river, is very nice. The management is great, and the boats themselves are in very good condition. It is very serene and calm, the current is nothing crazy, and it is a very easy, family-friendly experience. read more

Called on a Friday and spoke with an employee. Got some information on renting. Called again a few days later to actually go and rent and got a different story. Man was rude and nasty. Actually hung up on me and said "Gotta go, I have customers". Oh! Guess I wasn't a customer! Went to Sports Authority just down the road and rented a kayak for HALF THE PRICE OF THIS CLOWN. Do yourself a favor and skip this joke of a business and go to SA. read more

Reading the reviews for the last few years I was worried, so drove over to take a look before renting a pair of canoes. The place was tidy, equipment we'll maintained and a lot of new kayaks for rent and sale. There is access to the Peconic river at the back of the store and paddling up the river was delightful. I would have given the place five stars except for them being a bit understaffed (it was Memorial Day weekend and there was a flood of customers.). They should also update their website so that you can reserve boats on line (we did that last year renting kayaks from a group outside of Monterey and it allowed them to manage large numbers quite well). read more

Rude people. Would not recommend. Called and gave me attitude, showed up 30 minutes after I called and then the guy told me they were closing an hour early and that my family and I couldn't rent kayaks and we were outta luck. Don't give this schmuck your money, find another outfitter. read more

Worst Business Practice EVER!! Started 20 years ago when totally rude when I was Purchasing my first boat ( which I ended up getting at Dingy Shop in Amityville) and continues to today when a group of us were having a planned last day on the water. Two people were renting from this rude clown , e Mails were sent back and forth to ensure that we were indeed renting, The owner told the two renters they would have to have the boats back by 2 (it was already 12:15.. Giving all kinds of ridiculous stipulations , knowing we could not do the trip in that short time,,.. then after launching one of the boats he decided , NO,,,not renting boats today, will issue refunds,(check your credit card statements!!),,and pulled out of the sale. We had others with our boats launched, and now not enough boats to enjoy a day on the river, day ruined!!! VERY terrible business practice, NO customer service, Has been telling customers that the business has been sold and this is his last year for YEARS!! LIAR, Cheat, RUDE..all around HORRIBLE business ethics. If the person that is supposedly buying this rat hole reads this, THINK TWICE,,, owner has a really bad rep...Would not recommend this TRASH place to ANYONE~~~ Rent from DICKS!!!! read more