If you're spending time up in the Blue Hill/Penobscot/Castine areas and want to get out on a kayak, The Activity Shop is perfect! We rented a cottage on the Bagaduce for a week. The Kayak was dropped off the day we arrived and picked up right after we left. The Kayak was perfect. Fantastic service - they made it so easy! read more

The owner Chris was very accommodating. We rented a canoe for a week. They delivered and picked up right on schedule. Prices were reasonable. Canoe was in great shape. Highly recommend this outfitter. read more

Great products and customer service . Always on time with Kayack delivers and pick ups .

My partner and I visited the Acadia area for Labor Day weekend - during COVID so no surprise that the whole world had also descended upon rural Maine that weekend. We hadn't made any reservations for activities ahead of time, so the morning we decided we wanted to paddleboard, I was a bit nervous in case all the businesses in operation were already booked up. I called 10+ places with no luck, then stumbled upon The Activity Shop's number. Turned out to be our lucky day - The Activity Shop is located ~1 hour outside Acadia, so they didn't seem to be inundated with tourists. The owner (I think), Chris, worked with us on the phone to figure out the details of our reservation - and he is one of the nicest people I have ever met. He took the time to explain everything - the best area to paddleboard, when to go to avoid low tide, safety tips, etc. The place he recommended, Blue Hill Harbor, was devoid of other tourists and amazingly gorgeous - we felt like we owned our own slice of paradise. The boards we rented were high-quality. They seem to only offer full-day rentals which can be a bit pricey ($65 per board) but I liked not having the pressure of having to return the boards within a certain amount of time. We played around as long as we wanted and when we were done, we could just leave the boards by the dock and let the Activity Shop know we were done - super easy. Definitely recommend The Activity Shop if you are looking to rent kayaks / canoes / paddleboards near Acadia - a much better experience than the tourist traps in Bar Harbor! read more

The Activity Shop - The store recommended this area - we paddled to an island in Blue Hill Harbor - Boating Near Me - Blue Hill, Maine

They were very helpful making the reservation over the phone, all the gear was in the specified drop off spot, and all communications were clear and courteous the whole way through. Would absolutely use their services again. Thank you guys. read more

We recently spent some time in Brooklin and were fortunate to have found The Activity Shop. The website is very easy to use so I filled out an initial questionnaire one evening and Chris called me the next morning. He was very helpful in answering any questions I had and we ended up renting two kayaks for a week. They provide delivery and pickup services and even have tidal charts on their website which was great The whole process was seamless and I couldn't recommend them highly enough. We will definitely use their services again on our next trip. read more

we've rented kayaks from them for years. They're terrific. On time service, plenty of kayaks of all types. Extremely friendly folks and very helpful. Happy customers. read more

Rented a tandem sea kayak for a week. It came with life vests. Not cheap but absolutely worth it to discover the shore and islands nearby. They delivered to and picked up from our hotel for a small fee, warned us about bad weather and took amazing care of everything. Highly recommended! read more

The Activity Shop - Boating Near Me - Blue Hill, Maine

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I rent from the Activity Shop every year and they are terrific. Easy to communicate with and reliable with their delivery - and I rent a place that isn't easy to find and has a steep descent to the "beach." Always good equipment too. They serve the whole peninsula - even the tip of Deer Isle! read more

I have used the Activity Shop for at least 4 years every summer to get kayaks for Branch Lake in Ellsworth. Gayle and her team live and breathe customer service! The kayaks, paddles and life jackets are delivered clean and picked up promptly!! I always try to reserve early and would encourage you to do the same. You will not be disappointed, read more

Chris and his staff are amazing! Such nice people and totally professional. They set us up for a beautiful morning of kayaking in Blue Hill Harbor. They explained all safety features and gave us great tips on where to go, etc. Delivered the kayaks for us and made everything so easy!! Loved it--will definitely go back!! read more

We had such a great experience with The Activity Shop. They answered any of our questions quickly and professionally. They delivered the two person kayak as promised and made sure all was perfect! I would highly recommend this company for any of your water activities! Thank you! Janie read more

Spent a week at a place in Surry, Maine and wanted to do some kayaking. Searched and found this business and made arrangements with Chris to have a kayak delivered to the place. He was very nice and informative. He helped me pick out a kayak and it was there when we arrived with paddles and PFD. Clean and in perfect condition. Hopefully I will get to Surry again and I will absolutely use them again! read more

I've rented kayaks from The Activity Shop the last two summers and can't say enough good things about them! They are responsive, professional, and deliver and pick up high quality equipment on time. Everyone there is friendly and helpful. Absolutely flawless service -- we plan to use them every summer! read more

The Activity Shop staff were great and very accommodating. They dropped off kayaks at our rental house ahead of time and delayed the pick up by an hour when we requested that at the last minute. They shared tips about avoiding kayaking in high winds and noted that the cove next to our house would be a great place to kayak. The kayaks were all very good. I highly recommend them. read more

We showed up at The Activity Shop unaware that they had not opened up for the season yet, but Chris, the owner, was nothing less than accommodating! We had our dog with us and wanted to make sure he would be able to sit in a kayak comfortably (for the first time) and Chris walked us through the best kayaks for us. We ended up renting two kayaks for our 3 day stay and Chris dropped them off at our AirBnB along with three life vests for us to choose from and picked all the equipment and gear up after we left too. Quality white glove service! We had an amazing time in the area but Chris made our trip THAT much better! We HIGHLY recommend renting from here. A+++ read more

Chris's customer service is excellent, from initial contact, thru contract, and beyond to speaker phone car directions after a 10 hr drive. The bike rental was spot on upon arrival. Highly recommended for service, and convenient location to islands, and Downeast. read more

Another customer wrote that the staff at The Activity Service "live and breathe customer service" - this is an understatement! The level of attentiveness they provide is unparalleled. The only word I think justifies their quality is "perfect." Recently rented from them this past July and had another terrific experience with them, but there were some flaws on our end. We had a problem with a sea kayak's rudder (which upon further inspection seems to have been caused by a friend of mine's carelessness) and after our attempts to fix it proved unfruitful they sent someone out to fix it. Mind you "sending someone out" entailed an hour-long commute and a bit of a trek, so this service was amazing. They did not charge any extra (although they sure could have for this inconvenience!) and were just delightful. If you wind up in the Greater Blue Hill/Ellsworth area I would wholeheartedly recommend you get ahold of some of their fantastic kayaks. read more

Terrific service and quality. So nice to not have to deal with the hassle of picking up and returning kayaks; they deliver for you. Be sure to keep the life vests IN the kayak - or chance ending up like our group did with $100 fines each when the wildlife police come out of nowhere to inspect our 'watercraft' - crazy Maine laws...you don't have to actually wear one - it's sufficient to have it uselessly crammed in the bowels of the kayak. But I digress... Great prices and very friendly demeanor make the Activity Shop a winner. read more

Fantastic customer service, great gear delivered and picked up right at our waterfront vacation cottage. Having the boats for a full week made time on the water an essential and memorable highlight of our family vacation. Highly recommended. read more

Rented a couple of bikes for a week long vacation. Phone call to the shop verified all info, explained our ages and heights, even got great suggestions on where to bike. Bikes were delivered to out air bnb with helmets, received text to let us know where they were stored. Bikes in great condition, seat height etc set up perfectly helmets looked like new. Picked up from same location at end of the week. Friendly, knowledgable, well maintained gear, competitive prices. Whats not to like? read more

This has been a wonderful find for us. We have been renting kayaks from Chris and his staff for a few years now. They have always been friendly, extremely professional, helpful, and accommodating. The kayaks are in excellent condition and they deliver the kayaks and any needed additional equipment (PFDs, paddles, etc) to Deer Island for us as well as pick them up when we are done renting them. On the single occasion when a seat in one of the kayaks broke, Chris replaced it immediately so we wouldn't have any down time. There is a rental discount if you reserve and pay for your rental before April. We feel very lucky to have Chris and The Activity Shop as a rental option. The prices, service and welcoming/friendly/professional atmosphere is superior to any of the other local options in the Blue Hill/Deer Isle/Stonington area. read more

We rented 2 kayaks from Chris at The Activity Shop, for our 5 day stay on Toddy Pond. So easy to work with as we handled everything by phone and text. Kayaks, paddles & life vests were waiting for us when we arrived at the place we were renting for our stay. Only had to sign the paperwork, snap a photo of it and text message the document to Chris. Had a great time paddling and especially catching sunsets over the lake read more

Great service. Very friendly. Chris's wife even identified my mid Alabama accent! Discerning people, for sure. So wonderful to have kayak delivered with paddle and PFD. Would give 6 stars if possible. No better way to see the surroundings than from the water from a quiet slow kayak paddle any time of day. For a real treat go just at dawn and again at sunset. Sublime! Thanks to the team at The Activity Shop. read more