We bought our Hurricane Deck Boat from JD Shipp. He's great! Love the boat. Price was nice.read more

From the owner: We Sell Instant Fun, All You Add Is Water…read more Voted Best In East Texas 8 Years in a Row by the Longview News Journal's Readers' Choice Awards.  Family Owned and Operated Business Serving the East Texas Area Since 1955

Ricky's Boat Rental is THE place to go if you need a boat rental at Lake Fork. Jackie was so nice…read moreand accommodating with setting up our reservation. She answered all of my questions and made everything so easy and seamless. We originally planned to do a one day rental, but for $50 more, we extended our rental time for an extra night. We got our boat launched off on Friday evening and returned the boat the following day. Chris was great with launching the boat. He answered all of our questions thoroughly and gave us great insight with regards to the best fishing spots around. When we told Chris that we were staying at Pope's Landing, he said, "oh you don't even need a boat if you're staying there." Boy, was Chris right! We caught several bass just fishing off the docks. Saturday morning, we were having a few problems with the trolling motor. We called Ricky's boat rental and Chris came out within 30 minutes and got us going on the water within 15 minutes. Chris even offered us to switch boats if we wanted. Everything from setting up the boat, to launching, to troubleshooting, and to point us to the best fishing spots, Ricky's Boat Rental is fantastic. The rental prices are reasonable and the service was outstanding! Chris and Jackie, thank you for giving us such a great experience. You given Jonathan a wonder birthday weekend. I can't thank you enough!

Everything! I just finished working there for a short time. I knew the place was in a hurt so my…read moregoal was to straighten the business out. I could do none of that with no funds and the owner getting in my way and screwing my plans up. He lives like he is off grid. There are no working bathrooms on the place. He expects his emplyees to go the woods! Including the girl in the office! He lies to the customers about the equipment he has. He is always late if he shows up at all. It does not bother him at all if a customers experience was ruined by him or his crappy boats. He never gives it another thought. I swear im 59 yrs old and ive never come across a business owner as sorry as him, not even close!

The wife and I rode our Harley out here on Saturday, September 9. We enjoyed driving the windy…read moreroads of the park and finding our own private spot on the lake. It was only five dollars a person to get in for the day. The main office was very clean and organized and the bathrooms were clean and we also purchased a few keepsakes. I am not an RVer but they have lots of nice shady spots. Some that are pull through and some you have to back into. It looked like all of the spots had a gazebo type cover. They also have cabins you can rent out; some thing my wife and I discussed for the future. It was very quiet and covered in a lot of trees and seemed like a very nice place to camp. As we drove out, we had the unexpected surprise of seeing 3 deer in one spot and two more in another.

When is the last time you watched a moonrise - shifting from fluorescent pink to bright yellow?…read more When did you last see the stars so clear and plentiful that you could see the Milky Way? Some moments in nature are too precious to recount - too difficult to write into a review. If you live in the city like I do, these moments are a much-needed fuel - so rich and refreshing!! Based on this second experience at Cooper Lake State Park - South Sulfur Unit, I HIGHLY recommend an overnight cabin stay! **Cabins can be booked a maximum of three months in advance.** Equipped with full restrooms including powerful, hot showers, two full beds (must bring own linens for all needs), a futon, 4-top table and chairs, 3/4 fridge/freezer combo, drip coffee maker, stove top with two heating elements, AC and heat, a back balcony with grill and picnic table, and a lakeside fire pit, we wanted for NOTHING and ENJOYED IT ALL!

Stay away from these people!! Dishonest. Sadly heres my…read moreterrible experience In July, 2018 I met them and said they winterize boats on Lake Cyrpress Springs I hired them to do the sevice for my 4Winns ski boat. They said my work order was for October or Novemer before any hard freezes. I called them several times in December and they said theyd come winterize my boat. They lied to me several times i finally drove to lake to meet them. Jimmy the Owner sent his son. His son knew there was a problem. Offer to repair engine with jbond. That doesnt work and he knew. TOO LATE!! WE HAD A FREEZE AND THEY CAUSED THE ENGINE BLOCK TO CRACK!! Jim said thats not his problem. Really? I took him to small claims and won judgement for $6,700 to relace the engine. Of course he never paid the bill!!! East Tx are good people not this guy or his wife. She knew he screwed up. Refused to make it right. Rick

Dropped off our boat for winterizing in November and the owner knew it would be months before we…read morereturned. Between, November-January, we called to get updates and price estimates, which were never received. After communicating the date of our return, we arrived to find 18 inches of water within the boat. For fear that it would be damaged, we asked for a refund for the winterization, which was denied. Our boat had more damage when we picked it up than how we dropped it off in November. Would not recommend.

worst experience ever bought a used seadoo from them there crooks said there was nothing wrong…read morewith it took it to lake it sunk no screws in hull guess no lake test got it back went from boat ramp to shore Trew a cam sensor code gary told me must have been abusing it yup took it off trailer and went to shore what a crook the would not do any thing to help took it to Blazin moters in cedar creek they fixed it yup out 1800,00 dollers to fix buying anything from conroy motersports is the biggest guys are jerks mistake you will ever make

I called Momentum Motorsports and spoke to their repair shop, asked the question; do you work on 18…read moreyear old Yamaha Waverunners? The answer was yes, bring them in. So I brought them in to their service area and spoke to the lady at the window and asked if she new how long it would be before we might get an idea as to what's wrong with the two waverunners and get an estimate, she said it would be a couple weeks because they are pretty backed up this time of year, I said know problem just call me so I know the cost. To my surprise I received a call the next day saying that both of my machines needed a carb job and that each machine would be $1000, but they would not work on them because they could not get the parts and that its just too difficult to work on waverunners 18 years old. So they charged me $150 bucks for refusing to work on my machines. Here is the disappointing piece to this, I took these to machines to another shop, the carbs are fine..... What they found was that in both machines when the batteries went dead they both re-set to the factory settings to beginner rider and that is why they would not accelerate!!!! They also said they can get carbs for those models no problem for $60... You guys are hucksters, plane and simple!!! I'm going to let everyone around Cypress and Bob Sandlin Lakes know not to buy new, or used or get work done from you. I was thinking we might buy our pontoon from Momentum, but no chance now. Your mechanic didn't even look at my machines and obviously you don't work on older waverunners as you told me over the phone, your just trying to sell new ones. GOOD LUCK with this customer service. I hope the owner or investment group that has this place will read this. Very unhappy.

Courteous, Timely, Reasonably priced, Quality work , Professional . Will come to you or you can…read morebring your boat to him .

Well, if you want blatant lies, customer service at its lowest, being strung along, a chip on the…read moreshoulder approach, eye-rolls with a lazy attitude, go see R & R Marine. I've been in customer service my entire career and have never experienced such disregard to capture and maintain a future relationship. This is called "sales prevention," and why companies fail. Makes me wonder why they lost Steve.

We come I. Here from time to time.. typically to look at some of their boats (Pontoons). My husband…read morealso discusses other interest regarding his boat with their sales team which they are always pleasant and more than helpful. They also have fishing supplies in case you need some items before heading to the near by lake.

So, kinda confusing...but Barefoot Bay (aka. Big Al's Barefoot Bay) and now Castaway's Bar & Grill…read moreis out on Lake Bob Sandlin. Wife and I stopped in (as we have never been here before and they had Line Dance lessons from 6-9. Service was good and a great view of the lake. Food was bar food and good for around here. Line dancing was a bit of a let down as they didn't have a great sound system. But, lots of people showed up and made it fun. All in all, the restaurant is young and they are experiencing some growing pains. Broken tea maker and got a an appetizer wrong...but they made it right. Had pepperoni pizza and Philly Cheesesteak...but forgot to take pictures. We will come again and grow with them!

FLACCID AL'S BAREFOOT BAY…read more JUST THE DETAILS -Our lawnmower stored at Barefoot bay was taken and used by the new marina owners. They claim that our contact and payment info was never transferred from the old owners and it was abandoned property to seize because of that. -Trying to get things sorted out we had unpleasant interactions and intimidation tactics used against us and potentially witnessed some child labor violations. -Payed them the past due balance. The returned mower had approximately $500 worth of vandalism damage done to it. They eventually paid for the repair which seems to be an admittance of guilt. They have not admitted or apologized for any of the damages or unethical use. THE FULL EXPERIENCE Upon returning spring of this year (2025) we were met with all new signage and a fresh wood facade inside and out. New cameras everywhere, an updated bar and dance hall. It was impressive at first glance. Sadly the facelift that had been preformed was nothing better than lipstick on a pig. Under the shimmering red gloss this place is still just swine wallowing in its own filth. On our first visit this year to pick up our mower, a drowsy looking man that appeared to have gum disease approached us. He told us he was wondering who the trailer belonged to. We explained that we were the owners of the equipment. He stated that our automatic payment we had previously set up would need to be updated. When we returned 3 weeks later we found an empty trailer, our mower was missing. Someone had to cut our lock and cable off. We went inside and asked for a manger only to be greeted by a child behind the counter. I asked for a manger and she went to go find them. A middle aged man with a large cold sore approach me and asked what I needed. I was sharply dismissed and directed to a lady in a side office. She started filling out a theft report when a young lady with an upper lip piercing came in and asked what happened. She asked if it was a red mower and then said she would be right back. While I waited for her to return the little girl behind the counter was processing transactions at the register unsupervised. Selling snack, drinks, and even cigarettes at one point. When the woman with the lip piercing returned the girl asked her if it was legal for her to sell cigarettes. She was told no, but not to worry about it. I was eventually handed their land line phone and talked with their new property manager Jessica. While on the phone the cold sore man returned and demanded I take that call elsewhere. He insisted that was a business line and I needed to take the elsewhere. After I told him I was on the business line with the business (the property manager) he stood there staring at me and eventually walked off. A week later when we picked up the lawn mower it was back on the trailer. That's where their fulfillment ended. The control handles were bent so badly the enamel paint was chipped off and the lawnmower was not controllable. The key cylinder had been destroyed, the throttle control was bent, one of the transmission releases was bent, and a chunk of the handle foam was torn off. They vandalized the lawnmower extensively before returning it. Eventually the property manager reimbursed us for the vandalism caused on her team's watch. That seems to be the only ethical part of this entire exchange. What seems to be the most concerning for the future of the marina is the complete lack of ethics within the staff, and potential of willingly violating child labor laws, a minor working the register alone selling age restricted items. The behavior by the cold sore man, a supposed manager trying to pressure and intimidate us, damaging property that they were paid to store and keep secure. "Big Al's" has fallen flat. This place needs to seriously consider replacing the local management. From what I have seen and personally experienced recently at Barefoot bay, it is my opinion that people lacking so much integrity and intelligence operating a business are untrainable and just need to be replaced.

Definitely not the reviewer type, but this company cares more about their bottom line then their…read morecustomer's safety. We called to ask about the process twice before coming because we had several kids, one very young and we openly had little to no experience. We took four kayaks out and while driving to the river entrance asked for tips and advice and the only thing we got was that there was a small 2 to 3 foot drop and to keep left until after the falls. This was absolutely not the case and the trip was way more advanced than we were prepared for as beginners. We were scared most of the time and there were several moments we were thinking we'd have to leave the kayaks behind and save ourselves. We did lose a paddle, but not because we were careless, we were literally trapped with an over turned kayak and trying to hold on because the current was so strong it was either hold on for safety or let go of the paddle. This was made extremely worse because of the weather. It began raining with thunder and lightening and this only made the current force even stronger. The worst part is that they didn't even send us out on functioning equipment. They did quick repairs with duck tape before putting the kayaks in the water and assured it was ok. One of our kayaks had a hole that hadn't been found yet and was taking on water and had to be emptied several times throughout the trip. When we did get to the falls, this kayak was so full of water inside the kayak that it flipped causing the young child and his parent to go under water. When we got back, the owner would kind of apologize, but then blamed it all on the office person Ashley. Then made excuses and tried to talk away the complaints as a non issue. I was very surprised that none of the employees seemed phased by what we were telling them; like they had experienced this reaction before. I realize that there were several circumstances that factored into our experience and not all were completely in their control, but I don't think they cared about our safety at all. They consistently failed to provide a safe recreation environment, they never displayed any real remorse or concern for our scary experience and when all we wanted to do was go home, they lost our keys, which were supposedly meant to be securely stored while we were gone. I obviously wouldn't recommend this company to anyone, but I urge you to consider going elsewhere for you kayaking needs if you want to keep your family and friends safe.

Typically, I don't write negative reviews of restaurants, companies, and small businesses because I…read moreunderstand that all businesses and their employees have their fair share of good days and bad. However, I feel compelled to warn future/potential patrons of Beavers Bend White Water Canoe Rentals and its owner, Kenneth ("Ken") Byers, based on the recent experience of my students during a church youth retreat in Broken Bow. Due to slow business and making a reservation as a large group, we were able to agree to $35/double-kayak (which is $10-15 below what they usually charge to individuals renting only one double-kayak). Initially over the phone, when i had called weeks in advance of our youth group's retreat, Ken mentioned that we did not need to worry about availability of kayaks/canoes for 23 people, as he had "plenty of inventory." On the day of the retreat, of course, we ran into a bit of a hiccup where they only had 10 double-kayaks and required the remaining kids to use single kayaks. A small annoyance, but nothing worth really griping about. Ken then asked that we arrive before 2pm. We arrived at 1:30, only to be forced to wait for over 2 hours before they finally got us to the river. A slightly bigger annoyance, but something we were willing to overlook so as not to dampen the mood of the outing. Once we were out on the river, there were 2 employees assigned to our group, and these two were responsible for directing the kids along the river. We did not realize until much later that this was their first day on the job. Of course, no one told us this important fact initially, and they acted like they knew the river well. Our youth group consists of middle school and high school students, so we made sure to rely on these 2 "experts" employed by the company, trusting their every direction. After an hour or so, the route seemed unreasonably difficult and arduous for kids who were certainly beginners at kayaking, so we made sure to ask: "Are you sure this is the right way? This seems too hard..." to which the 2 employees confidently responded their directions were accurate. It felt like we were traveling upstream and the rowing was incredibly arduous for the adults, let alone the young middle school students. So we constantly asked if the direction we were heading was correct, and they consistently assured us that it was. After a few more hours of rowing (the river route should only have taken 1.5 hours), we asked them to call Ken and help us out because by this point, the sun was setting and our kids were crying, bruised, bleeding, and/or exhausted from being out on the river for more than 4 hours. Ken was unable to locate us and we were officially lost and stranded when the 2 staff members finally acknowledged that it was their first day and they had no idea where to go. It was traumatizing for our youth students, and we ended up being out there well past 9pm while it was getting very dark, creating a very dangerous situation for a group of minors who had already been out on the river rowing up/down/side-stream, and any which way to try to keep each other safe. With all the dangerous areas that the 2 staff members led our group towards, we were incredibly grateful to have ultimately been back safely on land at the end of the night. But our entire day had been ruined; we no longer could carry out the other programs we had planned for the day; and we ended up getting back in our cabin well past 10pm in what would be the most unforgettable and regrettable day. As bad as that was, the worst part was the unapologetic attitude of Ken Byers. His staff members apologized profusely for leading us in the wrong direction and putting that many kids in harm's way, but we wanted to hear a better explanation from the owner as to how this could happen. We were unable to reach him all weekend, and by the time he called back the following Monday, he was incredibly defensive and kept explaining how much of a pain it was for him to have to pay his staff overtime for the additional hours spent on the river, as well as the extra hassle he went through to go out the next day to recover the boats that he had yet to pick up off the shore where we finally had reached the previous day. Not once did he say "I'm sorry." Not once did he acknowledge how hellish that experience was for our kids. It's like he was afraid of a potential lawsuit while disclaiming all responsibility and fault. All we wanted was for him to be sincere in his apology, but he was more interested in explaining how much money we saved and how much of a hassle it was for him than being a decent human being. I highly doubt very many people will see this review before booking with Ken and Beavers Bend White Water Canoe Rentals, but on the off chance that this helps one other person/group realize the mismanagement, poor attitude, and lack of compassion shown by this company, the time I just wasted writing this review will have been worth it.

Okay...if you're reading this don't get your hopes up that you'll ever get to come here...this is a…read moreprivate lake owned by SWEPCO so you ain't getting on the property unless you're a SWEPCO employee or an invited guest of said employee... Very nice lake with 4 cabins...also there is motel like structure with 16 individual rooms with a conference/ball room in the center... There is a boat launch with covered boat parking that will handle 4 boats and a canoe... There are 3 private piers where you can tie off your boat if your staying in one of the 4 cabins... Each cabin has 2 bedrooms with a bunk bed in the living room area...covered and screened in patio on each cabin with a nice view of the lake...fire pits for hanging out, drinking and making s'mores etc... If staying here you have to bring your own provisions (food, utensils, cooking gear, bottled water, booze etc...) It's a great location and wonderful place to hang out with friends and just enjoy some peace and quiet...very relaxing but it's too bad you'll never get to experience it...