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    Black Hall Outfitters

    4.0 (37 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

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    Scratched drive

    Had a terrible experience buying a kayak from them. Motor was damaged when I opened it. I was offered a replacement but it had the same issues. They accused me of fraudulently redeeming gift cards the store staff told me I had when I picked up the kayak.

    Tandem kayak. CT river
    Heather B.

    Spur of the moment decision on a nice day to rent a canoe! This place was awesome, guy that helped us was super friendly, he suggested a tandem kayak instead of a canoe and it was a great decision. Booked and paid for our reservation online the night before and everything was smooth, had to sign a waiver when we came but that's it!

    Diana D.

    We live in the neighborhood and have been paddle boarding here 3 times this summer! Everyone is so nice and knowledgeable. Last week I went out on the river and realized my board had lost it's fin, which makes paddling extremely difficult. I brought it back, was able to switch boards and was in my way. Our guy was extremely apologetic for this! Paddling out towards the sound is absolutely breathtaking- especially at sunset. I highly recommended coming here. It's $40 for two hours, I find this is just enough time.

    Nia P.

    First time there and it was a great experience! Did the single kayaks for an hour, and it was worth it. The staffing was friendly and they do provide safety vests. The water was so calm and the day was beautiful. For sure looking to come back soon for some paddle boarding!

    Just writing

    There definitely should be a zero or negative rating. It was hard to give them anything but I only had the choice of one star! Stay away from this place at all cost! The owner Gene curses at customers and threatens them. The manager Sean is crazy, irrational and incredibly unprofessional! Some how my one star rating and review of this horrible place was deleted off of Google reviews but I knew they would try and get it deleted so I took a picture of it and will now be posting it anywhere I can! You can see their defensive response to my google review in the picture attached. I am definitely going to get this reposted on google again! It is a complete lie when he writes that I "verbally abused his staff" and Old Town. I love Old Town! I never spoke to anyone else there. Old Town also told me to stay away from Black Hall Outfitters Sean. Responding to a negative review with lies and how good you are is a huge red flag Sean! Yes, I had to exchange two boats and now have my third Kayak from Old Town. Seans response to this rating is just one of the reasons why you should never do business with Black Hall Outfitters. You can see in Sean's response to my google review in the photo. Do you see how he states that I will "probably find something else to complain about?" He really believes that I "created" the issues. He will treat you the same if you have a problem with your boat! Do not buy a boat from this place! I am a problem to Sean because I have to exchange a boat. Old Town does not just give you a whole new boat for any reason. Their is a process. You send in pictures and videos of the issue. The technical team reviews the issue and based on their expertise make a decision to replace or fix it. Their is no way I could "create" or "find" problems with a boat to get a new one like Sean would have like to make you believe in his response to this review. I am a 47 year old single father raising two boys. I own a very successful business, coach varsity soccer and teach kids with autism. My time is extremely valuable. Why would I want to drive 6 hours to exchange two kayaks? Why does Sean think that is what I would want to do? Why would he think any of his customers would WANT to "create" problems? He is crazy. That is the only reason. Sean told me he that he was "doing me a favor" by exchanging the boats. Do you want to do business with a company that thinks they are doing you a favor by exchanging a defective product? After driving 6 hours, almost sinking in the bay and loosing $400 of electrical equipment, Black Hall Outfitters was now doing me a "huge favor" by exchanging a second boat! No apologies for my inconvenience. That speaks enough to just avoid this place like the plague. After reviewing the pictures of the issues on my second boat. Old Town told me to call Sean and arrange a replacement. When I called Sean, he told me "I can't keep exchanging boats for you buddy" yelled at me and hung up on me. I had to get old Town to call him back and arrange a time to meet and exchange the second boat. When I arrived, Sean refused to exchange the boat. He said I could call Old Town but would not leave with a boat. I called the manager of Old Town and let her know that Sean would not exchange the boat. The manager apologized to me and said there is no way I should be dealing with this and would call the owner. About 3 minutes after getting off the phone with the Manager, the owner of Black Hall Outfitters came out of the store marching toward me in the parking lot with his fists clinched and his chest out. It almost looked like he was crying and was mad at the same time. I never met him before so I stuck out my hand to say hello. He said I am not shaking your f ing hand. I know who you are. He asked me "what the f I was tying to accomplish here?" I told him that the manager of Old Town just called you and I think you know what I am trying to accomplish. I just want to exchange my boat like Old Town said I should do. He than said "you are going to get your f ing boat and get the f out of here!" I am sure the Manager from Old Town told him he had to give me the boat. He was pissed off! They actually called the police! They lied to the police saying I was yelling in their show room! No threats of hurting anyone and no cursing. The only cursing and threats came from the owner, Gene. Gene realized that he harassed me and called the police. He lied to the police to make it look like I was the problem. The owner is the final reason to NEVER do business at BHO!!!!! STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE!!!!!!!!!

    Lisa M.

    Had the best time today. Very relaxing and enabled me to recharge and smell the fresh air. Best place to have a nice relaxing time to paddle board with your family. You can even take a dip in the water. So refreshing. Then we ended it off with some fresh lobster rolls from captain scott's in New London. Our ideal day.

    A gorgeous day paddling kayaks & SUPs in a picturesque place!
    Dawn M.

    Four of us had an amazing time here today! We rented three SUPs and a kayak for a two-hour excursion. The gentleman at the main office who checked us in was great: polite, helpful, and friendly. They sell water, other beverages, trail mix, granola bars, and those types of snacks for purchase there. I didn't catch his name, but once the front office guy got us checked in, we went out to the dock area to get our gear. (Fyi...There are two very clean port-a-potties in the lot to use before your trip. And there are a couple of little café-style picnic tables with umbrellas to sit at if you want to have a snack before or after your trip out.) Two young men, Rob and Jack, helped us gear up. They fitted us with life vests, which are all equipped with whistles, and got the SUPs, kayak, and paddles ready. All of the gear was in pristine condition and there appeared to be a lot of each item, so they can obviously accommodate large groups, too. Jack gave us an overview of the area map so we could get an idea of where we could travel during our time. One of our group was brand-new at SUP, so they gave him extra info on using it. Jack and Rob helped each of us get onto/into our craft and off we went! The views were amazing. This was one of the most beautiful areas we've had the opportunity to kayak through. The estuary is lush, green, and full of so many varieties of birds: seagulls, sandpipers, blue herons, cranes, cormorants, and even a hawk who snatched an eel or water snake right in front of us! Since we came mid-day when high tide had just gone out, the water was pretty shallow even though we paddlef far out. It was great because my teens were able to stand next to their SUPs and look for shells and rocks on the ocean floor. The water is pretty clear and we could see the various types of seaweed growing below the surface. When we returned, Jack and Rob, were right there to help each of us back on to the dock. When I went back in to reclaim my license, (They hold it in the office while out on the trip, and they have a cute "reminder" stop sign at the exit of the lot so one doesn't leave without it. ) the gentleman at the counter told me about their new Westbrook location and even gave me a 20% off coupon to try the place! We'd absolutely recommend this place and definitely would go back!

    Such a fun night with old and new friends!

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    2 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Great location to rent kayaks. Expensive but average for the area. Would go back again!

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    6 years ago

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    9 years ago

    Awesome experience with everyone here. Want to thank the staff for helping us out in purchasing a board for our sons 18th birthday.

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    10 years ago

    Fantastic staff, most helpful and great customer service. Would definitely return.

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    Ask the Community - Black Hall Outfitters

    Review Highlights - Black Hall Outfitters

    ) the gentleman at the counter told me about their new Westbrook location and even gave me a 20% off coupon to try the place!

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    The best! Not only did we catch tons of fish (seabass, porgies and a few sharks we released), Bill…read moreand Jimmy made it a memorable experience. I've done a few charters before--you know the kind, where you feel like the captain and mate are phoning it in or secretly laughing. This was not the case with The Starship! Bill and Jimmy made you feel like you were good friends going out for a fishing trip. Bill seemed to know exactly where the fish were, while Jimmy made sure you caught them. I can't help but smile when I think about our trip.

    We arrived at Raged Rock Marina and the charter was ready waiting for us. The captain, Bill, and…read moreguide, James, we're both very welcoming and helpful the entire time. The bot had a nice indoor area with a few seating options as well as a bathroom. They gave us a quick safety rundown and we were off. While Bill was driving the boat to our first spot James gave us a rundown and said we would start of bottom fishing for sea bass and then make our way to some striper fishing. We made it to our first spot and dropped our lines. Some of us had never been deep sea fishing so James helped us to make sure we were doing it correctly. It started off slow but towards the end of the trip we had to hide in the boat cabin to bait the hooks! All kidding aside, each time we pulled up our line and we're missing bait, James would practically run to add more bait to the line so we got in all the fishing we could. James helped land all of our catches and even filleted everything for us on the way back to shore. Bill was very knowledgeable about exactly where to go and where the fish were hiding. The whole trip was so much fun. Bill and James helped make it a great trip, offering to take pictures for us, letting us ride up at the top of the boat and answering any questions we had. I can't wait to come back and fish with them again!

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    Reached the boat limit for striped bass!
    Reached the boat limit for striped bass!
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    James filleting our catches!
    Smith Neck Road Boat Launch

    Smith Neck Road Boat Launch

    4.5
    (2 reviews)
    0.6 mi

    A place to go…read moresomewhere else Smith Neck boat launch area is frequently called the Great Island boat launch. It has a huge parking area and a pretty decent ramp but it can get pretty shallow in very low tides. Very large boats can be a bit of a problem but it's a great place for canoes and kayaks. Once off the ramp you have many options. You can go north up the huge Connecticut River or south down into Long Island Sound. Or if you have a canoe or yak you can explore the area around Great Island. You can't actually go on the island because it is so marshy with little solid land. Just as well because a huge number of large birds nest there. Better just to look and not disturb. It's a very easy area to get lost in a yak. Lots of small rivers and inlets and some very tall grass and reeds, so at times you can't see where you are going. No problem, you'll end up somewhere. The Black Hall River, the Duck River, the Back River and the Lieutenant River are all accessible from the ramp. However, if you decide to go up some of these you better make sure you have enough tide to get back out or you might end up carrying your boat back. Also a good idea to bring strong bug repellent if you decide to go into any of these small inlets. The flies can be fierce and want your blood. A extremely nice place to launch your boat, especially if you have a small one. I've been here a zillions times and never had my truck broken in to. Even though it can get a bit crowded during the summer everyone has always been pleasant and people here seem to enjoy helping and socialize with other boaters. Smith Neck is definitely one of the nicest and most pleasant launch sites on the Connecticut coast.

    I have launched my kayak off of here often. Once you get to the where black hall meets the sound…read morethere is a very secluded beach only accessible by kayak or very small boat. Directly behind it is a bird sanctuary. It is perfect. The sanctuary is fenced off so you wont be disrupting any habitats but some of the birds (depending on time of year) will get very "curious" of you and check you out. I have never had a real problem with it, though. The fishing is great up the Black Hall river as well and as a previous commenter mentioned just be sure to check tides because you could get stuck.

    Black Hall Outfitters - fishing - Updated July 2026

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