So I'm not exactly sure what I was thinking trying paddle boarding. I think it had something to do…read morewith the fact that my friend and I had wanted to do it when we were down in key west but ran out of time. Suffice it to say, this fool can barely walk in a straight line sober. I had no business attempting to stand up on a floatation device. Anyway. I'm going to claim temporary insanity, but as soon as I saw a Gilt deal for SUP I was on it. It also didn't hurt that Jill is one of my favorite instructors at btone, so I figured it wouldn't be a bad time. It was really windy when we went out and lets just say i've had enough Charles river on me circa Brandeis rowing 2007-09, so i was way too chicken to even stand up on the board for fear of falling into the cesspool of hepatitis. A B C--pick your flavor. Bless my instructor Ingrid's heart, she was so patient with me. Today is the day after and i'd say a good 60% of my body is screaming "whyyyyyyy?!?!?!" if nothing else, at least i got a killer work out...and definitely an awesome view of the city. can't beat that. I suggest bringing a waterproof disposable to snap a couple of shots. some logistics stuff--you may have to reschedule to a location other than the one you were planning on depending on wind conditions. Jill is savvy with an iphone, so communication/planning isn't an issue. If you're meeting on the Charles, you'll be pulling into the riverside boat club parking lot (free) across from Trader Joe's. Just look for the out of place UHaul to the far left of the lot. Remember to bring your Gilt voucher if you have one, and definitely some cash for your instructor.

Jill was an awesome instructor. We had such a great day out on the water. I would highly…read morerecommend her to anyone. We will definitely be back for more stand up paddle board as soon as the water warms up.

I booked a kayak at the Kendall Square location and landed here. I should have gone the other…read moredirection - the most difficult part was near this 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 docked a star from this location, because the workers didn't really seem to know what was going on when I returned the boat. I needed to let them know I came from the other location and the responses were "that's cool" and "okay" and "I don't know what to do with that". Turns out you have to check out in a trailer at the end of the dock and tell them, but no one seemed to know. Still a great trip!

TL;DR - Paddle Boston at Kendall Square is my go-to for kayaking on the Charles. The staff is…read morealways friendly, prices are fair, and the views of Boston and Cambridge are unbeatable. Their season passes and Fourth of July rentals make the experience even better--highly recommend! _______________________________ I love being outdoors, especially on the water, and Paddle Boston has become one of my favorite spots in the city. I discovered them shortly after moving to Boston and working in Cambridge, and it has been a go-to ever since. Their kayak rentals are fairly priced and offer an amazing way to enjoy the Charles River with unbeatable views of both the Boston and Cambridge skylines. The staff is always friendly, helpful, and welcoming. Their kayaks are perfect for the calm waters of the Charles, not overly advanced but not basic either, just right for a relaxing paddle. I also love that they offer season passes for frequent paddlers and special rentals for the Fourth of July Boston Pops Fireworks, which is truly the best way to experience the show. While I typically take the T to get there, parking nearby on Main Street has never been an issue. If you are looking for a fun and easy outdoor activity in the city, I highly recommend Paddle Boston at Kendall Square.

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!

Love this place, and love that Boston supports it. Great time getting out on the water with my wife…read morein a 2-man kayak. It'd be nice to be able to go further than between the bridges, but for a quick spin it was perfect.

Great hours and in a great area. The shop has beautiful surfboards and skateboards. They also…read morehave hacky sacks, sandals, and more. You need to save up for one of their boards but they totally seem worth it. Plus, some of their skateboards are from an eco-friendly company that plants 1 tree for every certain number of boards sold. The employees were also really chill about me having my service dog and didn't really ask any questions (they just said "hello" to him and told me how cute he was). They also told me about great places around the area since I'm currently moving here. :)

Great place! Dayo helped me out with a Carver Surfskate and hooked it up! I live in LA, but when I…read moream in Mass, they get my business because of their level of customer service! Keep it up!

This year was my son's 3 rd year attending. And he's always excited to go. The team of young adults…read morewho coach the kids are always kind, helpful and motivating. His surf skills co time to progress. He now has friends who also surf and they go together. So cool to see a passion grow in a sport he'll be able to do for his whole life. Thanks!

I signed my 8 year old great-grandson up for five one hour lessons during our recent yearly visit…read moreto Hull. He had never been on a board before. He absolutely loved it! His instructor (Ronnie Lees) worked with him and got him up on the board, cruising to the beach the first hour. By the end of lesson #5, he was paddling out on his own, starting out on his own (no push), accomplishing simple turns and routinely surfing all the way to the beach. Being a Minnesota kid, this was a truly unique experience. Our only dilemma...next year do we sign him up for another five hour package, or a full camp? Needless to say, he wants to do both.

A great place for fun, outdoor and out of the box activities. We were a group of 4 taking the…read moreintroduction to Stand Up Paddle boarding class and it was a great experience. The instructor Stuart is a great guy and he taught us SUP the right way. They have many other fun activities like arrow tag, kayaking, axe throwing and a survival skills class to name a few. I would like to suggest this place if you want to learn a new skill and enjoy at the same time. I would be definitely be going back for a second class or maybe another exiting activity. This place is pretty new, less crowded and I hope they keep up the good work. Cheers!

We just had a great experience axe throwing with Adventure Activities at Castle Island Brewery…read more The AA staff was great, took pics and video for is while we threw, made it a great fun experience with humor. The hour long activity was well worth the $30 fee and came with a post throwing free beer, which was a great value. Highly recommend.

We wanted to learn SUP and we love Cape Ann, so we sought our first experience from Cape Ann SUP…read morelast year. We had the best experience! Dominic, the friendly owner, took us 3 (total novices with 3 pretty distinctly differing ability levels) out, made us feel safe, gave us fantastic guidance, and taught us key skills that enabled us to have a great experience. This was summer 2020, mid-pandemic time, and we felt safe as far as protocols and were very grateful we could still rent the boards and enjoy a lesson. We took the 2-hr option and found it perfect for our novice needs. There was nothing I was looking for that I didn't find there and nothing I'd have changed about the experience. If you're looking to learn to stand-up paddleboard, I recommend a lesson with this group! Grateful!

These surf lessons are a huge hit with my children (9 & 13). 4 - 1 instructor to participant ratio…read moremakes for a really great experience. I'm pretty sure every kid gets up on their board. The use of wet suits and boards available at the water's edge make this super easy on parents, too. Dominic and crew bring their love for surfing to the sessions and it is picked up on by their students. Lessons go into September and tend to quiet down so give it a try!! Nothing better than a quiet hour on the beach at dusk watching your kids enjoy the ocean!

Always super easy to understand and be notified of any changes based on weather. You can always…read morebook ahead of time for the boats you want to rent. If you're going many times, look into getting a season pass

I went to the location in Medford to kayak. While I was there I accidentally left my watch in a…read morewaterproof bag, which my mom gave to me with her initials engraved in it, it was priceless and extremely important to me. I called them 4 TIMES in the span of a week, even getting someone else to call them to ask about it, The first time being only an hour after i left. Every single time they said they had no updates and they DIDNT EVEN TRY to look for it. They even forgot my name, number and every time without fail they asked me what my watch looked like again but they never even searched or sent me a follow up email. If they had looked when I called the first time, they would have IMMEDIATELY found it because it' was at the top of the waterproof bag section. This watch means so much to me and I now have left the country so there is no opportunity for me to get it ever again. I really hope they can improve their customer service because this is extremely disappointing and hopefully others can see this and not leave anything there because you will NEVER get it back. I will never be using this company again and i suggest nobody to book anything with them for their lack of respect and care for any of their customers.

Vecs the man. Slings oysters in Vermont and is always down for a great story. Not only are his…read moreboard shaping talents legendary, he's got Vt and cape cod roots. Great guy. Cult boards. Miss you brotha...been too long! Petrasch Clan Vermont

Custom boards made on Cape Cod. Very cool shop, cool shaper and locally made.read more