I was preparing for a kayak trip and found that one of the lids on my boat needed to be replaced. I ordered a replacement and was concerned it would not arrive in time for my trip so I sent an email, asking if there was any way to expedite the shipping. I not only received a response in under 24 hours but an alternative shipping plan was offered (at no extra cost) and I have received my new lid with days to spare. GREAT customer service. I could not be happier and recommend the Kayak Academy without reservations. Thank you! read more

The best service ever! My drysuit had a few holes and they fixed it and returned to me by FedEx in less than 3 days from the time they received it. A great place to purchase a dry suit and a great place to purchase other kayak gear too. I'm totally satisfied with all my purchases. read more

I live in Southern California and signed up for a week's worth of kayak lessons for Fidalgo Paddlesports in Anacortes Washington. I had never used a dry suit before and I contacted Barb at Kayak Academy. She gave me excellent advice on size, accessories and dry suit care. They shipped the suit with plenty of time to try the fit and it was perfect. I used the suit all week and stayed toasty and dry. Barb was an excellent communicator and I will be going up again next fall to continue my kayak training. If I don't buy a dry suit before then I will be definitely contacting Kayak Academy again. read more

My friends and I took the Kayak 101 class with Jeff. He was amazing. The class was very informative and helpful. Jeff was very patient w a very uncoordinated group of people. He was super helpful and made the class even more fun than it already was. I liked that the class made you tip the boat over a few times before doing the release to get you used to being upside down in the water and got you more comfortable when it came to doing the harder parts. He had a pretty good grasp of our abilities and geared the rescues to ea of us individually. I would definitely recommend taking this course if you have little or no experience w kayaking. read more

Trust your GPS and seek out the Kayak Academy, oddly located in the sleepy semi-rural neighborhoods between Issaquah and Renton. Your search will be amply rewarded as you discover a paddler's trove of all things kayak. A burgeoning bounty of boats (new and used), a gaggle of top-quality gear, and--most valuable of all--the owner's generous supply of sage wisdom and advice...this guy really knows his kayaks! I bought a beautiful, pre-owned, lightly-used boat from him at a very reasonable price...only after he took the time to show me several options and guide me through a custom fitting. Picked up some nice booties, gloves and a top-of-the-line carbon fiber paddle, too. The guy even set me up with a great roof rack system that doesn't mar the timeless beauty of my Corolla! Yes, the place is a little tricky to find, but when you do, chances are you'll walk away happy. read more

Kayak Academy - Look out, Lakes and Ocean...here I come! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Issaquah, Washington

This is a review for the Issaquah Paddle Sports, Kayak Academy is their parent company. I went kayaking with my family and the club on Lake Samamish and they had all the gear. and it was fun. They provide everything you would need for any kind of weather. They offer a variety of classes at very reasonable prices. read more

George Gronseth was the instructor for my "Sea Kayaking 111 - Paddling Strokes & Rescue Techniques" course. This was the most intense two day course I've ever taken on any subject. Both days were start-to-finish instruction and practice with no delays or wasted time. George is an outstanding instructor that seemed to know exactly how to coach each student and was patient and reassuring through it all. I can't recommend them highly enough. read more

Barb is an outstanding teacher with the patience of a saint. She spent close to two hours teaching my water-phobic son how to flip his kayak and do a 'wet exit' under water. With good humor, great kindness, and terrific skill, she helped him master his fear. read more

This is a review of the Kayak Academy store. Once you find it, it is like a big toy store. These guys really know the gear like no other store and they stock only the things that you'll actually use (very much unlike REI where they have good stuff and bad stuff). If you want to go to a store and talk with someone who really knows the gear and how to use it, go to this store. read more

I took their Sea Kayaking 101 course as a complete beginner who's never set foot in a Kayak before. My goal was to be able to use a real kayak (the kind you are wedged into with a spray skirt clipped on) and be able to successfully get out of it if I flip it (and not drown), as well as some basic kayaking skills such as being able to paddle efficiently. The class was 100% worth the money. I went in a colder month (spring) and they provide a dry-suit, just wear some warm clothes under it and you can take the class no matter the temperature. The class itself was 6 hours long (on the water...not counting lunch), and the size was 4 students per 1 instructor. The first 3 hours we spent learning the basics, learning correct strokes, and then learning how to escape from it underwater (practicing flipping over and escaping) with the help of an instructor. The second half of the day we spent practicing paddling (the instructor helped us and made a ton of corrections), and then ended the day practicing rescues: One person would flip their kayak in the middle of the lake (not shallows), get out from under it. Then another student would help them get back into the kayak (again in the middle in the lake). I came to the class with zero experience and was very concerned about flipping the kayak and drowning...leaving the class I had no concern about flipping the kayak. I now know how to safely exit a kayak and while I'm certainly no expert and need a lot of practice, this class taught me exactly what I hoped it would. After you take this class you can join their free weekly get-together for their alumni where they practice skills and kayak around lake Sammamish. Lastly, they also have a shop (separate from the classes) which I bought a paddle and life vest (PFD). The "shop" itself is more of a garage in the middle of residential area, but despite that I felt like I got some really solid advice on what to buy. You can find gear cheaper in other places, but I really felt like I got my money's worth after talking to the owner. He was really patient with me and answered about 45 minutes worth of my questions on a wide variety of topics: His opinion on brands and types of Kayaks, PFDs, differences between paddles, and that kind of thing. For a complete newbie like myself I didn't mind paying a bit extra than you could order from Amazon, since I was sure I was buying exactly what I wanted. He also threw in a 10% discount because I took classes from them, but I'm not sure that's something you can count on getting. Overall this place was incredibly helpful and I'd 100% recommend it to anyone starting out kayaking. read more

These guys are great. I rented a drysuit to see whether I would like paddling in cold weather. They were quite helpful and allowed me to keep the suit for an extra week when UPS failed to deliver it on time. The drysuits were excellent and came with great instructions for their care and use. Highly recommended. read more

The Kayak Academy is an exceptional resource for kayakers in the Northwest. The gear at the store is first-rate and field-tested. Reading the advice about buying dry suits and kayaks is well-worth your time. Don't even consider buying a kayak without reading his take on the pitfalls of picking the wrong kayak. The instruction in his courses is superb. My wife and I have taken courses from George Gronseth from beginning paddle strokes and rescue to tidal rapids at Deception Pass. He enables students to push their limits safely. I've met many kayakers on trips in Haida Gwaii, the West Coast of Vancouver Island, Gulf Islands and the San Juan Islands who have trained at the Kayak Academy and vouch that they are much better and safer kayakers. read more

Don't bother with their tours. Don't know about there school or store but their Spring Heron Tour was a disaster. The pre-registration site was a nightmare. Of the half of those in my group that managed to get registered over half of them were unable to find the launch site. Anyone who organizes paddles for launch sites without street addresses knows to post the GPS coordinates. After getting lost following Garmin I phoned the academy where the staffer who answered, who didn't know the coordinates either, proceeded to give me directions that led me in circles for 45 minutes. At 30 minutes after launch time I finally found the launch site. No one from the academy was present. I fielded several phone calls from other lost paddlers guiding them to the site. We all ended up eating together at I-Hop. What a waste of Sunday afternoon paddle time ={ Local Paddle Club Coordinator read more

I took their 5 day training camp and couldn't have been more pleased. I learned so much in such a short period of time. Everyone had such a great time, starting with the basics and ending with an over night trip in the San Juans. We learned everything from basic paddle strokes to rolls. Our over night trip included navigational instruction, weather prediction and a excellent pot luck dinner. I will definitely be back for further training. read more

They sell quality items and staff are helpful. However, I asked about trading my kayak for one easier to roll and staff said they would ask owner, who might be interested or might allow me to sell my old kayak on consignment if I purchased one of theirs. The owner replied "not interested". Fair enough. So I asked about rolling lessons and was told they wouldn't have one for nine months. I asked about private lessons or recommendations about some place I could get lessons in safety (which is mentioned all over the web site). The staff said they would send my email to the owner. I got no reply, so I asked again and again got no response from the owner. I realize they may be too busy to discuss lessons in safety, and interested just in selling merchandise, but their web site is misleading if that is the case. read more

I'm an experienced kayak fisherman , and in the market for a new kayak . Called this business to check what they had in inventory and was told they have plenty of Jackson Kayaks in stock . Well after driving 25 miles I get there and they have one in stock . After talking to the salesman and owner I was offered a 3 year old kayak with the wrong seat ( very unsafe ) . I was not impressed and couldn't wait to get away from this place as fast as possible . I made one call to a Jackson Kayak dealer in Portland Oregon , took off early Friday and drove to Portland ( Alder Creek Kayaks ) picked up my new kayak for a lot less money , more accessories and very satisfied with the service . read more

George is arrogant and unresponsive. The web site looks great, but the reality is far less. This is unusual for a kayak store, where people are generally nice. I've been to several kayak stores in Washington, and this is the only one that is disappointing for their attitude. That being said, there kayaks are good quality. read more

I got my Kokatat GORE-TEX drysuit at Kayak Academy. I would say they might have been the only supplier that stock custom KING size drysuits! I am a powerlifter and quite bulky and did not fit well into the XXL's. They had a special size suit that did fit me. Kayak dry suits are not cheap and when you finally find one that fits you, it is worth the price just for an acceptable fit. I would say the folks there are very accommodating and they have tons of experience and good quality accessories. I also bought an Yakima Jay-Low. It was perfect for carrying my Eddyline Denali on top of my Mustang with a Yakima stretch kit...George Gronseth helped me, went out of his way to set me up with the accessories and hooked everything up before we even got talking about the money. I got great discounts on accessories. Not many shops will treat you this well...I highly recommend this particular store! They look private owned and are very small, yet seem well stocked up on stuff. If they repair one of your dry-suits, they will loan you a spare while Kokatat repairs and ships your old one back...Where else would you find this level of service?! I will be going there again if I have any kayaking supplies needs. Highly recommended! read more

Very fast & exc quality service. These guys went WAY beyond what was expected/hoped for in sorting out a shipping error. Amazing customer focus!! read more

This review of Kayak Academy is my first review. The store is like the Disneyland of Kayak equipment The men understand their equipment and are generous with the help they give. read more