Easy process to buy a new boat since it is ordering online. But after you own, the followup on service issues and assistance is minimal. You just get referred to another service provider for engines. and electronics. Would not recommend selling your boat at LCM. Limited exposure and unclear terms of sale. I always try to buy local from family owned companies. Did not go well this time. read more

If you want a new boat and are happy about getting your new boat don't buy it here. These guys will ruin your joy not only from purchasing but even after. It only gets worst. You want a boat find another dealer. You don't believe read all the other reviews. Stay away. Far away read more

I had a terrible experience here. I came in with my two young children looking to get set up with kayaks. Wish I had read the reviews and gone elsewhere. Sought this place out because it's a family run shop and I prefer to support these kinds of places over big corporations and online retailers. These prices are as of 7/18/2025, when I made my in-store purchases: -Cannon Explorer FX 2-piece fiberglass kayak paddle (Manufacturer List $89.95, Dale's Price $159.99) -Orange Life Preserver, adult or child (Walmart List $8, Dale's Price $22.99) -2 yr PA unpowered boat registration (pa.gov registration site $22, Dale's Price $40) I also purchased Yakima JayLow rooftop kayak carriers, which Dale either also overcharged me for, or charged me $216 to clip the carriers onto my existing roof crossbars and load my 2 kayaks... They also sold me a brand new kayak with a huge gouge on the underside. Of course I didn't notice this until I got it home and was taking the kayak off my roof. (Remember, I paid them $216 to load my boats for me.) I firmly believe that he knowingly sold me the boat damaged, but I won't get into that right now. When I brought the gouge to Dale's attention, after a LITERAL MONTH of back and forth, he still wouldn't give me an appointment time slot to bring my kayak in to get it fixed. Nor would he tell me what they were planning to do to fix it, who would do the work, and if that work would void my boat's warranty. He ACTED sincere and like he wanted to help, but when it came down to it dragged his feet and blew me off. I see others have had the same treatment from him. So beware- don't fall for the good guy act. This guy is slimy. Oh! And this is the kicker- I inquired if they would take the kayak carriers back, since I was unable to load and unload my kayaks from my roof (one kayak is a tandem- just too big and heavy for my small stature). He said they wouldn't, which I understand. But THEN he tried to tell me I should come back and buy a trailer from him, to solve my problem- the Yakima Low Rider. He would sell it to me for the bargain price of $2700! It retails on the Yakima website for $2199... Good luck to you all and happy kayaking! What a great hobby; we've enjoyed it immensely. I just have to forget about Dale and all the money he managed to squander from our naive, single-income family. read more

Where to start. In March 2025 my husband purchased a kayak that was almost $3000.00 dollars. He used it a few times and within a few months the seat seams started to tear. I called Dale (the owner) and he asked me to send him photos which I did. He said he would get back to me. Crickets... I emailed him on 7.26.25 about the new seat which was under warranty and never heard back from him. I called and left a message some time in September 2025 and no call back. I emailed again on 10.4.25 and 11.23.25 no replies. Called and spoke with Dale on 4.28.26 and he said he would call them and get me some answers. Today is 5.8.26 and still no call back. Another email was sent today. I'm sure at this point over a year later is that we will forget about it and just walk away. Not gonna happen. PLEASE do not waste your time going there. I do not recommend dealing with them as long as Dale is in charge and from reading other reviews it seems to be standing operation procedure with him. As the owner he should take more pride in his business practices. read more

Be very wary of this business. I spent over $9,000 at Lancaster County Marine, but that doesn't seem to be enough to warrant good follow-up service. I don't give negative reviews, but I am going to make sure others are aware before doing business with Dale. First the good: kayaks, canoes, etc they have them. Many people don't during the pandemic, so that's their plus. The bad: Responsiveness and everything else listed below. Not their strength. If you get Dale's email, he will respond. If you go through the front office or Facebook then you are likely to not receive responses. If you do, it will take a while. Despite having to track his team down to make the sale, find a time to get everything setup, etc. it is still a long process - inefficient. So that first day, took a long time to get the trailer complete, organize the equipment, pick out other gear, and receive training on the Mercury outboard. Then the sale, the registration, etc. the only thing that was done ahead of time was the wiring of the trailer. The biggest issue - Dale sold me a custom cover for the Esquif Rangeley 15' canoe. It was about $800 for a $3,000 canoe. So a big investment. That was May, it is late September and still no cover. I gave the suggested 60 days of wait time. No response from his team. I track them down again. "It will be here soon." I have to follow- up again and again. Finally in August Dale has a 15' and 17' cover. "Which boat do you have, Eric?" Ugh. The 15. He mails me the 17' I have to track him down again. He doesn't know how that could happen and asks me to send pics to confirm the wrong size. But then he trusts me, but then he wants pictures later. So I have to mail that one back and he is going to send me the right one. This time it doesn't fit, because of manufacture error. He wants me to send that one back and he will send me another by Sep 14. Nope. I track down Dale again. "It is on its way for Sep 22nd" Nope. At this point I am irate. He hasn't taken this seriously. He hasn't offered a discount, in fact when the first cover arrived he sold me straps for it, that are generic and low quality and not American Made, which he touts so much. I guess $800 doesn't included straps that fit your boat. I demanded a refund, but he hasn't honored that yet. I threatened to involve my Credit Card company and the Better Business Bureau and that doesn't seem to bother him. He did confuse me with some other credit card dispute and attacked my character. That was awkward, suggesting I had already reversed charges, was badgering him for more money, and the cover too. Yikes, not even close. After four months of waiting, Dale offered this advice, "Patience and understanding are imperative in many of life's situations." One of the most condescending approaches to business that I have ever witnessed. Updates: a cover finally arrived, of course after I informed Dale to refund my money for the cover. I have since asked for him to refund my money and send me a return authorization. No responses except To inform me that when he has time he will do a careful audit of the issues - seems like stalling to me. So I have to spend more time working this issue with my bank. Also, I finally sat down and reviewed each item that I bought from him. Everything except the actual boat is more expensive than I can find in a quick internet search. I won't go line by line, but I often see 25% increases - outboards, trailers, trolling motors, everything. That is my fault for being excited and rushing into purchasing everything at once. Should have done my homework. read more

Excellent selection of kayaks, motor boats and used parts at premium prices. The parts section is a bit disorganized. I went in looking for cam cleats for a sailboat and they had no idea what cam cleats were, instead directing me to "Jam cleats", which are not interchangeable. They aren't sailboat guys, so it's okay I guess. The boats on the used lot seem to have extremely high asking prices relative to fair market value and what those models sell for in proximal geographies. I am sure they've been gone through by the mechanics and are in tip top shape but I am not sure if that justifies the 2-3X increase over the normal price. read more

I recently bought a boat from Lancaster County Marine and I can't say enough great things about their service and willingness to work together. I am looking forward to working with them for years to come and certainly wish I met them sooner. Thank you to Dale, Duane and Sarah. read more

Long story short,, I was told by Dale (OWNER) that the particular fishing kayak I wanted was not available anywhere. BACK ORDERED EVERYWHERE. But if I gave him $200 he would put me on his long waiting list for it because he had a large shipment arriving sometime in the future. Could be months. I gave him the $200 then 2 days later I realized that there were that exact kayak in stock at a lot of his competitors. This is still only 2 days after I handed him the $200. I called and told him I found one and wanted my money back. Sorry, Thats not going to happen. He is keeping it even after he took it under false pretenses and never did a thing for the money. No special order, simply put my name on his long list. WOW!! read more

After doing tons of research, test paddles, talking to people, I went into Lancaster Marine to buy a pretty high end fishing kayak. I wanted to buy from them because I live very local. The only employees I saw in the hour I spent playing with their kayaks avoided eye contact lime I had the plague. I left, drove to the land of tax free shopping, and bought my cool new kayak. That was two weeks ago, and now I need a trailer or roof rack. I thought there was just no way I'd get ignored again. I was wrong. After being ignored again, I got in an employees face, and asked if there was anyone who could answer questions about a Yakima. He sighed, said he guessed that was him, and started to walk over to show me. He actually then ignored me to talk to a customer that came in after me. The Yakima won't work, and I really want the trailer I was ready to buy if the rack wasn't an option, but I guess I'll have to drive again. Fascinating business model. read more

Bought a new karavan trailer for my pontoon boat. Price was fair and in stock ready to go. No two to 4 week waiting period. Dale was very descriptive of the trailer and made sure it was set up right for both the boat and tow vehicle. I even had it in for warranty work (little rust and a bunk fell off) and Dale took care of it Within a week. Top notch service and great communication. Store is awesome. When my little one gets bigger, my wife and i will go check out some kayaks for sure!. read more

Lancaster County Marine - Side view of trailer. - Sporting Goods Near Me - Ephrata, Pennsylvania

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Worst experience ever dealing with Dale Jr. After being overcharged for a kayak trailer and then experiencing a warranty issue, I received nothing except months of unreturned e-mails/phone calls. When he finally responded after my relentless pursuit, I was charged for a clear warranty issue and then sent the incorrect piece after I supplied him with photos and specific information on what broke. When he finally sent the correct part, I'm assuming because I haven't actually seen it yet, he sent it to the wrong address. Not sure if he is incompetent or just doesn't care about customer service once a sale is made, but I will never give them my business for anything again. Unfortunately it is a family owned/operated business, so there is really no recourse except for a negative review! read more

These guys sold me a kayak that they said was "in-stock" but failed to mention that I had to wait 6 weeks for the trailer. They advertise that you can customize your trailer any way you like, and I ordered mine with bunks. They delivered one with racks. I drove 6 hours to pick up my kayak and trailer and then waited 4 hours in 85+ degree heat where no one was wearing a mask. Not customers or staff. Dangerous. When I tried to get them to correct the trailer error, they offered to sell me parts at very high prices. When I had a glitch with my electric motor, no one there knew anything about the motor. When screws that they left loose fell off the boat and trailer, I had to find and fix then myself. If you buy anything from these folks, don't expect any service after the sale. When you talk to Dale, keep your hand on your wallet. read more

I had special ordered a Kayak in May 2021. The brand was Old Town. I ordered early because I wanted it before Memorial Day 2022. Exactly 1 year passes and I still hadn't heard from Lancaster Marine. I had previously been in contact with Sarah who works there who had advised me that they still did not have an ETA for me. At this point I knew something was up. She advised that Old Town only made limited runs of all models/colors instead of fulfilling all orders. Most businesses do not do this. I don't think they were lying about this part, but they should have disclosed prior to preordering cause that would have swayed my decision. I called Old Town myself, who were very firm that they have provided ETAs for all of their orders and assured I would have one at that time (may 2022). I was also seeing that model in stock at another vendor's website, which means that Old Town was not prioritizing special orders over stock fulfillment, which Lancaster did not disclose either. I wanted it before Memorial Day so I ended up ordering through the other vendor to have it in before then. By the time I had received a call from Dale, the owner, that it had finally arrived, it was August 2022. So I shot the owner straight that I didn't need it any more, but I also called them out for not advising me that Old Town was not making enough of any model/color to fulfill all orders and not prioritizing orders over stock fulfillment. Of course he couldn't give me a straight answer as to why other than "it was the pandemic that caused them to fulfill orders this way". If that's the case, then why did they fulfill regular stock for other vendors over my order? I advised him that I didn't mind them keeping the deposit, but I wanted to spend it towards something else. I was even willing to pay the shipping, but he gave me the run around. "Well I don't know. I'd have to think about it". Never heard from him again of course. They like to say "we've been in business for 55 years" as if that has anything to do with their code of ethics, but it doesn't. This is a very unethical business practice and should be put on blast so other people don't make the same mistake. One could argue that they ordered the kayak and it put a burden on them since I did not pay for it in full. Yes, but the kayak and color I ordered is a very sought after model and color (hence why I had to special order it). They likely had no problem selling it or had other people waiting in line for that particular boat. They just wanted to keep the deposit. No telling how many people they've done this to. Feel free to read my email string with Sarah in the URL below for proof (be sure to read in ascending order). https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kl-Wh6D6gQtWrYZjOmwtANwxlD7s2U3n/view?usp=sharing read more

DO NOT GO ANYWHERE NEAR THIS BUSINESS!!! I join Christopher H, Brian H, Dace B, Eric C, James S, Paul, Lisak R and anyone else who rated this business one star. Given a choice, I would give it a Minus 10. We have had to retain legal counsel to fight the fraudulent business practices of Lancaster County Marine. Our credit card was charged over $5,099 with a fraudulent receipt dated and issued days after the charge went through, for merchandise I did not order. That was in May of 2023, and I have not been able to secure a refund or the merchandise. Dale H. now wants me to pay AGAIN, so he can ship. And I am to trust that he MIGHT issue my credit card a refund when he receives the second payment (for merchandise I did not order). This certainly is not normal business practice!!! But it IS consumer fraud at its worst. And there is nothing that Dale H. has said to me to make me trust anything he says. On November 9th Dale H. called my wife on her cell phone trying to extort more money, even though he knows we have legal counsel in this mess. We have lost our money and our entire summer on the water. I am an elderly US Army veteran, who has been screwed by Lancaster County Marine's business practices. NO ETHICS WHATSOEVER. He needs to be brought to justice. read more

Always liked Lancaster County Marine (LCM) until this past week when I picked up a homeless man to drop him off at the library. On our way to the library he tells me that this place ripped him off 150.00. I found it difficult to believe that Dale or any of the three generations would rip anyone off. Since we were driving past it on our way to the library, I decided to take the homeless man into LCM to clear up any confusion (I was confident that LCM couldn't have done anything wrong and that the homeless man was confused). Not long after we got there (I was looking at a sailboat and some of the kayaks), the next generation (grandson?) got aggressive with both the homeless man and myself. I explained that the homeless man was under some false impression that LCM had ripped him off 150.00. At that point the older generation (maybe the dad?) calmly explained that the homeless man had dropped the deposit 4 years ago and that their Policy is that returns can only be used as store credit. I explained that he hadn't really returned anything and that store credit does nothing for a man who is starving and has no place to sleep and that the homeless man would like his 150.00 back so he can possibly rent a room for the eve or buy food. I explained to the older generation that this homeless man is not currently in the market for any leisurely activities and that the $150.00 he left there 3 or 4 years ago would really serve him better if he could have HIS money back. It was at this point that the Ephrata Police showed up and escorted us both from the building (another loooong and story but it was clear that LCM has favor with the local police). The older generation simply cited their policy that this homeless man was more than welcome to purchase anything in the store with his 150.00 store credit. Stay away from these guys... They've lost their way. Sometimes when a generation is born into success they forget to ask themselves what JC would do. It certainly isn't anything like how these guys behaved on this day. Very Sad and Disappointed with the next generation of this company. I'm confident that time will tell.. Fortunately for the next generation there is so much inventory that even if/when business slows as a result of this newfound arrogance they'll be able to move product and will look successful. I guess the only thing I'd go back for is to register a boat that I purchased from a company with a stronger moral fabric (i.e. another place). read more

We just bought two kayaks and a trailer from these guys and they were awesome. They were very knowledgeable and super nice. Dale and Isaiah made the process super simple and was able to help us pick out the rite boats for us. If you're in the market for a boat, kayak, sup, or canoe, go check these guys out. read more

Lancaster County Marine - Sporting Goods Near Me - Ephrata, Pennsylvania

Dale and Duane did right by me. Good guys, straight shooters that didn't leave me hanging when my outboard motor needed a repair.

This place took $100 from me as a deposit for a kayak that was listed as "In Stock" on their website. It was not in stock and the $100 was simply a payment to join the "waiting line" for the kayak, and they had no idea when another one would arrive. When I called to cancel my position "in line", they refused to return my deposit and would not even let me spend the $100 on anything else except another kayak. Buyer beware of similar unethical business tactics posted about Lancaster County Marine. read more

Deceitful with time frames of when we would have our kayak. Kept getting conflicting answers. Lady who answers the phone was very rude and not helpful, refusing to look up my order to check on delivery time frame. Waited over 5 months for kayak that was to take 3 weeks to get in. Miraculously the day we cancelled our order, supposedly the kayak was on the truck in their parking lot. Would NEVER recommend this business!! We had to contact Old Town directly to get help with our order. read more

If I could give them a zero I would. If you want to have a good experience, have follow up and be felt like you are a priority - GO SOMEWHERE ELSE! Maybe if I was buying a kayak instead of a $55,000 boat I would of been their priority...HUM....think about that one. read more

Don't get me wrong, they know a lot about kayaks and have an amazing showroom. But, using customary and fair business practices is not what they are about. You will be asked to give them a nonrefundable deposit and pay for shipping to them as an add on charge not discussed before signing a irrevocable contract to buy the boat. All of which I did not fully understand until after I had docu-signed the contract in an email and afterwards I called them to clarify why shipping to them was a separate additional charge. That is normally a cost of doing business. So, now I am stuck, and must fulfill the terms of the contract. Paying for the boat. Which, if I walked away, owe them the entire cost of the boat and not have a kayak to show for it! Read! And understand every word and number in a contract. I have learned an important lesson. The moment a seller starts to hit you with weird charges don't sign it, run away instead!!. Let them keep the boat and deposit because you won't get it back without threatening to or actually suing them in small claims court. The BBB offered to help. Finding them guilty of unfair business practices, they are ready to send a complaint for their response. However, as much I would like them to. I know they will not respond to this one either. This is why they have a C rating. Never ever put yourself in a situation where you are feeling you making a purchase of anything under duress! read more

Purchased a brand new jet motor today and ca not say enough how great the service was. Friendly from the first call! I highly recommend this shop to anyone. Amazing customer service! read more

Everyone was incredibly helpful with our kayaks! LCM has the best selection in the area and we'll be back when it's time to upgrade.

These guys are great. They know their stuff, they're helpful and there's a huge selection to meet anybody's wants and needs. If they don't have an accessory that you need, they'll order it for you. They are just a good, hard working family running an honest business! read more

After attempting to gain a comparison and price quote on a few different kayaks, I found LCM online. I took a chance and emailed the store, expecting the same rude treatment I got from the (rather well known) paddling store near my home in NJ. Dale called me about 15 minutes after I emailed and asked if I had the time to talk. He proceeded to ask me about my dimensions, paddling ability, budget and what exactly the pros and cons of each boat were to one another. I was also given a great quote over the phone and given the chance to place the boat on hold. I placed a hold, and even though they are located 2 hours from my home, went there to look at the various boats. I was greeted by the owners and given a chance to look between the different makes and models. I ended up getting the boat i had on hold, and noted I would gladly purchase again from this store. I've now used the boat for about 80 miles of kayaking and still love it, my friends have all expressed an interest and I have been more than happy to provide LCM's name as a place to look (worth a trip or looking at their online listings). Not sure why you see some bad reviews online from other people, other than them not getting things their way. I would say that some of their accessories are a little on the high side in comparison to online, however markup for a local (family) retailer is very reasonable, and their selection is excellent. The team here all know their stuff and are happy to help you with making decisions. will be hopefully looking for an upgrade boat for my wife sometime soon. read more

This business has a great selection of canoes and kayaks with prices about the same as everywhere else for those. Be careful buying accessories, though. I bought my kayak, hatch cover, paddle, and PFD at the same time, with the idea that the accessories would be discounted. Maybe they were based on LCM's prices, but I found I paid between 1/3 and 1/2 more for these items at LCM than I would have elsewhere. As I was new to kayaking, I took their advice. I would buy a kayak or canoe from them in the future (after checking prices elsewhere). But, I will never buy an accessory at LCM. read more

Was in a pinch and bought a sweet aluminum trailer from them and they had it setup and ready within a week. Prices are a little high, especially on marine accessories, but not bad for a marine dealer that's not near the ocean. read more

Upon arrival at the store, I intended to browse around. I got to the upper level only to have one of their female representative yell up to ask what I was looking for. I let her know I was hoping to find replacement throttle cables. She came back and said I had to come down to another area to talk to a guy who said he could help me out. I then had to go down to the area in the showroom where this guy was just hanging out. By the looks of it, he was just shooting the breeze. I let him know I was hoping to find a set of replacement cables. He asked if I had the current ones with me. I let him know I didn't, and was about to tell him I had my engine serial number, knew the type of throttle I had, as well as exact measurements of the cables and detailed pictures. He interrupted me and said he wasn't willing to even attempt looking for them without the old ones present. He gave me a business card and asked me to come back when I had the cables. --- I came home, found a the cables online, and installed them in my boat, with no issues, within a week. I'm not planning to return to this store. read more

Much of what I've read in other reviews for this dealer rings true with our experience. Dale and his staff were courteous to my son and me during the sale and entire transaction process as we looked forward to acquiring a new, 10-foot, double-hulled, ABS plastic fishing boat (Bass Hound II). We could see, and Dale acknowledged, some scratches, dings and stains that were attributed to "factory defects," (but not use). It was presented as a new boat and trailer package, for which we paid the full, undiscounted price. When my son and I took the boat out on the Susquehanna 10 days later for a trial run, it nearly sank. That is not an exaggeration. This boat has a hull-within-a-hull construction, where foam and air space exist between the outer and inner ABS shells. After the launch and for the first few minutes, all seemed to be going well, but within minutes the boat was riding lower and lower in the water until the surface of the river was at the top of the gunnel and began spilling into the boat at our feet. My son was operating the trolling motor in the stern and I was forward, so I quickly moved aft to bring up the front just enough to stop the water coming over the bow. We made our way to an island where we elevated the bow and found the problem: water was pouring out around the fitting for the drain plug. In other words, even though the drain stopper on the inside of the boat was firmly in place, there was substantial leakage around the outside of the fitting, which had allowed water to enter the space between the two hulls. As we waited for water to drain back out, I found that by applying pressure to the rear plastic seat pedestal base, water squirted from a small hole about 8 inches above the floor and also drained faster around the transom fitting. When water stopped coming from the hole and the transom, the boat was much lighter and we could tell that most of it had been drained; we could now make a beeline for our launch site. At full trolling tilt we managed to reach shore again and loaded up the boat, obviously somewhat shaken that such a thing could happen with a new boat, but thankful that my 5-year-old granddaughter had not been with one of us for the maiden voyage. Upon our return home, we removed all of the trailer accessories that I'd bought and installed (trailer tongue lift handle, tongue wheel jack, and guide bars) and we took the boat and trailer back to LCM. Both of us felt that the poor design and catastrophic defect entitled us to a full refund on boat and trailer. Dale immediately offered to repair the leak, but we made clear that we were uncomfortable with anything short of a refund. After minutes of arguing the matter and citing the obvious safety concerns and potential for a much worse outcome, things seemed to be going nowhere and we voiced our intent to resolve the matter with our credit card company. Only then did Dale agree to refund the cost of boat and trailer and tax, minus $125 for paperwork/clerical and processing fees. Now the kicker: In one of my conversations with a representative of the PA Fish and Boat Commission (to cancel the boat registration), she asked if we'd received a certificate of origin with the boat. I said we hadn't, nor had there been any type of paperwork you might expect when buying a new boat off the showroom floor. At that point she explained that the last two digits of a boat's hull identification number (HIN) show the year of manufacture. In our case they were "06." In other words, we'd been sold a 10-year-old boat that had been presented as new. read more

I was searching for a certain kayak and no one had it in stock. I finally found LCM! I called and they had it! What a selection. It is by far the best place for customer service. A great family run business.They spend time with you, are very friendly and truly care about helping you! I have been there twice and look forward to going back to get whatever I need, big or small. By the time you leave the store you really feel like part of the family. read more

They sell great kayaks and they are in stock, but customer service is not in stock. I purchased two kayaks and a trailer $ 8000 . Trailer had a bad wheel I called Dale, first ask me what I hit. customer fault first. Turn out as per Dale's brother the wheel was defective. I ask if they checked the spare . He walk over and looked at the wheel ,and stated that it was good. Wish it was looked at first before I had to come back . It is a 75mile round trip. Dale didn't care about that. All I can say is that as long as money is leaving you and going to Dale ,he'll treat you right, when your not your a problem. I would not recommend to anyone ! I would recommend Hobie kayaks thou . Great features and made in USA . PADDLE ON! read more