If you're spending time up in the Blue Hill/Penobscot/Castine areas and want to get out on a kayak,…read moreThe Activity Shop is perfect! We rented a cottage on the Bagaduce for a week. The Kayak was dropped off the day we arrived and picked up right after we left. The Kayak was perfect. Fantastic service - they made it so easy!

This is our second year in a row getting Kayak rentals from The Activity Shop. Everything is…read moredropped off and ready for use at your arrival. The equipment is in great shape. Talking to Chris is always a pleasure. He is always pleasant, and ready to throw out some recommendations on where to go. We continue to plan to use them for future rentals.

Joined Captain Jeff with my family last Sunday out of Bucksport for a beautiful cruise for 2 hours…read more Jeff asked where we would like to go and we headed out to Penobscot Bay. The captain was great at answering our questions, pointing out seals and telling us about the area. He showed us a lighthouse and overall he was great to just let us enjoy ourselves and talk while he cruised along. He is very flexible in his scheduling and such a great host. I highly recommend taking this cruise. We will be booking again to go up the river this next time. Thank you Captain Jeff for a great day! Chris Pushor

Capt. Jeff was amazing. We took a 4 hour tour, part way up the Penobscot River to the Marsh river…read moreconfluence, then out the Penobscot Bay to Belfast for lunch and then back to Bucksport. Was really cool being able to see Fort Knox and the Penobscot Narrows bridge from the water. Wildlife was abundant, from Bald Eagles to Harbor and Gray seals. A special day on the water with my sister and her husband from Georgia, and what a great way to share the beautiful place I live in. I'll be going out on the boat with Capt. Jeff in the future. Awesome time!

We absolutely loved our time aboard the Lulu Lobster Boat! Alison and Captain Tony were…read morefantastic--so knowledgeable, friendly, and great at making sure everyone who wanted a chance to hold a lobster or ask a question got to do so. We saw seals, porpoises, crabs, and, of course... LOBSTERS! It was such a fun and memorable experience, and I'm so glad we booked it! We would highly recommend

Our whole family absolutely loved the Lulu tour!! This boat trip is great for adults and kids…read morealike, and was a real highlight of our trip to Acadia. Linda is a wonderful host. You can tell that she enjoys engaging with people --she is so warm and friendly -- and she is also very smart with wealth of knowledge on all kinds of topics around nature and planning and the history of lobstering in Maine. I don't know the name of the man who caught the lobsters on the boat but he was also wonderful with the guests! He was very kind and patient and my sons loved learning about the way the boat navigates - so much fun! The kids loved banding and holding the lobsters and then throwing them back in the water at the end! Awesome boat tour! Loved it and next time we're back in Bar Harbor will for sure do it again! Thank you!

Incredible tour guides!!! So friendly and personalized. Really give you a local experience and…read morelunch is amazing. MUST DO if you are in Maine!

We can't recommend this experience enough. The 1.5 hour tour was the perfect length. Our captain…read moreand first mate went above and beyond to make our experience great. We even saw a baby loon! Don't sleep on the lobster role. It was the best of my life, and I even lived in ME.

Been taking this cruise with our houseguests for 25 years. Hands down the best cruise on MDI by…read morefar!!

The process to book the trip was easy online. Check In was just as simple. They offer on site…read moreparking which was helpful. The dock is a long walk so just a heads up if you have mobility issues. But you can get there. Plenty of seating in board, but it will be full so you might be seating next to a new friend. Does not matter which side to sit because the captain will spin the boat around for both sides to see each site. The entire trip was educational and picturesque. The captain has lots of stories and knowledge of the area. Very engaging. The back speaker was a bit crackling so missed a few tidbits plus the motor in back can be challenging. So prepare ahead to where you should sit. There is shade and sun. Great views of island life, birds, seals and even jellyfish. Saw a couple eagles and porpoises. So cool. They also pull a lobster trap and share the rules and regulations on lobstering. Great for kids. It's a solid two hour excursion and no on board facilities so prepare. Sure it's a bit touristy but I learned a lot about the lobster industry and salmon farming as well as island life. I would do it again and bring friends.

It's taken me a little time to decide if I should write this review or not. What led me to write it…read morewas Facebook. More specifically, the Maine Boat Rental Facebook page. I'll get back that in a bit. I rented the boat I'm writing about from August 15-17, 2025. First I want to tell you what happened and I will provide facts supported with pictures Maine Boat Rental provided me (actually a video of the boat before I took possession and several pictures showing the damage they claimed I caused). After returning the boat, I received an e-mail on 26 August stating, "This email is to confirm a one-time charge in the amount of $251.74 has been successfully completed. The reason for this charge was $26.74 GAS FILL, $175 BENT BIMNI ROD SCRATCHES ON REAR AND FRONT OF BOAT, $50 ADMIN FEE FOR CC FOR SECURITY DEPOSIT and is associated with your reservation CC A5L-GDV. If you have any questions, please contact Maine Boat Rental at [207-313-6248] and we will be happy to assist you." I immediately called them and they said the Bimini rod was bent and there was damage to the hull of the boat. I asked them to send me the video/pics and they did. Me being me, I looked at the pictures and then watched the video (the one taken before I rented the boat). I ended up doing screen-shots of the video. I compared the screen shots with the damage they said I did, then put an Adobe pdf file together to send them showing that EVERY scratch, gouge, bent rod, etc., was already on the boat. I sent that file to Maine Boat Rental and asked when I was going to get my refund. About a week later I received an e-mail from Nichoal that said, "After spending a lengthy amount of time comparing videos and pictures, I have found that the bimni bar was bent badly during your rental and the cost of replacing that is over $1,200. I have also found that there are in fact new scratches on the boat the worst of them down to the fiberglass and will require a in-depth patching process to ensure water intrusion will not happen in the future." I asked her if she saw the Adobe pdf file I sent her and she hadn't (remember, she claimed to have spent a "lengthy amount of time comparing videos and pictures" - obviously not looking at their own Facebook page). I again sent the file which clearly shows the damage they charged me for was already on the boat. Once she realized I did my due diligence, she immediately refunded my $175 in damages. Now, what caused me to write this review. I was looking at other reviews and their Facebook page. Facebook has 2 pictures showing their ski boats all docked together (posted on July 17, 2025). The last boat (farthest from the picture taker) is the boat I rented. In that picture, taken almost a month before I rented the boat, is the bent Bimini rod. The bend in the bar clearly matches the damage picture they sent me. That was the icing on the cake. How many renters have been charged for this Bimini rod they claim is over $1200? I have yet to find a Bimini top for more than $500 but that's not the point. The point is unsuspecting renters are renting from Maine Boat Rental and probably getting charged for damage that was already there. They probably charged every person that rented this particular boat, July 17 through now, for that damage. Pretty crappy way to try and get more money from people. I mean, $1000 for a 3-day rental isn't enough? I just caution you, if you're planning on renting a boat from them, to take pictures of every bit of damage (bent rods, scratches, prop damage on the engine, etc.). In fact, make sure the person from Maine Boat Rental dropping off the boat is in those pictures so they can see you took them before you got the boat not after the fact. The pictures I've posted - higher resolution pictures = damage they said I caused / lower resolution pictures = screen shots I took from their video before I got the boat. For the record, I did rent from them (I am Sean M on the contract and fuel receipt).

What great employees! Excellent personalized service at boat pickup. We'll use this company every…read moreyear!!!

What an AMAZING business. One of the last true shops in the world that truly believes in honest…read morecustomer service. I recently bought a 1978 used boat for $600. So of course it was going to require work. The motor would not run. I took it in and they got it running for only $125. STUPID CHEAP!! Now, understand that I know NOTHING about boats. This is the first one I have ever owned. So I got the boat home, and it would not start. Turns out the distributor cap was bad. (Keep in mind this is a 1978 so the thing is old and not taken care of when I got it) So I take it back to the shop. As I am backing out into the road, the propeller hits the road and broke 2 fins off. When I arrived at the shop, the owner and the mechanic stopped everything they were doing to give me and my boat full and immediate attention. The mechanic spent a ton of time going over the details of the boat with me. This was 30 minutes before closing and the mechanic was determined to fix it that day and he did. New distributor cap $20!! The ne went over the boat with me. Everything from start up procedures, to wiring and battery connections. Then they spent about an hour calling around to find me the right part and get me fixed for again a stupid low price. The owner spent time going over the part with me step by step to ensure that I could mount the prop myself and save even more $$$. I have been back and forth to the shop 4 different times bugging them because I just don't know about boats and every time I show up, they make me feel like I am the only customer that they have. Keep in mind this is mid May and the shop is 300 yards from the largest lake in Maine within the same town. So they are BUSY! If I was them, I would hate to see me coming, but they act as if I am the only one in the world. I truly love these guys. Small town charm with big city professionalism, experience and service. DO NOT GO TO ANY OTHER SHOP for all your ATV, boat and snowmobile needs. These guys are the best!

Puffins. Great tour guides: George and Sam. Thank you…read more (Hahahahaha hahahaha banan. For extra characters)

I travelled to Bar Harbor Maine for a vacation. There were the beautiful vistas and astounding…read morelandscapes, but it all seemed blase until the day I went on the Eden Star. I purchased a ticket for the seal and puffin tour. The trip began with a lovely musical introduction by the naturalist. I enjoy sea shanties. We journeyed out onto the Gulf of Maine with hope of seeing some whales. The first creature we saw was a porpoise swimming in the wake. We went on to see the seals and seabirds the tours advertised but we were lucky enough to see two humpback whales. The whale tours must normally go much further out, so we were very fortunate. The naturalist was very good and kept the experience engaging. The crew was professional and well mannered. After our site the naturalist entertained the passengers with his dulcet tones once again. I strongly encourage people to try the Acadian Boat Tours...however...it is a boat. If you are sensitive, or aren't sure, take motion sickness medication. I would have enjoyed things even more if I had.

Jeremy was great tour guide! We absolutely loved our time in the Lil' Toot. We got great view of…read morethe Castine coast line and enjoyed some interesting history about Penobscot Bay. Even spotted an eagle and a few seals!

We just had the best day on the L'il Toot. Zander knew so much and really kept it fresh and…read moreinteresting. I don't usually like tours but I loved this one. Such a fun way to get out on the water, learn about the area and get around.

Easy reservation. Easy online waiver process. Links to all the "required" videos to watch…read more Excellent in-store briefings. Bikes performed flawlessly. HIGHLY recommend the fat tire bikes over the others; more stable on the loose gravel roads. Plenty of juice. We did the around the mountain, tri-lakes loop with an extra lap around Eagle Lake and still had a quarter tank.

We had a wonderful trip and saw porpoises, seals, bald eagles, loons. Our guide, Casey, was very…read moreknowledgeable on the history of the area and the ecology and gave our group of 11 a great tour!