We decided last minute to try to rent a canoe for our family of 3 this past weekend. My husband and I have maybe canoed twice in our lifetimes... maybe once. So we had a lot of questions. These guys were so patient with us, explained everything, listened to our concerns, and made great recommendations. Plus they were able to meet us and rent us a canoe on short notice once we decided to go for it. They even included extra equipment like boxes to keep your phones dry... nice touch. (We still brought our own waterproof backpack for bigger stuff, but I think they said they had a cooler, which we didn't need, which could've probably been used for something bigger than a phone). These folks were super friendly and knowledgeable with lots of options. We wanted to canoe in caves, and they gave us a good recommendation for something within reach for us novices that we could do at our own pace. They helped carry the canoe (I'm a lightweight). We launched around 1:00, found our way out of Castle Rock Bay (the second hardest part), found the caves to the north (easy! just follow the coastline), and got exactly what we wanted. Got the hang of canoeing, plus we even found a little island, too. The hardest part might have been recognizing the entrance back into Castle Rock Bay, except we ran into a local kayaking who struck up a conversation. He was going the same place and kindly hung around to make sure we found it. (Even after he entered the reeds, he sort of came back when we didn't follow him right away... I had stopped to take pictures. :) So nice!). So I'm guessing that would be the hardest part of the trip, except it wasn't for us. :) We got in around 5:15.
If you don't know how to steer, do ask them... we thought we remembered from our previous experience, so I'm not sure whether they'd think to explain that to complete newbies, but probably. I actually hadn't remembered everything, but my husband did, so it worked out. (I remembered the person in the back steers, but forgot how. He remembered that you steer by sticking the paddle in the water like a rudder on the side you want to turn to. Person in the front keeps paddling).
We loved it! We will definitely rent again from these guys, and you should too. Wear a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, and water shoes/swimsuits/swimshirts to cover for sun exposure. The water is a bit cold this time of year, but with so much sun, it actually feels nice to have some cold after a while. You will get wet. You won't regret it!
The owners are very personable, with a nice family. We did the Bill Willems paddle and had such a good time that we came back for the topock gorge trip which was outstanding. Excellent customer service;
Best and nicest hard working people, and the best rental prices in Lake Havasu!
VictorB
Great place to rent equipment and bring the family for an adventure. I highly recommend them. Great price too
Awesome experience! Doug was friendly, and answered all of my questions with knowledge and patience. Arrangements were easy to make and drop-off and pickup were punctual.Incredible
rates!! Can't wait to check out another tour with this company when I return. This Canadian had a great day on the lake!! Thanks AZ Wacko!!
Recently rented kayaks again from this company & I'm still giving them a 5 star review! Maryanne is friggin awesome!! Very patient & knowledgeable. My man (S) & I were going to rent a kayak for the day @ Rotary Park like we did 3 yrs ago but Maryanne mentioned that there have been a lot of big boats there & suggested doing the Castle Rock/Mesquite option. @ first we were going to just rent a two person kayak but then decided to get our own after learning it was $40/pp.
We had to meet Maryanne & her husband Jim @ Mesquite bay to leave our car & get picked up by them & taken down to Castle Rock, our starting point. Well Mesquite Bay couldn't be found on the GPS & I wasn't sure where we were going. Was trying to confirm directions the AM of & Maryanne was nice enough & just came to our hotel so we could follow them. Well S was moving very slow this day & I had to keep harassing him to get going. I felt horrible that when they got to the hotel he wasn't ready. We kept them waiting for about 10 mins maybe 15 minutes. Worst feeling to have. They seemed OK with it, didn't seem mad or annoyed. Of course I apologized for him holding us up. (Sorry again)
Mesquite bay wasn't far from our hotel (Rodeway Inn) maybe about 10-13 minutes. Once we got there we parked. Maryanne pointed out land marks so we would know where & when to turn to get back to this point, our ending. We quickly packed our coolers. I brought my own & S borrowed one from them that they had, along with a wet bag & some flip flops. He was "rushing" to get out of the hotel & forgot his water shoes. They know exactly what comes in handy on a day on the water.
We then jumped in their van & we all wore masks, CV19 precautions. S & I were the only passengers. We went up the road a little further, apx. 5 miles to get Castle Rock. Once we go there we got out & the man helped them unload the kayaks off their van. They provide life jackets, you don't have to wear them but I highly recommend you do for safety reasons. There isn't much activity or people around Castle Rock's waters, @ least the day we went on. Sunday 09/27/2020. Boats aren't allowed in the beginning waters.
You have to bring the kayak's down to the water. WACKO has a set of wheels they put on the back of the kayak & you lift it from the front and pull. Maryanne helped me with mine. S did his own. We didn't want Jim helping us as he didn't look like he should be doing that stuff. It wasn't too far of a walk. Once we got down to the water she pointed out where to go, mentioned the caves you can check out if the water level isn't too low @ the entrance. She also provided a little map with land marks/pictures on it that was laminated that we took along with us.
Just so you know there are NO BATHROOMS @ Castle Rock or Mesquite bay. So if you can take care of your bathroom duties prior to heading out its advised. Don't liter & leave trash behind. Take out what you take in. Take a lunch/snacks so when you get hungry & can find a place to stop you have something to eat. These spots have NO trash cans either.
Once we got in our kayaks & got started we found that the kayaks were a little wobbly which made us nervous. It was as if they felt light & with the wrong move you would tip it over. We've kayaked before & I have never experienced this in any kayak's. So because of this we decided not to venture down to the cave since it was in the opposite direction and we were nervous due to the stability of the kayaks.
The water area on the take off is a small section & you have to go up to the tall greenery to find a narrow path to get out into the bigger water. Maryanne points you in the right direction prior to leaving. You have to take your paddle apart & only use one 1/2 to help you paddle thru the narrow path. **See video I posted of this. We both were still a little nervous. There was a lot of water trees/plants in the water. Not sure if thats what they're called but your paddle right over them, nothing we wanted to fall into...creepy! LOL I picked up some on my paddle & accidentally got some on top of my hat & had no idea until S noticed it & told me. We got a good laugh out of that.
We saw some birds, little brown ducks & some big white ducks that had NO problem being friendly. I advise you NOT TO FEED them or they will follow you. We pulled over to a spot & they came over to us & was surrounding my kayak & jumping on it cause I feed them when I first saw them. We stopped @ the palm tree to hang in the water a bit & then right around the corner was Mesquite bay. It took us 4.5 hrs to complete with a couple stops.
I highly recommend using this company for your kayaking needs. You won't be disappointed! Also their hrs on Yelp aren't correct, call them to make reservations or with questions. If they don't call you back for some reason, call them back.
ALSO DON'T FORGET YOUR SUNSCREEN & HAVE FUN!!!