kayak, sup, & Canoe Rentals
Sometimes you don't want a guide. You want a boat, a general direction, and the freedom to figure it out yourself.
We play a road trip game with our friend Tom called "Amateur Hour." The rules are simple: spot the most spectacular gear-hauling situation — straps flapping, load listing sideways, driver barely able to see out the back window. Every Friday on I-75 north is a qualifying round. A holiday weekend is the championship. We've all seen it. We've maybe been it. Renting is one less entry in the competition and one less reason to start your vacation as someone else's highlight reel.
We get that. Reserve, show up, and paddle. Woods & Waters rents high-quality sea kayaks, sit-on-top kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, and one sturdy canoe — by the half day (4 hours or less), full day (4–8 hours), overnight, or multiple days. Our fleet is well-maintained and mostly recent: many boats are less than five years old and some are new each season. All associated gear is included with every rental.
Not sure whether to rent or take a guided tour? It's a genuinely worthwhile question.
[We wrote about it honestly — and with perhaps more dad jokes than strictly necessary. →]
Available rental boats
Stand-Up Paddleboards (SUPs) — We carry Glide boards, made in Salt Lake City with a durable coating well-suited to rocky shorelines. Beginner-friendly wider boards and more advanced options. New to SUP? A two-hour lesson before your rental is a great idea — just mention it when you book.
Sit-on-Top Kayaks (SOTs) — Solo and tandem options from Swell Watercraft and Perception, including the Rambler 135T which comfortably fits one, two, or three paddlers — kid or dog between the adults, no judgment. Versatile, stable, and easy to manage close to shore. If you want to putz around near the cottage at your own pace on a calm morning, this is probably your boat.
Touring Sea Kayaks — This is our jam. A well-rounded fleet from P&H and Current Designs in solo and tandem configurations. Longer, narrower, and considerably more efficient than a recreational kayak — none of it will sink like a bathtub. Tandem sea kayaks are the right choice if you're planning a day trip to Government Island. We are an official P&H and Swell Watercraft dealer — if you fall in love with a boat on the water, we can talk about that too.
Canoe — One sturdy Old Town. If you want it, book it early — there's only one and it goes.
A Few things worth knowing
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We will not deliver to the Bush Bay and Narnia Trail area. The conditions there are genuinely challenging and the rocky shoreline makes it unsuitable for rental drop-offs. That's a firm line, not a starting point for negotiation. [There's ecological considerations too that you can read about here →]
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People who rent from us for the first time are often surprised at how nice the equipment is — including the PFDs and paddles. Much of our gear is new or only a few seasons old.
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We'll help you plan a route based on your skills, the conditions, and what you're actually trying to do. That conversation matters — Lake Huron looks manageable on Google Maps and is considerably larger in person. Thirty-six islands, bays more than a mile across, and water that behaves differently than the inland lake you've paddled before.
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If you fall in love with something you rented, 50% of your rental fee applies toward the purchase of that kayak, SUP, or bike — same operating season.
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Renting a solo sea kayak requires completing our Wet Exit Clinic first — unless you've already done one with us. This isn't a formality. It's how we make sure you know what to do if your day goes sideways, and it's how we feel good about handing you the paddle.
If it's been a while since you've practiced self-rescue, the clinic is worth your time regardless. We price it below cost intentionally because we'd rather everyone on the water know what to do. If you're not sure whether your skills are the right fit for a solo sea kayak rental, we'll have an honest conversation about it. We're not trying to talk you out of renting — we're trying to make sure you have a good day.
