Rental & Surfski Availability

Intro

Surfski.wiki tries to encourage folks to include information about surfski availability (and we do have rental listings on various location pages where they have been found). But as you will discover during your travels, finding a surfski to paddle can be more difficult than finding good paddling conditions, or downwind runs to paddle.

Given the relative expense and fragility of surfskis (non-plastic ones) along with the risks and liabilities that may surround downwinding in many locations, surfski rental so far has been a very small part of the surfski world. As of 2023 it is non-existent in many locations.

• The few folks who do provide rental/loaner surfskis are entirely justified to require significant vetting of your paddling abilities and/or significant rental fees along with steep security deposits. Possibly flatwater paddling might justify a bit less stringence, but there can be risks there also, particularly when novices are involved. In reality, if there is no security deposit and skill vetting, that is a very good reason to question their practices, advice and the condition of their equipment.
  • Some locations like much of Australia have a much better network of clubs that can provide loaner or rental surfskis, but typically they are also well setup to vet potential borrowers and insure that they have adequate skills and knowledge for where and what they wish to paddle.
• Surfski retail prices are high and transporting them is expensive to out of the way places - as much or more than those purchase prices. (For durability it is not uncommon for rental services that we are aware of to employ plastic surfskis. (In 2023 Nelo seems to be opening a number of sites in Spain where they are offering plastic 510 surfskis - Melilla , Benalmádena , Villajoyosa , Bárbate ). But even though they are not much fun to lift and carry given how heavy they are, many plastic surfskis can provide plenty of downwinding fun in the hands of a reasonably capable paddler.)
• If you do rent or borrow a surfski, ALWAYS!! carefully check and test its condition - the safety it does or doesn't provide directly determines your well being if you paddle anywhere involving risk. Carefully check out the condition of rental/borrowed surfskis, safety leashes (if borrowed) and their steering assembly function.
• Please return borrowed boats in the same condition you received them, or take care of/pay for any damage that occurred. Otherwise boat owners will be discouraged from future rentals and loans of their equipment and traveling paddlers will have that much less opportunity to paddle in wonderful places that they visit.
  • It is not a bad idea to take photos and email them to boat owners when you receive borrowed equipment to document its preexisting condition and help reduce/avoid potential disputes.
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Online Rental

No Local Rental Business? - Finding or Increasing Surfski Availability

• Availability of Surfskis - this is going to be a problem in many places, acutely where there are few surfskiers, but often even where there are significant numbers of surfskiers and surfskis.
  • Where there are few or no surfskis
    • (this advice is more for locals trying to get their own surfskis than for potential renters) Shipping individual skis is very expensive. In the past some Caribbean islands have gotten their surfski communities off the ground by getting a large enough group of folks to order a shipping container of surfskis, knocking down shipping costs per individual surfski to much more reasonable levels. (this has been more practical in the past, but given the supply/container constraints of Covid times container costs may just be prohibitive in most circumstances) It's also worth seeing if you can get a bulk discount for skis (new or used) from a dealer or manufacturer who may have an interest in growing surfski participation in your community.
  • Where there are surfskis
    • Unless you are buddies with someone in the locale you are visiting who is willing to loan you a boat, you may still have problems finding one to use. - to that end, check out the references/resources for locales here on the wiki - contact information and social media links may be provided that are not explicitly for rental sources, but getting in touch with local folks can sometimes lead to relationships that will offer the opportunity to use surfskis during your travels. Loaning your own boats to visitors you connect with can also often lead to reciprocal offers to use their boats if you visit their home waters.
    • Some of the best opportunities to paddle when you travel will be available from places that offer lessons and guiding services. It is not entirely unheard of to be allowed to rent a surfski somewhere after you have taken lessons or guided trips and have convinced your hosts of your skills and responsible judgement.
    • Clubs - local paddling clubs may have some loaners available. As in most other cases, you may need to make a personal connection with someone in such a club and/or through direct contact and paddling with club members demonstrate your skill and reliability.
  • Important International Races - for some popular races, surfski companies and representatives will bring a number of surfskis. Sometimes they are available for rent during the race and surrounding days with the intention of selling these boats at a discount after the races are over. Sometimes there are only enough of these boats to supply the top international paddlers who will attend these races. Other times there could be additional surfskis available for more participants. In general you should reach out to reps long before the scheduled event - that is generally going to be the best chance for you to get in on such a rental. If many boats are being transported, your share of the transport cost will be lower.
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Example Strategy for Finding a Boat from Traveling Sea Kayaker

• Written about trip from Greece to Turkey (some of the recommended strategy is for when you are onsite where you wish to paddle - in other words, your last opportunity)
• The recipe for borrowing kayaks in a foreign country is as follows: be keen; email any leads (kayak clubs, rental companies, and kayak shops), and post friendly, ambitious requests on local paddler group pages (facebook) with photos; and walk around town for hours asking boat-related people. Below is a post I did for a winter trip in Sweden (which is another story).

  Post for kayak and resources in Sweden

  

• This post had me a boat, gear, and a place to sleep in hours.
• Athens is different. After eight days scouring the Greeks, the only kayak shop in town (Cannibals Kayak House) agrees to sponsor our journey. They are happy to help and share resources. People of the water are friends indeed.
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No Surfskis to be Found - Parting Thought

Rental Humor?