Boating in Boston

This is a very nice spot for a relaxing kayak. Easy to find, easy parking. There are trails in the forest around the pond, and little islands.
With a season pass that includes both Boating in Boston and Cambridge Canoe and Kayak, I have been visiting many places around the greater Boston area. This was by far my favorite. All the staff were very friendly, and it was such a better experience than at the CC&K Kendall location, where it was a hassle every single time I wanted to take out a boat using my season pass. I’ll definitely come back here, and will probably buy next year’s pass through Boating in Boston rather than CC&K as well.

Pros:
— Friendly staff
— Nice pond for a 1 – 2 hour kayak trip
— Proximity to Boston
— Water looks clean
Cons:
— No bathroom
— No swimming
— Can see buildings & highways in parts
— Parking lot can get crowded

My fiancé and I went to the Stoneham location today. We live so close to the area and never knew this was here until my boss told me about it. It was our first time here and our first time kayaking period! We rented a double kayak and were on the pond for an hour. Only $ 20.00 an hr for a double kayak!!! We will def be back! Had so much fun!!!

My boyfriend and I have been kayaking a lot over the past few summers. I think we originally found Boating in Boston through Groupon. Ever since, Spot Pond has become one of our go-​to locations! The size of the pond is perfect for a relaxing 1 – 2 hours of kayaking. They always have enough kayaks go around, they take credit cards, and the staff has always been very friendly. We’re picky about getting a kayak with a wet seat, and they’ve always been willing to pull out some dry ones for us. Kayaking is one of my favorite ways to enjoy a beautiful day, and this place is a great spot for it! Renting 2 single kayaks for an hour is only $ 30.

My wife and I went to this location late on Sunday, an hour before closing on Labor Day. No problem, we just wanted a quick one hour cruise to send Summer on it’s way to wherever it goes most of the year in New England. Or so we thought…
I went to Boating in Boston because of a Groupon. In our busy Labor Day weekend we forgot that our Groupon was actually for $ 60 worth of boating. As you can imagine, even a double kayak is not that much for only an hour. In fact it’s $ 20. And worse, that’s $ 10 less than the amount I paid for the Groupon in the first place.
Had I put this all together while we were signing waivers and getting life jackets, I would have just saved the Groupon and paid the $ 20 at this rental! I could have gotten $ 30 (the face value) of boating any time I wanted at some later date. Even next Spring.
After we were done, I walked back from the car to ask nicely if we might get a $ 10 credit for next time we drive all the way up to Stoneham for kayaking. The manager on duty refused. She told me that it’s not her responsibility to manage my Groupons. She admitted, quite readily, that she saw were were using the $ 60 Groupon with only an hour left. She admitted she knew that we were throwing away $ 10. She admitted that she CHOSE to say nothing. I asked her if there was anyone else I could speak to. Maybe her hands were tied. She insisted that her boss wouldn’t have given a $ 10 credit/​voucher either. So I guess I chalk it up to poor customer service training.
As I was walking away she still had the nerve to ask «But do understand my position on this?» I think not.
When we were first checking out our boat this same woman, the manager, told us to make sure we were back by 7 pm (closing) because she was hungry. I thought little of it at the time.
I urge you all to take your business somewhere other than Boating in Boston, a B & G Outdoor Recreation Company. You’ll have a better experience. Their goal is clearly to get more people in the door, and take more money, NOT to provide a refreshing experience at a reasonable price.

Every summer I kayak at various locations including Spot Pond. Now let me tell you, I am not the most active person, but I do enjoy an occasional row and drift through the water on a hot day. The supervisors and workers are fair, fun, and completely chill. You can tell they deal with a lot of boaters, kayakers, and canoe-​ers both new and professional. After entering my information they put a lifejacket on me making sure it was secure, and advised me to not take electronics out on the water. They also provided me with a small plastic bag in case I was bringing my cell phone. There was a nice guy that helped bring up my kayak and assisted me into it as well– then gave me a push away from the dock wishing me good luck and to have fun. Kayaking has been not only a first-​choice outside activity for me, but also the most relaxing time for me during these summers and I have nobody but Boating in Boston to thank. Its good to know theres a group of solid workers helping your average, run-​of-​the-​mill person enjoy an outside activity while feeling safe and taken care of.

I bought a TravelZoo deal last year to get a $ 99 Boating in Boston spring trial membership for $ 59. I had grand plans of kayaking all the time in May and June to get the most of the membership. I surprised myself by actually going to Spot Pond every chance I could and kayaking pretty much constantly every nice spring day we had. When the membership expired, I paid to upgrade to the Gold membership (never have to wait in line and can bring a guest for free every time — which considering how expensive it can be to bring a friend who is paying by the hour is a huge, huge benefit). They applied the full value of the spring membership ($ 99) to the price of the full season pass, even though I got a deal on it when I originally bought it. I got an additional discount as well — it didn’t end up being very expensive. It paid for itself in the first few weeks of summer, considering how often I went. I probably spent a hundred hours out on the pond between May and October.
The people who work here are very nice, although the operation is pretty low-​tech (it’s a pond, so that’s to be expected). I have seen people wait for a while on particularly beautiful days, and it is really expensive to bring your family and rent kayaks for a few hours without a membership. But these are not problems I had as a Gold member — to me, it’s totally worth it to flash my pass, bypass the line and just grab a life jacket and paddle and go down to the dock.
I had a really great summer last year. One thing that stands out is my time at Spot Pond. I went kayaking with friends, family, and solo every chance I got. I’m a pretty high-​strung person and my time out on Spot Pond cleared my head and relaxed me. I’ve been daydreaming about going back since they closed in October, and just bought my 2013 Gold membership today. And now the countdown to the mid-​May opening begins!

Ok why is this place like twice as expensive as every other kayaking place around boston? Kayaking for two people came to like $ 60 bucks. Really? Really? And there is one girl working the people checking in AND the people checking out. Then there is one person getting people in the kayaks. It was just too expensive for what it was. If I went kayaking three times a year i might as well buy my own kayak. Ridiculous. And I would have really rather not paid for the twenty minutes it took standing in line after we got out of the kayak. Seriously I love kayaking and we go to a bunch of places in the area but this place just left a negative impression on me. And I forgot to post this review until three months later, but I am still so annoyed I had to post it.
I like kayaking in a lake better than river, but I think I’ll go back to the other place.

Far, far too expensive. It’s a private profit-​making center making use of an otherwise wonderful public resource. Try instead Foote Brothers in Ipswich and you’ll see the difference at less than half the cost including river shuttle service.

I took my sister out on a canoe this last summer and we had a blast! I think this is one of those little gems in Stoneham that very few people make use of.
They have two person and four person paddle boats, big flat bottom boats you could take a group out in and of course some sail boats. Make it a day with a picnic afterward near the old Botum House!