Dockside Watersports offers boat rentals and charters. Dockside offers a a 21-foot party barge and a 19-foot center-console outboard available for rent any day of the week all year long by reservation. You can also charter a 26-foot cruiser and let the captain chart a course to relaxation. Wakeboard and ski lessons and sessions are also available. Advanced reservations are strongly recommended.

On the Intracoastal Waterway near Wrightsville Beach, Entropy rents its own line of Sea Mark 17- through 20-foot power boats. Fully equipped center-console vessels are available by the half day, full day or week. For a nominal fee, Entropy also rents water skis and equipment, as well as kayaks. The 12-hour day rate is less than $300, and major credit cards are accepted. Entropy is open year-round and serves the lower Cape Fear coast. Call ahead for reservations, location information and off-season rates.

With Paradise Landing rentals you can either explore the New River on your own in a 19-foot center-console cruiser or charter a six-passenger fishing boat and captain for your party. Reservations are recommended.

Pleasure Island Rentals has a 17-foot Grady White saltwater fishing boat for rent. This boat, which seats three to four people, is kept at Oceana but rented out of the Lake Park Boulevard location. Pleasure Island Rentals is open daily Memorial Day to Labor Day and weekends during the off-season, weather permitting. After hours and during the off-season, call (910) 228-8103 to make an appointment.

Reliant Marine offers a variety of services from rentals and charters to fractional ownership and training. They even have a members-only boat club with a discounted boat-rental program. Full-day and half-day rentals include names like Grady White, Mako and Sea Pro in sizes from 18 to 37 feet. Reliant Marine is located in Wrightsville Beach at Motts Channel, in Carolina Beach at Mona Black Marina, and in Southport at St. James Plantation Marina. They are open year-round.

Pedal-powered paddleboats are available for rent seasonally on the 150-acre Greenfield Lake on U. S. Hwy. 421 S. in Wilmington. Operated by Cape Fear River Watch Inc., the concession is located near the park's Third Street and Willard Avenue entrance. New this year, they now offer eco-tours featuring birding and alligator watching on an electric boat that seats up to eight passengers. Hours are 11 AM to 6 PM daily from May through September. Off-season (October through April) opening times vary. Call for information and rates.

Wheel Fun Rentals operates a paddleboat concession at the Carolina Beach Lake Park. A small kiosk and floating dock are located on the western side near the parking lot. During the summer season, boat rentals are available seven days from 9 AM to dusk. Off-season schedules vary, but you might even find them operating on a lovely warm winter weekend.

Canoes, paddleboats and kayaks may be rented seasonally on Wilmington's 150-acre Greenfield Lake. Operated by Cape Fear River Watch Inc., the concession is located near the park's Third Street and Willard Avenue entrance. May through September, hours are noon to 4 PM on week days and 11 AM to 5 PM on weekends. During the off-season from October through April, canoes and kayaks may be rented as weather permits. Group outings, environmental classes and eco-tours are available by appointment. Call for information and rates.

The Great Outdoor Provision Co. sells a variety of canoes and kayaks as well as paddling accessories, maps, guidebooks, backpacking gear, fly-fishing gear and outdoor clothes. Instructional clinics are available, and the staff at Great Outdoor Provision Co. will be happy to arrange demonstrations of the watercraft or equipment. The store is open seven days a week.

Hook, Line & Paddle - Canoe & Kayak Outfitters

Hook, Line & Paddle carries everything you need for your next kayaking adventure. They specialize in recreational sea kayaks and kayak fishing equipment, including a full line of paddles, life jackets, safety gear and accessories. Some of the well-known national brands they carry include Heritage Kayaks, Native Watercraft, Wilderness Systems and Mad River canoes. Not only can you get the right gear, but you can also book a tour at the shop or receive instruction from one of the store's master teachers. Hook, Line & Paddle plans and orchestrates trips around the greater Cape Fear area as well as on the Black River in Pender County. The store is open Monday to Saturday from 10 AM to 6 PM, and Sunday from noon to 5 PM.

Located in the heart of Carolina Beach, this watersports equipment rental company goes by the slogan, "We rent FUN stuff." Single kayak rentals range from $25 for four hours to $35 for 24 hours and $105 for a week. Tandems run $35 (four hours), $45 (24 hours) and $120 (one week). All rentals include paddles and life jackets. Pleasure Island Rentals is open daily Memorial Day to Labor Day and weekends during the off-season, weather permitting. After hours and during the off-season, call (910) 228-8103 to make an appointment.

New to kayaking? A great place to start is at Carolina Beach Lake. Wheel Fun Rentals offers kayaks and paddleboats for rent at a kiosk and floating dock located on the western side of the lake near the parking lot. During the summer season, boat rentals are available seven days from 9 AM to dusk. Off-season schedules vary, but you might even find them operating on a lovely warm winter weekend.

The Adventure Company specializes in kayak tours, lessons, rentals and coastal environmental education programs as well as kayak and gear sales. Tours are scheduled weekly and can be customized. Kayak rentals include paddles and life jackets. Single kayaks rent for $30 (four hours), $45 (full day) and $140 (five days). Tandems are available for $40 (four hours), $55 (full day) and $175 (five days). Local kayak tours are $45, and group and family discounts are available. In business for seven years, owner Emma Thomas, a certified kayak and canoe instructor, has been kayaking for 20 years. Also available through The Adventure Company are bicycle tours of historic Southport and adventure travel to the Bahamas, Florida, Baja, Honduras and Costa Rica. Additional information can be found at the website or call for details, a schedule or reservations.

Beach Fun Rentals is a full-service vacation equipment rental company on Holden Beach. You will find single kayaks including the Frenzy, Rapido, Yak Board, Yahoo, Scrambler and Scrambler XT as well as tandem kayaks such as Malibu II. Daily and weekly rentals are available. Surfboards, boogie boards, skim boards, bicycles, grills and more are also available. Beach Fun Rental is open early spring through fall from 9 AM to 5 PM.

On the causeway in Holden Beach, this general beach rental store offers rentals on single or tandem kayaks as well as boogie boards ($20 a week) and surfboards ($40 a week). Single kayaks rent for $35 per day (24 hours) and $125 for a week. Tandems are available for $50 for 24 hours and $160 for a week.

Julie's is a complete beach-rental shop that rents kayaks (singles and tandems) as well as many other recreational items. Rates for singles are $35 per day and $125 for a week. Tandem kayaks are $50 per day and $160 for a week. Julie's Rentals offers a delivery and pick-up service on specified items for free on Saturdays and Sundays for delivery to Sunset Beach and Ocean Isle Beach — or you can pick up your rental from the store. Other rental items include bicycles, umbrellas and beach chairs as well as wagons to take your items to the beach. You can treat yourself to some ice cream while you're there.

The state's largest expanse of saltwater marshland is found on Bald Head Island. Riverside Adventure Co. provides canoe and kayak trips and rentals on these tidal waterways. New for 2008 is Surf Kayak Rentals. Take a sit-on-top kayak out to the beach to ride the waves or paddle down the shore. Call for rental rates and daily schedules. Reservations are suggested.

Paddle the peaceful Intracoastal Waterway or challenge the waves out in the Atlantic Ocean. Whatever your choice, Herring's has the right kayak available for rent or purchase. There are single and double passenger models and the popular sit-on-top styles. You can rent by the hour, half day, full day or week. The kayaking experts at Herring's will outfit you with all you need for your great adventure. Classes and guided tours are also available. Call for prices and information.

Here's your chance to really get away from it all and enjoy a peaceful afternoon on the North Cape Fear River. Canoes, kayaks and flat-bottom paddleboats are available for the solitary explorer and for families and groups. Boats can be rented by the day. After a long day's paddle, stop in at Holland's restaurant for some great home-style cooking. Camping facilities are also available.

Founded in 1989 by a group of enthusiasts, this rowing club's goal is to promote and increase interest in the sport in the Wilmington area. Anyone interested in rowing is welcome to join, and the club offers lessons for beginners and support and advice as a novice rower advances in skill. Members have access to a range of rowing crafts, from stable recreational boats to racing shells that challenge the seasoned scullers. Their current boathouse is located at Point Harbor Marina, 1500 Point Harbor Road, on the west bank of the Northeast Cape Fear River, just across the Isabel Homes bridge from downtown Wilmington. Two area rowing clubs use the facility, the CFRRC and the UNC-Wilmington crew, utilizing a mix of boats from single and double, to fours and eights. CFRRC sponsors group activities including an annual trip, drill exercises and group rows. Members also compete in a variety of regattas along the East Coast, including the local Wilmington regatta, Head of the Cape Fear, in early October. For more information about the club, write to Cape Fear River Rowing Club, P.O. Box 1586, Wilmington, NC 28402.