Boating & Kayaking in Seattle

Boating & Kayaking

The Chevrolet Cup hydroplane races (206/728-0123. www.seafair.com) are a highlight of Seattle's Seafair festivities from mid-July through the first Sunday in August. Races are held on Lake Washington near Seward Park. Tickets cost $15-$25. In summer, weekly sailing regattas take place on Lakes Union and Washington. Contact the Seattle Yacht Club (206/325-1000. www.seattleyachtclub.org) for schedules.

Agua Verde Paddle Club and Cafe (1303 NE Boat St., University District. 206/545-8570. www.aguaverde.com). Start out by renting a kayak and paddling along either the Lake Union shoreline, with its hodgepodge of funky-to-fabulous houseboats and dramatic Downtown vistas, or Union Bay on Lake Washington, with its marshes and cattails. Afterward, take in the lakefront as you wash down some Tex-Mex food with a margarita. Kayaks are available March through October and are rented by the hour -- $15 for singles, $18 for doubles. The third and fourth hours are free on weekdays; fourth hours are free on weekends.

Center for Wooden Boats (1010 Valley St., Lake Union. 206/382-2628. www.cwb.org). Seattle's free maritime heritage museum also rents classic wooden rowboats and sailboats for short trips around Lake Union. Rowboats, pedal boats, and canoes are $15 an hour on weekdays and $25 an hour on weekends. Sloops and catboats cost $20-$45 an hour, depending on the type and size of the vessel. There's a $10 skills-check fee. Free half-hour guided sails and steamboat rides are offered on Sunday from 2 to 3 (arrive an hour early).

Green Lake Boat Rental (7351 W. Green Lake Way N, Green Lake. 206/527-0171) is the source for canoes, paddleboats, sailboats, kayaks, sailboards, and rowboats to ply Green Lake's calm waters. On beautiful summer afternoons, however, be prepared to spend most of your time negotiating other traffic on the water as well as in the parking lot. Fees are $10 an hour for paddleboats, single kayaks, and rowboats; $12 an hour for double kayaks; and $14 an hour for sailboats and sailboards. Don't confuse this place with the Green Lake Small Craft Center, which offers sailing programs but no rentals.

Moss Bay Rowing and Kayak Center (1001 Fairview Ave. N, Lake Union. 206/682-2031. www.mossbay.net). Moss Bay rents a variety of rowing craft -- including Whitehall pulling boats, wherries, and sliding-seat rowboats. Single kayaks rent for $12 per hour, doubles go for $17. You can also rent kayaks to take with you on trips outside the city; daily rates are $55 for singles and $75 for doubles, weekly rates are $235 for singles and $315 for doubles. You can rent rowing shells or sailboats for $25-$35 depending on the type of craft; there is an additional $10 skills-check fee for renting these types of vessels. The center offers rowing and sailing lessons daily for $65 for a onetime private lesson; two or four lesson series cost $100 or $200 respectively. Lastly, the center also offers daily 2 1/2-hour sailing tours of Lake Union as well as guided kayaking tours; prices start at $45 per person.

Northwest Outdoor Center (2100 Westlake Ave. N, Lake Union. 206/281-9694. www.nwoc.com). This center on Lake Union's west side rents one- or two-person kayaks (it also has a few triples) by the hour or day, including equipment and basic or advanced instruction. The hourly rate is $12 for a single and $17 for a double, with daily maximums of $60 and $80, respectively. Third and fourth hours are free during the week; a fourth hour is free on weekends. If you want to find your own water, NWOC offers "to-go" kayaks; the rate for a single is $65 first day, plus $35 each additional day. Doubles cost $85 the first day and $45 for each day thereafter. In summer, reserve least three days ahead. NWOC also runs guided trips to the Nisqually Delta and Chuckanut Bay for $70 per person. Sunset tours to Golden Gardens Park ($40 per person) and moonlight tours of Portage Bay ($30 per person) are other options. Every May there are two overnight whale-watching trips to the San Juan Islands for $325 per person.

Waterfront Activities Center (3800 Montlake Blvd. NE, University District. 206/543-9433). This center behind UW's Husky Stadium rents three-person canoes and four-person rowboats for $7.50 an hour February through October. You can tour the Lake Washington shoreline or take the Montlake Cut portion of the ship canal and explore Lake Union. You can also row to nearby Foster Island and visit the Washington Park Arboretum.

Wind Works Sailing Center (7001 Seaview Ave. NW, Ballard. 206/784-9386. www.windworkssailing.com). Although members are given first picks at Wind Works, which is on Shilshole Bay, nonmembers can arrange rentals. Experienced sailors are allowed to skipper their own boats after a brief qualifying process. Sailing a 25-foot Catalina will cost you $155 on weekdays and $194 on weekends; rates for a 30-foot Hunter are $277 on weekdays and $347 on weekends.

Yarrow Bay Marina (5207 Lake Washington Blvd. NE, Kirkland. 425/822-6066. www.yarrowbaymarina.com/boatrental.htm). The marina rents 19- and 22-foot runabouts for $60 an hour on weekdays and $65 an hour on weekends. There's a two-hour minimum; weekly rentals are also an option.