Row, row, row your boat
Hit the water in a canoe or kayak
by Matt Ingersoll
When Patrick Malfait founded the Contoocook River Canoe Co. in 1997, kayaking was still up and coming as a mainstream recreational sport in New Hampshire. Now he’s in his 25th season, offering a wide variety of canoes and kayaks for sale or for rent so people can enjoy paddling along the Contoocook River in Concord. A second operation was later launched under the name Merrimack River Canoe & Kayak, where you can do the same on Hooksett’s Merrimack River.
“We started with just renting canoes,” Malfait said. “Then a couple of years later the kayak just became very popular and the canoe kind of took a backseat for a while. … The popularity of canoeing has come back, but kayaking is still far ahead of canoeing [in] sales and rentals.”
Both canoeing and kayaking have their own unique advantages and features that can be best suited to particular uses. In general, a kayak may be smaller, faster and easier to maneuver, whereas a canoe is often larger, more stable and easier to enter and exit.
“When you’re in a single kayak, you’re one with the water. It’s just you and your boat … so it’s exciting for people to get out there and be able to control their boat by themselves,” Malfait said.
As the years have gone on, kayak manufacturers have introduced newer models tailored to specific purposes. There are multiple types of kayaks, from single recreational kayaks to touring or sea kayaks, and even kayaks with their own built-in accessories designed for fishing.
But canoes can be great to take out on the water too — especially, Malfait said, if you’re part of a larger group or are preparing for a bit of a longer trip.
“A canoe is a really great family vessel to go out and spend the day on the river or on the lake,” he said. “You can put everything and the kitchen sink in there, which you can’t do in a single kayak. It’s just a whole different experience, and for some people it’s more like being at home.”
Other than families with children, Malfait said, canoe rentals are also popular among older active adults, as well as traditionalists who enjoy an activity he pointed out has been around for hundreds of years. Rentals for both canoes and kayaks are an attractive option for those who don’t have the means to store or transport them or are getting into the sport for the first time.
Rental rates at the Contoocook River Canoe Co. are by the day, while for the Merrimack River operation there are additional options to have your boat out on the water per two-hour or four-hour block. If you’re going out on the Contoocook River, Malfait said, there is also a shuttle option to bring you and your boat about 9 miles upriver to paddle back to the beach.
All boats must be off the water by 5 p.m. each day, but that doesn’t mean canoeing or kayaking has to be a full-day commitment either. In fact, during the height of the pandemic last year, Malfait said he noticed many more short-term paddlers out on the water.
“We saw a large increase of late afternoon business, and it was all city people,” he said. “They’d only be out there for an hour or two but they loved it. For them, it was a getaway.”
In Nashua, Bill James first became interested in trying kayaking more than a decade ago when, on a bike ride in Mine Falls Park, he passed by a family of paddlers. Now he owns Nashua Kayak Rental, a by-appointment business offering single or double kayak rentals on Saturdays and Sundays. Renters can arrange meetings at one of the Nashua River’s public boat launches.
“Typically, I like to bring people to the Millyard Technology Park where there’s a public boat ramp, and I also use the Mine Falls Park boat ramp,” James said. “As long as I don’t have multiple appointments in one location that tie me to a given spot, we can wander around a bit. … For the most part, though, I just let people enjoy it however they want to.”
Reservations can be made through Nashua Kayak Rental’s website or Facebook page, and James will provide everything from your kayak and paddle to your life jacket.
“[Kayaking] is a really nice way to get out and explore … and the best part of renting is that you can go out and do it whenever you want and not have to deal with storage or transport,” he said.
Unless you’re on private property or a body of water that is only open to town residents, you can go pretty much anywhere with a canoe or kayak. Each is considered a non-motorized vehicle under New Hampshire law, meaning they are not required to register in the state. You are required, however, to always wear a life jacket while out on the water, Malfait said.
“There’s tons of information out there,” he said. “The AMC [Appalachian Mountain Club] has guides that they’ve produced that tell you where you can put boats in and take boats out, and there are meetup groups where people are paddling a different body of water each week.”
NH AMC Paddlers
The New Hampshire chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club maintains a regular schedule of upcoming outdoor group activities across the state, including for canoeing and kayaking. Visit amcnh.org/committees/paddling, or follow them on Facebook “NH AMC Paddlers.”
Contoocook River Canoe Co.
9 Horse Hill Road, Concord, 753-9804, contoocookcanoe.com
Hours: Daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: Canoes and kayaks are both available to rent for use on the Contoocook River. Rates vary depending on the type and size capacity of the boat — $35 for a canoe or two-person kayak, $28 for a one-person 12-foot kayak and $33 for a one-person 14- to 16-foot kayak. Rates are for single-day use, with all boats off the water by 5 p.m. each day. Shuttle services about 9 miles upriver are also available.
Merrimack River Canoe & Kayak
35 Edgewater Drive, Hooksett, 406-1462, paddlemerrimack.com
Hours: Friday through Monday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: Canoes and kayaks are both available to rent for use on the Merrimack River. Rates vary depending on the type and size capacity of the boat, with block pricing for two hours, four hours or a single day. A one-person kayak, for example, is $20 for two hours, $35 for four hours or $45 for the day.
Nashua Kayak Rental
nashuakayakrental.com, and on Facebook @nashuakayak
Hours: Saturday and Sunday, by appointment
Cost: One-person or two-person kayaks are available for rent for use on the Nashua River. Rates are $30 for two hours for a single kayak, or $50 for two hours for a two-person kayak. Weekend meetings with owner-operator Bill James are available by appointment at the public boat ramps at Mine Falls Park (Stadium Drive, near Stellos Stadium) or at the Millyard Technology Park (Technology Way).
More Places to Paddle
Here’s a list of more spots in southern New Hampshire, including some lakes and state parks, that offer canoe or kayak rentals or have public boat launches people can use to go canoeing or kayaking.
• Baboosic Lake (25 Broadway, Amherst, amherstnh.myrec.com)
• Bear Brook State Park (61 Deerfield Road, Allenstown, nhstateparks.com)
• Beaver Lake (Pond Road, Derry, beaver-lake.org)
• Clough State Park (455 Clough Park Road, Weare, nhstateparks.com)
• Crystal Lake (186 Crystal Lake Road, Gilmanton, gilmantonnh.org)
• Glen Lake (300 Elm St., Goffstown, goffstown.com)
• Island Pond (Stickney Road, Atkinson, town-atkinsonnh.com)
• Lake Massabesic (Londonderry Turnpike, Auburn, manchesternh.gov)
• Lake Sunapee (Mount Sunapee State Park, 86 Beach Access Road, Newbury, nhstateparks.org)
• Lake Winnipesaukee (Multiple towns in Belknap and Carroll counties, lakewinnipesaukee.net)
• Lake Winnisquam (Water Street, Laconia, winnisquamwatershed.org/public-access)
• Naticook Lake (Veterans Park Drive, Merrimack, merrimacknh.gov)
• Pawtuckaway State Park (7 Pawtuckaway Road, Nottingham, nhstateparks.org)
• Pillsbury State Park (100 Pillsbury State Park Road, Washington, nhstateparks.org)
• Silver Lake State Park (138 Silver Lake Road, Hollis, nhstateparks.org)
Cruising along
Scenic views from the comfort of a boat
by Meghan Seigler
From harbor seals in the Atlantic to great blue herons on Squam Lake, there’s a good chance you’ll see wildlife in the water and along the shores when you take a scenic cruise — and the views along the way are pretty photo-worthy too.
“Normally we go straight out to White Island to see the lighthouse,” said Pete Reynolds of Granite State Whale Watch and Island Cruises in Rye, which offers tours of the Isles of Shoals on Uncle Oscar, a 62-foot-long single-deck boat. “All the islands are scenic in their own right.”
During the 5½-mile trip from Rye Harbor to the Isles, they often see marine porpoises and the occasional whale sighting, though Reynolds said those are fairly rare.
“Pretty frequently around the island we’ll see both harbor seals and grey seals,” Reynolds said.
“We see cormorants … and a tern colony … that’s always a favorite of bird watchers.”
The ocean tours are narrated, with the captain sharing the history of the islands, and unlike many scenic cruises, Uncle Oscar docks mid-tour to let passengers off to explore Star Island.
“[It’s] a great walking island,” Reynolds said. “It’s only 46 acres so you can explore pretty much the entire island when you’re on it.”
He said there’s an old stone chapel from the 1800s, replica stone buildings that recreate the fishing village that used to be on the island, short hiking trails and plenty of scenic views of the Atlantic.
Of course, New Hampshire has plenty of lakes too, which offer a different kind of cruise experience — and those differ from lake to lake, says Amanda Gillen, marketing manager for Squam Lakes Natural Science Center.
“I think the biggest thing for people to know is that Squam Lake is not Lake Winnipesaukee,” she said, referring to cruises aboard the M/S Mount Washington on New Hampshire’s biggest lake. “It has a very different, quieter, slower, more natural feel.”
The Science Center’s cruise is 90 minutes long and is a narrated tour of the whole lake, with cruise captains talking about the history of the area, the wildlife and sights like Church Island and other conservation land. The boats are covered pontoon boats and currently only hold 18 passengers.
“It’s a nice intimate experience,” Gillen said.
Gillen said passengers can expect to see wildlife like common loons, cormorants, great blue herons, muskrats, mink, swimming squirrels and bald eagles.
“We typically have a nesting pair of bald eagles on Squam Lake,” Gillen said. “The pair is around this year but did not successfully rear any chicks so the adults don’t stay by the nest for the easy view. … On one cruise a couple of years ago … an eagle flew down to catch a fish and the fish was so large that the eagle was using its wings to almost swim in order to get the fish to the closest shore. Everyone was pretty excited to see that.”
Gillen said the Squam Lake cruises are typically geared more toward adults and families with older kids.
“Marine patrol requires all children ages 12 and under to wear a lifejacket and we find that sometimes very little kids … don’t enjoy that for the full tour,” she said.
Take a scenic cruise
Enjoy nature and wildlife on a lake or on the ocean.
Lake cruises
Experience Squam
859 U.S. 3, Holderness, 968-3990, experiencesquam.com
Experience Squam is a private boating excursion aboard a 23-foot Sea Ray Bow-Rider that caters to your boating preferences, with all kinds of options available, like sunset cruises, star gazing, tours of historic Church Island and On Golden Pond movie sites and opportunities to anchor and swim. The boat fits up to 12 people and prices and schedules vary depending on number of people, length of ride and activities.
Mount Washington Cruises
211 Lakeside Ave., Weirs Beach, Laconia, 366-5531, cruisenh.com
The M/S Mount Washington offers 2½-hour narrated scenic tours as well as Sunday brunch cruises, dinner and cocktail cruises on Lake Winnipesaukee (prices range from $40 to $65 per person). A smaller boat, the M/V Doris E., offers one-hour scenic tours of the islands of western Lake Winnipesaukee ($25 per person). The U.S. Mailboat offers two-hour cruises while providing postal service to island residents ($40 per person). See website for cruise schedules.
Sunapee Cruises
1 Lake Ave., Sunapee, 938-6465, sunapeecruises.com
Tour Lake Sunapee on an afternoon narrated cruise aboard the MV MT Sunapee II or an evening dinner cruise aboard the MV Kearsarge Restaurant Ship. The afternoon cruise is 1½ hours long and leaves at 2 p.m. daily now through Labor Day, then Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Columbus Day. The cost is $22 for adults, $20 for military, seniors and AAA members, $12 for kids 6 to 12, and free for kids under 6. The dinner cruise is two hours long and leaves daily at 6:30 p.m. now through Labor Day, and at 5:30 p.m. after Labor Day. The cost is $45.99 for the cruise, dinner buffet and dessert. Children 12 and under are $32.99 (no children’s pricing on Fridays and Saturdays).
Squam Lakes Natural Science Center
23 Science Center Road, Holderness, 968-7194, nhnature.org
Cruises are 90 minutes long and on canopied pontoon boats. There are several options available, including a Bald Eagle Adventure and a Loon Cruise. The cost is $27 for adults, $25 for seniors and $23 for children through age 15. See website for schedule.
Ocean cruises
Granite State Whale Watch and Island Cruises
1870 Ocean Blvd., Rye, 964-5545, granitestatewhalewatch.com
The boat leaves twice a day, at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., and ocean tours are about three hours long, including the boat ride and a stop at Star Island for an optional walking tour and time to explore. Tours are offered until about mid-September. The cost is $35 for adults, $32 for ages 60+, $26 for ages 4 to 16, and free for kids under 4.
There are also several ocean cruises available based out of Portsmouth, including the Gundalow Co. (433-9505, gundalow.org), the Isles of Shoals Steamship Co. (islesofshoals.com, 800-441-4620) and Portsmouth Harbor Cruises (portsmouthharbor.com, 800-776-0915).
Stand up and go
Paddleboarding is a simple way to get on the water
by Angie Sykeny
Paddleboarding is a popular water sport in New Hampshire, and for good reason, said local paddleboard guide Shaun Quinn.
“We have 14 miles of seacoast, plus all of the lakes and rivers, and you can paddleboard on almost all of them,” Quinn said. “It’s the perfect way to take advantage of the state’s natural resources.”
A paddleboard is like a surfboard, but wider. Traditionally, the paddleboarder stands on the board and uses a paddle to move across the water or ride the waves, but there are a variety of other ways to use a paddleboard, too.
“They’re pretty versatile,” Quinn said. “You can move your position around, sit down, lie down, kneel, surf on them, get a tan on them, do yoga on them — so many different things with this one single, small watercraft.”
You don’t have to be a “surfer kind of person,” to paddleboard, Quinn said; paddleboards are more forgiving and easier to maneuver than surfboards. Almost anyone can do it, regardless of their age, body type or athletic ability, he said, and most people pick it up quickly.
Local paddleboard instructor Chris Shields agreed and said that even people with physical challenges can usually find a paddleboarding position that’s feasible for them.
“If you can stand on the ground, you can paddleboard,” he said, “and if you’re someone who has trouble walking or standing, then you can just sit. It’s that easy.”
Paddleboarding appeals to people for a number of different reasons, Quinn and Shields said. For one, it’s a way to enjoy the outdoors and explore the water that’s “more accessible” than taking out a kayak or a canoe, Shields said.
“It’s easy to just pop in the water and go,” he said, “and, if you’re standing and looking down at the water, you actually get a [larger] perspective and can see more of what’s around you than you can in a kayak or canoe, which is really cool.”
Paddleboarding can also be good for your health, Quinn said. If you paddle properly, it’s a full-body workout that works “every muscle from your ankles to your core to your shoulders,” he said. Mentally, paddleboarding may be a way to relax and unwind.
“It’s a fantastic activity for the mind,” he said. “For me, it’s all about the simplicity of it; it’s just me, the board and the paddle, and that goes a long way to help me calm and focus my mind.”
Through his paddleboarding guide business The Wandering Paddler, Quinn offers private tours and lessons for people who are looking to paddleboard in New Hampshire. He also picks up and drops off the board and paddle rentals for his customers.
“I’ll go wherever people want to paddle, and if they don’t know where to go to paddle, I’m their guy,” he said.
Shields also offers paddleboard equipment rentals and lessons through his business SUPNH and said the demand is “bigger than ever.”
“If you’re someone who likes being out on the water, just give it a try for a day,” he said. “It will be worth it.”
Go Paddleboarding
Contoocook River Canoe Co.
Offers paddleboard sales, rentals, instruction and guided tours. Retail shop is at 9 Horse Hill Road, Concord. Rentals are $25 for a half day (9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) and $35 for a full day (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Lessons with 30 minutes of instruction and one hour of coaching on the water cost $35 per person, with the paddleboard rental included. Call 753-9804 or visit contoocookcanoe.com.
Hampton Beach Parasail & Paddle Board
Offers paddleboard rentals out of its shop at 1 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, starting at $25 for one hour. Call 929-4386 or visit hamptonparasail.com.
Merrimack River Canoe & Kayak
Offers paddleboard rentals out of its shop at 35 Edgewater Drive, Hooksett. Rates are $20 for two hours, $35 for four hours and $45 for a full day. Call 406-1462 or visit paddlemerrimack.com.
Portsmouth Paddle Co.
Offers paddleboard sales, rentals, lessons, tours and yoga sessions. Retail shop is at 70 Heritage Ave., Portsmouth. Rentals start at $40 for two hours. Lessons range from $95 for one person to $60 per person in a group of four and include on-land instruction followed by 45 minutes of on-water coaching. Various tour options are available, starting at $60. Various yoga classes and workshops are held every day of the week, starting at $60. Call 777-7428 or visit portsmouthpaddleco.com.
Seacoast Paddleboard Club
A paddleboarding social club based in Portsmouth, with community paddles held every Tuesday night from May through September. Open ocean paddles for intermediate to advanced paddlers are held every Sunday from June through mid-September on the ocean and typically range from 8 to 12 miles. All paddles are free with a yearly membership fee of $50. Visit seacoastpaddleboardclub.com or call 498-8198.
Seven Rivers Paddling
Offers paddleboard tours, lessons and rentals out of its shop at 185 Wentworth Road, Portsmouth. Rentals cost $45 for three hours and $75 for a full day (9 a.m. to 4 pm.). Tours cost $65 and run for two-and-a-half hours. Visit sevenriverspaddling.com or call 969-5120.
Summer Sessions
Offers paddleboard lessons and rentals out of its two shops, at 15 Vaughn Mall, Portsmouth, and 2281 Ocean Blvd., Rye. One-hour lessons cost $65 for one person and $55 per person for groups of two or more. Rentals cost $35 for a half day and $45 for a full day. Visit newhampshiresurf.com or call the Rye shop at 319-8207 or the Portsmouth shop at 373-8147.
SUP-NH Paddleboard
Offers paddleboard rentals, lessons, repairs and sales. Retail shop is at 10 Mount Major Highway, Alton Bay. Rental options range from two hours for $30 to seven days for $280. A one-hour lesson is $45 per person or $40 per person in groups of three or more. Call 833-1211 or visit supnh.com.
The Wandering Paddler
Mobile service offering paddleboard tours, lessons and rentals throughout New Hampshire. Lessons and private tours cost $45 for two hours and $25 for each additional hour. Specialty tours, like a full moon paddle, are also available for $60. Rentals range from $35 for two hours to $250 for a week and include board delivery and pickup. Call 380-5077 or visit wanderingpaddler.com.
Wild Meadow Paddlesports Rentals & Sales
Offers paddleboard rentals and sales out of its shop at 6 Whittier Highway, Moultonborough. Rentals cost $50 per day (9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) or $275 for a week. Call 253-7536 or visit wildmeadowpaddlesports.com.
Featured photo: Photo courtesy of Contoocook River Canoe Company, LLC.
