Lake, river paddleboarding rentals available Memorial Day weekend in Wichita area
Stand-up paddleboarding stands out as an ideal outdoor activity while health authorities continue to encourage keeping at least 6 feet from others and not gathering in large groups. SUPing, as it’s called, involves you, a surf-style board — either inflatable or made of epoxy — a paddle and a large body of water, which around Kansas means a river or lake.
If you don’t have your own SUP — which range from several hundred to several thousand dollars — there are at least three outfitters in the Wichita area offering rentals this Memorial Day weekend and taking extra precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by offering contactless payment and sanitizing all equipment between rentals.
“I can’t think of a better way to social distance,” said Katherine Wallace, manager of Flatwater Fitness & Fun. “SUPing is a beautiful way to get in touch with nature and to see it from a different perspective. I also love that SUP is my form of exercise without knowing I’m exercising. I’m an on-the-water person more than an in-the-water person so it’s perfect for me.”
While stand-up paddleboarding has been popular in areas known as outdoor vacation destinations, many Wichitans don’t know they can do it close to home, said Jared Brown, co-owner of SUPWichita. Wichita’s rental service providers say three of every four customers they get are new to paddleboarding. For that reason, rentals always start with safety instructions and a brief tutorial on how to balance, how to paddle and other basics.
Per Kansas law, all paddleboarders 12 and younger must wear a personal flotation device; 13 and older are provided one and may choose whether they wear it. There are no age restrictions to participate as long as a guardian is involved. Most boards have an upper weight limit of 300 pounds.
Paddleboards are rented by the hour, though SUPWichita offers a half-hour option that is only recommended for experienced paddlers. Newbies, they say, will want an hour to get used to the board and find their balance.
And while you should wear a swimsuit or fitness gear you don’t mind getting wet, they say not to assume you’ll fall in the water. Brown says for every 10 paddleboarders he works with, maybe two fall in. Customers often ask how safe the water is if they fall into the Arkansas River.
“The city tests the water regularly and there hasn’t been a single time that water quality has stopped us from being in the water,” he said. “It’s just not the prettiest looking waterway because we have sludgy bottoms here, not rocky streams like they do in Colorado.”
The issues that can keep the boards off the water are winds of 15 mph or higher and too high a water flow on the river.
Here are the details you need to know if you’re thinking of renting a SUP this weekend from Flatwater Fitness & Fun, SUPWichita or Boats and Bikes at River Vista. Be sure to check each provider’s social media channels for daily updates on weather and water conditions and availability of rentals.
The operating times are just for this weekend. The businesses haven’t set hours for the full season yet.
SUPWichita
Brown and his fianceé Hazel Rodriguez started SUPWichita in 2017 as a side business they operate on the weekends. They have a contract to operate on city-managed water and first focused on operating at O.J. Watson Park. Last year they began splitting the weekend with one day at the park and one at the Arkansas River downtown.
The main difference is the lake offers mostly still water while the flow of the river can make paddling and balancing more challenging than people expect, Brown said. If you’re wanting to spend some of your time on the board sunbathing or leisurely floating, the lake is the better option.
“I would love to get more people participating when we’re at O.J. Watson Park,” he said. “The city does kayaks and pedal boats, we do stand-up paddleboards and there’s just tons of other stuff to do for kids. They’ve done a really good job of keeping the park nice. I think it’s one of Wichita’s little hidden jewels.”
They have 16 boards and this weekend also are encouraging you to reserve a spot in advance at supwichita.com. They will be on site from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at O.J. Watson Park, 3022 S. McLean Blvd. and from noon to 4 p.m. Monday at the Arkansas River, launching from under the Kellogg bridge downtown. They charge $10 for 30 minutes, $15 for one hour and $25 for two hours. Besides open paddling, SUPWichita has a one-hour SUP Yoga session planned for 10 a.m. Saturday at O.J. Watson. The cost is $20 per person and reservations are required through its website.
Boats & Bikes at River Vista
Boats & Bikes at River Vista, operating from a 240-foot public dock on the Arkansas River north of the Douglas bridge, is opening for its second season Friday. The boathouse there is the home of the Wichita State University rowing program, which also runs the rental operation. Boats & Bikes plans to be open daily from noon to 8 p.m., renting paddleboards among other water and land vessels.
The inventory includes eight adult and two youth boards. SUP rentals are $20 per person for the first hour then $5 for each additional half hour. A full-day SUP rate is $40 per person, and a SUP season pass is $100 per person. Reservations are suggested and can be made by emailing boatsandbikes@wichita.edu or calling 316-265-9359.
Flatwater Fitness & Fun
Monica McClure started the business in 2014 on the shores of the 300-acre private Santa Fe Lake, about 10 miles east of Wichita near Augusta. Wallace was a regular customer who eventually bought her own board and now manages the business for McClure.
Flatwater has 30 paddleboards, along with six single kayaks and one tandem kayak, and has been renting daily most of May, as weather allows. Flatwater rents for open paddling and also offers instructional classes, sunset and sunrise tours and paddleboard yoga sessions. A calendar and booking is available at flatwaterfitness.com.
To help her space out rentals this weekend, Wallace is asking visitors to book online in advance. Operating hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Monday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Fees are $20 for one hour, $35 for two hours, $50 for three hours, $70 for four hours, $125 for full day. Guests must also purchase a day pass ($8) or season pass ($50) to access the private lake at 11367 SW Shore Drive, Augusta.