Kayak rental
Are you a proficient kayaker wanting to do your own trip? We have sea kayaks for hire.
What do you get?
The package includes the kayak, paddle, spray-deck, wet suit boots, paddling jacket and buoyancy aid (PFD). Flares are also provided.
Pogies, laminated maps, pump and deck compasses are also available at no extra charge.
The kayaks can be delivered by trailer anywhere within a 15 mile radius of Oban. Greater distances can be arranged for a small extra charge.
Pictures courtesy of Seafreedom rental client Sven Schillin. Click the picture for a larger image. See Svens own site for more pictures and information
Price
| Number of days | First day | Second day | Third and subsequent days |
| Price/kayak set | £30 | £25 | £20 |
Sea kayaking in the UK has a good safety record and we intend to keep it that way. Therefore, we can only rent kayaks to people who are suitably competent.
This means people who have been assessed and approved by Seafreedom kayak, or:
- For use on sheltered water: Holders of BCU 3 Star kayak or equivalent certificate
- For use on open sea: Holders of BCU 4 Star certificate or to groups of 3 Star standard led by a qualified 5 Star paddler
- We will happily rent kayaks to BCU/SCA qualified coaches to use within their terms of reference.
If you believe that you are competent paddlers but don't hold any qualifications, the bottom line is as follows:
For sheltered water, (within the sea lochs and inner sounds) everyone in the group must:
- Have previously practiced deep water rescues in sea kayaks.
- Be able to control a sea kayak in force 3 winds.
- Be able to control a sea kayak in 0.3 meter winds
- Know how to summon assistance using flares
- Be able to get in and out of the kayak while it is floating. We do not appreciate having our £1000 kayaks scraped on stones and rocks.
The group leader must:
- Have paddled at least 10 days in a sea kayak, on the sea. Doubles and sit-on-tops don't count.
- Know about tides and the effect of wind and tide combined.
- Be able to navigate a sea kayak (it's not the same as on the hills. The ground doesn't usually move underneath you!)
- Be able to summon help using flares and VHF and/or waterproofed mobile phone
For anywhere beyond sheltered waters:
- All of the above plus, at least one in four of the group must be able to roll
- Everyone must be able to use support strokes
- Everyone must have paddled sea kayaks, on the sea, for a minimum of 10 days. Sit-on-tops and doubles don't count
Please don't tell us that "you will be OK because you sail/dive/windsurf/row/live by the sea" because we will blow our tops! it just doesn't work like that. Please take our word for it, we know what we are doing. We have your safety at heart. We are putting it before our profit
If you are thinking of renting a kayak to paddle on your own and you haven't actually got BCU 4 star minimum, don't even ask, unless you want a lecture on how stupid it is to paddle on your own without a reliable Eskimo roll and a lot of knowledge and experience.