Community Boating, Inc. Reviews

Great place for sailing, kayaking, and windsurfing.

As someone who has sailed since the age of 5 and competed from optimists to 40'+ sailboats, I was not impressed with the technology in their boats. At all. However, as an amateur sailor, sailing on the Charles can be fun and a great date. Forgetting about all competing and just enjoying a casual sailing time makes me happy and I am very glad for this opportunity to sail in this beautiful environment surrounded by Back Bay and Cambridge landmarks.

Beautiful place to rent a sailboat and spend an afternoon.

Boat rentals offered here. I rented a double kayak for a day for around $45. The process was pretty fast, and there were more than enough kayaks to choose from

Boston classic. Very relaxed environment. Very friendly staff. Annual membership is $380 or so. They also offer same day boat rental (sailing /kayak).

THIS IS THE BEST $269 I HAVE SPENT IN YEARS. THE STAFF AND VOLUNTEER INSTRUCTORS ARE KIND, PATIENT AND GENEROUS WITH THEIR TIME AND ADVICE. I AM HAVING A GREAT TIME LEARNING A NEW SKILL, AND I RECOMMEND THIS BOSTON GEM TO ANYONE, AT ANY AGE. SAILING IS CHALLENGING AND IT IS VERY SATISFYING TO STEP OUT OF ONE'S COMFORT ZONE AND TAKE A CHALLENGE.

If parking isn't an issue and you're looking to learn something new during the summer, learning to sail here is well worth it. The one-month membership is limits you to light wind sailing by yourself, the two-month is needed if you want to go with anyone. The windsurfing classes (what I originally signed up for) were inconveniently timed and unpredictable.

I wanted to paddle board for my birthday and they wouldn t let me because of concerning weather. The weather was fine! Had to change my whole day. I can paddle board if it s windy

Very helpful and vibrant community. Great if you're getting started with Sailing. The membership is very reasonable.

They are doing an amazing job with Covid safety. Its a very organized and comfortable experience. I feel safe, and I feel like the staff is safe.

Friendly people and beautiful views of Boston from the water.

As someone who has spent my life on the water i wasn t super adamant about renting a sail boat, but we had so much fun!!

My friend had never been on a sail boat and it was her idea and i m super glad she made that decision.

The staff was helpful and relaxed. The facilities were nice. The boat was great with no issues at all.

It can be a little hectic with all the novice sailers on the water but we avoided the guppies and spent the afternoon cruising the river, zig zagging along while enjoying the beautiful day.

This place is perfect for boating, kayaking, walking, jogging, rollerblading, skating, biking, or taking your walk or just sitting on one of the benches to enjoy the beauty of the place. Everyone is protected with their mask and respecting the distance. Excellent place to relax and exercise !!

Wish I'd spotted this place earlier in my visit to Boston. All inclusive sailing school and boat hire with something for everyone that has ever wanted to go sailing. If you're in town, give them a try.

Great time out on the water. Little bit more crowded than we were expecting that day but I think that's a good sign they're doing something right. Helpful mates and good fishing.

Cool location for events. Right on the Charles, and they'll let you book most of the dock!

The registration person and the girl who is at boarding site were very rude! Though the front desk kids were very polite. People are here for good times with their kids and attitudes of such people spoil the whole trip!

I moved back to Boston 3 years ago and this is hands down the favorite thing I've gotten involved with. CBI took me from 0 sailing experience to comfort sailing a 20 foot keelboat in two years, and now I'm getting more involved in the broader sailing community in and around Boston. Highly recommend it.

Really overall negative experience. Class was way too big and taught by unqualified instructor, staff was very unknowledgeable, unhelpful, and unfriendly. When I brought this up with the director, I was told community boating was "not a good fit for me" and given a full refund - which was nice of him. I had really high hopes for this place because the reviews are so good, but it just was not the "hidden gem" that everyone describes. If you already have your ratings I guess it's OK since they provide equipment and access to the water, but if you want to learn, find somewhere else with smaller classes and better instructors.

Community boating is one if the reasons I feel blessed to live in Boston.

I went in to ask for the restrooms and the lady told me theira were Not Public and she sent me to the beisball field "2 minutes away". I walked for 10 mins and no restroom.

Community Boating is the best place in the Boston area for great sailing and great people. It's affordable and convenient, easily accessible by T, foot or bike (also a discount on parking). There are classes for people new to sailing designed to get you on the water quickly and a variety of racing options, all included with membership. Plenty of sailboats available, no need to plan in advance. There's also kayaking (rent for a day to try it out), windsurfing, and stand up paddleboarding. The staff is friendly and helpful, and you will meet the greatest people, who actually are a community that anyone can join!

The highlight of our stay in MA. Great price and they were very helpful in rescheduling our booking when we lost track of time wandering around the city !

I attended the open house of the Community Boating , it was fantastic, the staff was very friendly and their different memberships are very affordable . Sailing for All. I highly recommend them!!

The junior camp is a total waste of time and money. your kid can sit there and do nothing all day because he is partnered up with a kid who doesn't want to do anything. I saw more than 20 kids sitting there and playing on their phones all day long and I did not see even one person in charge coming and telling them to get up and participate, or ask why they were not participating. FYI my kid does not have a phone. No one checks the kids in or out. called to complain, basically was told this is how it is. I had signed up my child for 4 weeks, took him out after a week.

I attempted to take my sister on her first paddle boarding trip on a nice and beautiful sunny day but I was informed by the staff that we would not be able to because they could see distant thunder storms that they were tracking. We checked the weather app and saw nothing of the sort. Had to cancel the plans and completely rethink the day. Do better.

I had a really amazing summer here! For about $300, you get a year long membership (there are also shorter memberships available), access to all boats (and kayaks, paddle boards, and wind surfs), and free classes! I started out as a newbie and then through the classes, I got to sail and be comfortable in all sorts of wind and can now take out the high performance boats (lasers, 420s, keelboats). Highly recommend!

Closed for the season. Soon they will probably put up their holiday lighting.

It is a wonderful resource for anyone who wants to learn sailing. The price is very reasonable, staff is friendly, and views of Boston from the water are breathtaking. Highly recommended.

A great place to learn sailing! Super supportive staff always willing to help you learn something new.

Great accessible sailing program with the friendliest staff!

You probably won t ever find a better deal than this club for sailing. You pay an absolutely microscopic fee for the ability to sail all kinds of boats in a scenic little spot on the Charles. It s so cheap that even if you go out a handful of times per year it s well worth it.

A wonderful place to learn how to sail on a most scenic stretch of the Charles. Very reasonable pricing too.

While COVID-related health precautions are to be expected, this place is inflexible to the point that it negatively affects the customer experience. A friend had a tote bag that she had to bring onto her paddleboard because they wouldn t let her leave it on the dock. Because of this, she didn t stand up on the board for fear of falling in and ruining her belongings. A business shouldn t put customers in this position, but rather find a creative solution to make sure people can secure their belongings and fully enjoy an experience they paid good money for.

Best place to learn sailing. Also kayak, paddleboard and windsurfing.

Great place to learn to sail! Members are friendly and harbor trips are such fun!

Offers the best summer activity for my 14-year old. He was not quite an outdoor teenager until he started in June at Community boating. He loves it and goes back week after week this summer! He had a blast learning sailing, wind surfing and all other activities! Thumbs up!

Very friendly staff.
Affordable.
Great learning experience for beginners and awesome for sailors who like to sail for pleasure and/for racing.
The training opportunities are offered frequently, at every levels.
Amazing ways to experience the Charles River.

Incredibly unprofessional and unhelpful staff that watched and offered no help as we struggled to get in and out of the water. The front desk staff was also rude as we filled out the registration forms.

Friendly staff and relatively low hassle Covid19 sailing process. You do have to be sure you know your rigging and knots, since it's a bit more self service than usual. It's always beautiful on the water.