L.A. Kayak and Paddleboard Rentals, Ranked. Long Beach Wins at $16.

Ranked by what an hour on the water costs, then where you launch and whether a life vest comes with the board.

Long Beach wins for a single hour on the water. Kayaks on the Water rents on Alamitos Bay at $16 an hour a person, and you don't pay until you're back on the sand. Marina del Rey, the harbor most people picture, finishes third and fourth.

The order runs on the hourly price first. Ties and near-ties go to the launch and to whatever the shop says comes with the boat. Prices are as each shop posted them Saturday.

1. Kayaks on the Water, Alamitos Bay, Long Beach

The shop's pricing page lists kayaks at $16 an hour per person; paddleboards are $35 for 90 minutes, instruction included. It bills after the fact: stay out an hour and ten minutes and you pay for the hour plus ten minutes, not a second hour. It doesn't require reservations, because it says it never runs out of kayaks, though you can sign up online to skip the line. Groups of 20 or more pay $10 an hour a person, with a two-hour minimum.

You launch straight across from the Naples Island canals, a loop of water lined with waterfront houses, on a bay the shop says has no surf and no riptides. It also says guests have spotted dolphins and sea turtles, and that there's a seasonal cove of moon jellies that don't sting. At $16 an hour, paid on the way out, it's the cheapest single hour here. Its posted hours cover only April through September, so call (562) 434-0999 before you drive.

2. Redondo Boat Rentals, King Harbor, Redondo Beach

The sticker says $20 an hour for a kayak or a paddleboard. The better number is on the next line of the price list on the shop's website: $30 for two hours, which beats Long Beach's $32 if you stay out that long. A two-person kayak is $40 an hour.

Life jackets come with every rental, and the shop calls its sit-on-top kayaks super wide. The catch is plain: everyone has to be able to swim in deep water. The shop is at 181 N. Harbor Drive, slip 116, and its posted hours Saturday were noon to 7 p.m. It recommends booking online.

3. Pro SUP Shop, Mother's Beach, Marina del Rey

The priciest board on the list, at $32.50 an hour or $52.50 for two, according to the shop's rentals page. You get the board, an adjustable paddle and a Coast Guard-approved flotation device, and you walk it off a flat beach at the end of D Basin. No rocks, no surf.

Bring a photo ID, know how to swim and stay inside the harbor, because the open ocean is off-limits. The shop says the round trip from Mother's Beach to the breakwall is 4.6 miles and takes the average paddler about an hour and a half. So the one-hour rental won't get the average paddler there and back. Walk-ups are first come, first served, and the shop recommends reserving on weekends.

4. Paddle Method, Marina del Rey

This is the placement I'll defend at the bar: Paddle Method costs less than Pro SUP Shop, from $30 an hour, and it still finishes last. Its website's homepage says rentals come with a stable board, a carbon fiber paddle, a leash and a life vest or PFD belt. Its FAQ promises a Coast Guard-approved life jacket.

The rental waiver on the same site says Paddle Method "does not provide a personal flotation device (PFD)," and that a renter who wants one should bring their own. That's two answers to the one question that matters once you're standing on a board. At Pro SUP Shop, the extra $2.50 gets you one answer.

To be fair, the rental is the side door here. Paddle Method is a paddleboard school based at 14110 Palawan Way, founded in 2010, and its lessons start at $125. Want the board anyway? Ask about the vest before you sign. Or drive to Long Beach, pay $16 and settle up when you're back on the sand.

Source: kayakrentals.net, retrieved October 24, 2026. Other sources: redondoboatrentals.com, prosupshop.com, paddlemethod.com.