Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe

I don’t know if I’m being unreasonable, but I think if a company sells you something on line and you check out online and pay then that is a binding contract. After I placed the order and was excited to get my new boat I received an email stating that my order was canceled. I went back and looked at the coupon and it did say no used boat, but must companies engineer their websites to exclude items that are not on the sale list.
Below is my email from Alder Creek I did not grade them on spelling,
Thank you for shopping at Alder Creek.
We have updated the status of your order. Please note the changes below.
*
MESSAGE:
William,
Unfortunetly we cannot apply the cyber20 discount to used boats, as the cost of shipping is far to expensive (around $ 300 to NC). We can ship this boat without the discount for a total of $ 1099. I apologise for the inconvenience. Please call 503−285−0464 if you would like to purchase the boat without the cyber20 discount.
Cheers! Alder Creek

I did the SUP Yoga class with Devon & it was awesome! I’ve paddle boarded before, but had never thought to combine it with yoga. Devon is a wonderful & patient teacher. There was only one other student so we both got lots of attention & personalized instruction. We started out on land with a few basic poses then headed to the water with our boards. It was a beautifully calm day on Tryon Cove. We paddled upstream a bit to warm up & get used to the feel of the board then returned to our anchored spots to start. It was an interesting challenge to ground myself & find balance while standing on water! I’m only giving it 4 stars because it was tough to find the location. More signage would be helpful. All in all it was a very peaceful experience I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys water & yoga!

Just took two beginner classes here (SUP and Kayak) and they were great. The instructors were friendly and helpful and I loved that you can reserve your classes online (even with your discount Groupon type gift certificates) and see exactly when, where and how many openings are available for a given class.
For one of the classes, I ran in half an hour late and the staff there was nice enough to drive me over to the dock with gear to catch up with the rest of the class. (thank you so much for doing that!)
All the gear is provided for the classes and the instruction is clear and you get plenty of time to learn the strokes and maneuvers.
No pressure whatsoever to rent/​buy their gear in the future and that makes me want to rent/​buy from them. What a great intro to water sports!

I rented an inflatable paddle board to take on vacation to a remote lake for my wife.
While renting, i asked to make sure there was a pump included. They did a a quick check and said it was in the bag.
I got to my location, opened the bag, and only half the pump was there.
I used the included half and blew it up with lungpower and moved on.
I pointed it out when i returned mostly because i didn’t want to be charged for a lost pump. They were gracias at the counter and i left with no hard feelings.
They literally chased me down in the parking lot demanding that they return part of my $.
Completely unexpected and very cool.
Thanks guys.

Fabulous rentals, service, lessons and sales. They worked with us to help us find the best kayaks for our skills and for the dynamic Columbia. We feel welcome to return with questions and more lessons as we advance in our skills.
Highly recommend classes with this firm.

Came to this location after the Tualatin location turned us away (because they were fully booked by a giant group, although the they don’t take reservations…? I know.)
Staff was super friendly and accommodating. We rental a double kayak for 2 hours ($ 30) and it was just enough time to get our bearings, explore the calm water and houseboats, take a quick stop at the beach, and venture a tiny bit into the Columbia.
They have a huge assortment to choose from, provided all the necessary gear, and were totally affordable.
Our inexperience made us a little cautious of the being out on the Columbia — for a longer trip this location might be better suited for a guided tour or more experienced people.

I walked in, and the employees were just talking to one another. I nodded to them, they looked at me when I came in, and without any form of greeting or acknowledgment, just continued talking to each other.
Decent selection of kayaks, decent prices. Absolutely terrible customer service. I wandered the store for about 15 minutes, then left. There was not even an attempt to help me, or even acknowledge me. I felt almost as if I was intruding, and I shouldn’t have been there. It was an extremely unwelcoming experience, and while I am interested in getting a yak, I’m definitely going to have to go somewhere else.

My Dad and I just did the San Juan 4 day tour and had an amazing, educational, and gorgeous trip. Andrew and Steve were absolute pros when it came to everything from guiding us through rain/​sun, cooking epic meals, and navigating the island’s terrain and history. I’m even a high maintenance eater with dietary restriction and they had me graciously covered the whole time. Really great people and hard workers here — thanks for a perfect long weekend to get away from it all. We’re talking about the five-​day already…
Kari

I have to say that their customer service skills need work. I came to rent a SUP with a friend and I never felt welcomed. It was more like I was annoying and keeping them from something they would rather be doing. My questions were answered with a bit of attitude and that is so disappointing because I will be in the market for a new board, and these guys are the closest place to purchase one. The rental boards were fine and we had a fun paddle around the houseboats, but I will probably go elsewhere next time.

Had been wanting to properly learn to kayak for the longest time. Found their groupon and bought one for myself and my daughter. More than worth it! Not sure why I even waited for a groupon. They instructors know what they’re talking about and did a great job. We will definitely be going back.

Brace yourself! Took Alder Creek’s bracing class last week at the North Clackamas Aquatic center. The facilities are great; but as we all know, it’s the teacher that makes the class. Chris was fantastic bringing us through steps of bracing: conceptually, tips and tricks and the actual doing.
I appreciated that he was aware of the differences even with a small ‘audience’ — there was only four of us in the class. When the waves fired up, the instruction seemed to have sunk in faster than normal as the moves has begun the process of becoming natural.
Here’s to less wet-​exits and more time afloat. Thanks Chris /​Alder Creek.

First class operation, good people, great prices and assistance! Very big inventory and very reasonable prices for classes and learning. Great location to see the area and in a very nice McCuddy’s Marina near the always great Island Café!

I feel like I need to do a pros and cons review here. Will start with the negatives.
1. There’s already been 3 pieces of gear that that they normally carry, but were out of stock when I came to buy them. I know that’s a first world problem, still felt like a bummer.
2. When I took a class, despite providing my height and weight beforehand, the boat they provided me didn’t fit correctly so some parts of the class I couldn’t do right.
3. If you’re there on a weekend when they have a class getting together, it can be a bit of a zoo and hard to get a salesman that’s free and can help you.
The pros.
1. These guys will not try to up-​sell you. Everything I’ve bought, or anytime I asked for a recommendation they set me up with what I needed. I’ve spent near 3K here so far and haven’t regretted a purchase. I really appreciate that they sincerely care about getting you the gear you need and will make you happy.
2. You can just tell them up front you’re a noob, and they’re very patient and non-​condescending. I never felt spoken down to here ever.
3. The prices are great. I’ve checked against Amazon for some of the things I bought and was surprised to find Alder Creek was actually a little cheaper. They also give a pretty decent discount if you’ve taken some classes or bought a boat from them.
Al in all I’m really happy this is my kayak store. I love the sport, it’s so relaxing and beautiful when you’re on the water, you get a direct, immerse connection with nature that bicycling could never compare to. I look forward to taking more classes and buying gear here as I grow with the sport. Also a tip of the hat to Jason for being a good guy.

These guys know their yaks. I bought my first kayak from REI. I wanted a second of the same model after a while so that I could have two full sets in case visitors came by. I wish I would have gone to Alder Creek first. They have the best deals on kayaks and they stock a lot more equipment than the big chain stores. They were helpful and extremely knowledgeable.
If you are a beginner looking to get a yak and some training (they teach classes too), or someone that has been on the water for a while looking for specific equipment –I’d definitely go there first.

This is not your ordinary shack by the water kayak place.
It’s a huge water sports supply story that has a selction of kayaks for rent and sale.
Rental prices are decent and the staff is helpful and knowledgable.
If I decide to buy I’ll probably come here to try some boats as part of the process.

I’ve been kayaking for years. I searched all the sites I could find today, looking for a good place to kayak/​camp for free in the Portland metro area. I called them this afternoon and the guy who answered the phone gave me some great ideas I’d never even thought about. Thanks a bunch.
–There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.

The crew hooked me up with a great raft, and was friendly and helpful. They also had good price for the rental, so I was overall very happy and will likely be a repeat customer next summer when we go rafting again.

We absolutely love our new kayaks from Alder Creek! The sales person listened carefully to our needs and worked diligently to line up our best options. He cheerfully gave us all the time we needed and let me try on just about every pfd in the store and then sit in the kayak to be sure it fit me and the kayak! They are very well stocked and its a buzz of fun just to go look! We are very excited to take some of the classes they offer.

I had been wanting to learn to sea kayak and was turned on to Alder Creek by several friends.
Their reputation was well deserved! I’ve only been on two rafting trips before and maybe one time in a canoe but I felt right at home on the water after the introduction.
The instructor was knowledgeable and had great teaching technique. The day was 70 degrees, it was raining and the humidity 90% but this one of the best days of my life! I can not wait to take more classes with Alder Creek to increase my skills and confidence on the water.
I am very, very excited to have found Alder Creek!

I have been kayaking for 10 years and more in customer service, I think Alder Creek Kayak and Canoe Company on Janzen Island in Portland just miss the mark. Below are some positive and improvement needed.
Positive:
1. Great rental products selection; they have varieties of kayak to rent including composite kayaks
2. Knowledgeable staffs
3. Reasonable rental price
Improvement:
1. Help customers with their kayaks to the launch site. I have worked in a kayak shop that don’t have their own water location, when a customer rent a kayak we take the kayak down to the water for them. So, some help should be provided.
2. Have a better direction and knowledge of the area
3. Have some rental kayaks at the dock