Lakefront Sports Centre Ltd — Local services in Kelowna

*Edit to owner’s response: So in addition to lack of care for safety, the owner straight up lies to refute customer claims, there is a pattern of this in Carolina’s responses to customer claims. Again, she’s refused to respond to all my private communications about my concerns but is publicly claiming we returned because one of our guests felt sick. Be aware of this dishonest, money-grabbing owner!! Sunwave boat rentals or the rental company directly at the marina provide excellent customer service and are dedicated to customer safety. Avoid Lakeshore!

AVOID AT ALL COSTS! Take a moment to look through their 1 star reviews and notice how the owner calls every negative review a scam? Zero stars, zero accountability!

We reserved a 2 hr boat rental with this company last weekend as first time boaters. We made a 6pm reservation a few hours prior to arriving and when we did, Carolina (the manager) told us the waters were unsafe and asked us to come back in a half hour. They should have called to give us a heads up but we were okay with hanging around the lake. A half hour later we called to check in and they said it was still unsafe and asked us to wait another half hour. By 7pm, they called and said it was safe to come.

We walked up to the rental stand to find a staff member in a heated argument with a group of people. When we arrived, it seemed just as windy as our original time but they reassured us that it was safe so we proceeded with payment. We had dinner reservations after the boat reservation and since we lost an hour, we asked to switch our boat rental from 2 hrs to 1 hr. Carolina had a nasty attitude and argued that we have to do the 2 hours since that’s what we originally booked. I said it wasn’t our fault that it was too windy to go at the original booking time and requested to cancel the booking if they wouldn’t let us change it to 1 hr. She then agreed to change it to 1 hour but charged us the same price (which was fine since it was listed as a $40 difference on their price list). The guy who approached us to provide an orientation rudely motioned for us to follow him without a smile or an introduction. We specifically chose a boat with a sound system but found an empty slot where the sound system should have been. When we asked the orientating staff about it, he said it was broken so they pulled it out. They should have informed us that they were giving us a boat without a sound system and checked to ensure that that was okay with us before proceeding with our rental.

We were first time boaters and we noticed most of the boats had come back to shore but we trusted Carolina when she told us it was safe. We didn’t get far from the dock area because of how choppy the waters were. It was windy with a lot of waves and the boat was very unsteady, rocking from side to side and bouncing up and down due to the waves, we were terrified. We instantly turned around due to the dangerous conditions, we surely would have capsized.

We requested to speak with the manager (Carolina) immediately as we were incredibly unhappy with the fact that we were put in a dangerous situation by a company that’s responsible for ensuring waters are safe before encouraging guests to get on the water. We were told Carolina was busy at the moment and that she would call us when she’s free. We left and called back an hour later to follow up but were informed that Carolina went home for the day. I requested a call back for the next day but it’s been about a week and have not heard back. I called several times and emailed. It’s clear that Carolina and the Lakefront Sports Centre staff have no regard for the safety of their guests and are only interested in taking peoples money. We paid $350 to be on the water for TWENTY minutes, and it was only twenty minutes because of how difficult it was to steer back to shore safely. I’ve rented down at the Marina before and had an amazing experience with the rental company there.

I will definitely be escalating this matter,...

Be aware!!! Avoid Lakefront Sport - Questionable Practices & Excessive Charges !! As a recent customer, I feel compelled to share my extremely disappointing experience with Lakefront Sport in Kelowna to warn others.

I rented a boat for 2 hours, which was already overpriced at $550. The boat itself was an older model, a SeaRay 2007 or less, and frankly, it felt like it wasn't well-maintained for the price.

Before even seeing the boat, they required me to pay a $1000 damage deposit (in addition to rental cost + gas cost which was way higher than better places like Granville Island Boat Rentals) and sign several pages of documents. There was no opportunity to read documents and lady in the kiosk never explained us important charges. The neither let us inspect the boat's condition before payment or signing, which felt very suspicious. Instead, after paying, you're directed to an enclosed area on the shore where the boats are docked. This lack of transparency upfront is a major red flag.

My rental lasted only 40 minutes before the boat developed an issue (a loud noise). I notified them and was later told I had damaged the propeller. What followed was even more concerning: I was charged a staggering $1200 for a propeller replacement (2K in total for being 30 minutes on the boat that was barely worth 10K according to boat's stock market). Despite repeated requests, Lakefront Sport has failed to provide a legitimate, itemized receipt from a repair company. This suggests they are either significantly overcharging customers or potentially profiting directly from these "repairs" without transparency.

Given the prevalence of stones and shallow areas in Okanagan Lake, it appears this company may be operating a regular profit scheme based on propeller damage, especially considering their high charges and lack of transparency. Their old boats and emphasis to inspect propeller only further contribute to this suspicion.

My bank is currently investigating this excessive charge, but I want to ensure other potential renters are aware of these questionable business practices. Rent at your own risk !!! you might end up paying far more than just the rental fee (which is...

I’m not sure why the rating is 3.7 ... it’s too bad because we almost didn’t rent from here just because of that.

Everything worked well and was priced better than anywhere else. I know because I called everywhere in the Okanagan for this particular weekend all were either sold out or I felt the cost was not justified. Rent a boat is attached to the Delta Grand facing the yacht club. Very convenient location, and free parking on weekends in the library parkade which is a 3 min walk. Upon arrival we filled out the standard paperwork, then headed down to their own private dock. I liked that they had their own and you didn’t have to mess around at the public dock it is very busy there! I can’t remember his name the guy who was in the military in Croatia super nice and very chatty liked his mutual love for our country 🇭🇷 went over the boat with us. My husband has a licence so didn’t need much explaining. Mostly just going over the boat noting any damage so we aren’t held responsible when we come back. He encouraged us to take pictures or a video which I did. Normal type of wear and tear from use over the season was the only damage but best to make note so there are no surprises if he wasn’t there upon drop off, which he wasn’t so it was just peace of mind. Out on the water we all had a blast 7 of us. Bluetooth wasn’t working for music but we still had the radio. If your renting a tube I would recommend getting the 3 seat biscuit with back rest. We went with the 2 seater lie down and wished we hadn’t. They recommend it because of how many on board the 3 person wouldn’t perform as well. But it would have been better than all the face spray due to an attachment close to the 2 seater tube. I think we would have spent more time on it if there wasn’t so much water up the nose. I probably should have asked for a refund on the tube rental. All in all a great time on the water! The rental was $509 then add in all the extras, tax, gas, insurance and tube total...