CLARION BOROUGH, Pa. (EYT) — The Clarion River will soon become more accessible as a local man plans to open a kayak and paddle board rental service at Toby Boat launch as soon as next spring.
(Pictured above: Tom Switzer, creator of Go Paddle — a paddle rental service.)
Tom Switzer, the pastor at Grace Community Church in Curllsville, is the creator of Go Paddle, a “paddle share” service that will allow people to rent a kayak or paddle board directly at the Clarion River.
“The waterway here is such a great resource, but not everyone owns a pickup or a vehicle with roof racks they can transport kayaks with,” Switzer told exploreClarion.com. “Not everyone owns a kayak. If you’re renting an apartment, where are you going to store it? It does restrict the waterway to a small number of people.”
Switzer’s model is to have customers rent a kayak for a day from his website. The renter would receive a code to open a padlock at the station at Toby Boat Launch where the kayaks will be kept.
The renter will have access to the kayak for a full day and will be able to take it in and out of the water as they please.
When they are done, they can lock the kayak back in storage.
Each rental comes with a lifejacket and a paddle.
The current plan is to have six kayaks available at the rental station with room for two more.
“Right now,” indicated Switzer, “the plan is to do $30.00 a day to rent the boat. You can come down in the morning, paddle around, do your thing, go fishing, whatever you want to do. Head uptown, come back, and finish your day out.”
The idea came to Switzer during a trip to the Outer Banks with his family last year.
“We rented paddle boards because I always wanted to try them,” he said. “We really enjoyed it and decided, ‘Hey let’s try and get something together.’”
Switzer is working with two local businesses to provide the rental station and kayaks for Go Paddle.
Performance Kayak out of Brookville will provide the kayaks.
Switzer says their kayaks are durable and will not warp in the sun. Additionally, he said the seats on them are comfortable.
“Thick padding,” he said. “You’re suspended off the actual boat itself. Given how comfortable the seats are, it will make a very enjoyable experience.”
The kayaks are fashioned so that a renter sits above the boat and not inside it, which makes them safer.
“So, if you do spill it, you don’t get trapped in it,” Switzer mentioned. “If you fall out, you fall off, so you can just get back on it. We’re doing everything we can to keep you safe.”
Moreover, the kayaks will have either wheels or drag pads, allowing those who cannot carry them to be able to move the kayaks.
Tin Town Metal Works, a Sligo-based enterprise, is designing the rental station for Go Paddle.
The reception to Go Paddle has been very positive, though Switzer reported there have been concerns about the space the rental station would take up, which would limit parking at the boat launch.
“It wasn’t even negative,” he said. “It was, ‘We love the idea, hope we can figure parking out.’ Outside of that, everything’s been positive, and we look forward to getting it off the ground.”
The Clarion Borough Council on Tuesday, October 5, approved Switzer’s plans for Go Paddle during their regular meeting.
“They are excited to see kind of small, entrepreneurial ideas,” Switzer remarked of the borough. “I thought I was going to have to go for years and petition and sit in front of boards and do the work. But the first time I brought it up, we met with Brookfield Renewable, who owns the waterway, and the borough right here (Toby Boat Launch).
“As soon as I started to explain what we were doing, they were excited about it. You kind of expect some bureaucracy to get in the way, but it didn’t.”
Switzer said if the Toby Boat Launch location succeeds, then he plans on expanding Go Paddle to other local waterways.
“We’re looking at places like Mill Creek or Kahle Lake, just kind of in the area,” he said. “If this is something that is well-received, people can expect we’ll be opening more.”
