Northern Explorer Supply

08/05/2025

Here's one of those "it's a small world" kind of stories... Patty from Gunnison, CO placed an order late last month for a Crescent UltraLite in the limited edition Ink color with a number of accessories. She had it shipped via FedEx Freight and could not be more excited for it to arrive. Here's where it gets extra fun: her friend, Carol, who is from a neighboring town near her, was visiting her parents in Damariscotta, ME last week. She had been eyeballing the Honu Sorrento series of inflatable paddleboards when she realized she was driving distance to the only Honu reseller, demo, and rental center in the U.S., Northern Explorer Supply. Needless to say, she made the drive down to try both the Sorrento 12'6 and the 11'3. Well, after cruising around our local pond on both, she decided on having the 11'3 shipped to her home in Colorado. That's right, two friends, each having engaged with our company through different channels unbeknownst to one another, who each made a major paddlesports purchase around the same time. Wild! What a fun "business" this is!!

08/03/2025

🌞 Happy Sunday and good morning! We have one slot available this morning for kayak, paddleboard, or canoe excursions from the Route 1 or Scotland Bridge access points. Paddlers can depart around 10:30a, benefiting from a following tide down river until the tide slacks and then reverses to float them back up stream as high tide builds this afternoon. Give us a call if you would like to book! Of course many other options later in the day and at other locations are available, too, pending equipment availability! 🛶

Premium outdoor gear for rent—pick-up along your vacation route or have delivered. Renting superior quality Crescent adventuring and fishing kayaks, Honu inflatable SUP boards, Toadfish fishing poles and gear, beach chairs and coolers, Tentsile tree tents and giant hammocks, camping equipment, dog...

08/02/2025

Over the last couple of days, our turnkey rental gear delivery service made stops at some of the area's finest hospitality and outdoor adventuring locations to drop off premium equipment and provide a wide range of complementary advice. Although most choose to have kayaks and paddleboards courier-delivered, we also commonly drop off and pickup beach chairs!

Since Thursday we serviced the following establishments:

- Libby's Oceanside Camp
- Dockside Guest Quarters & Restaurant
- Marginal Way House
- Cape Neddick AirBnB

We are very appreciative of our local partners and their assistance with getting their guests outdoors through the unique model we have developed. Personalization and flexibility are key to a memorable experience.

08/01/2025

Congratulations to Amy and her two pups for becoming the new owners of a Crescent Primo kayak installed with Teak Cockpit Pads and a complete GearTracs system! Amy shared an hour of her time over the phone with NES after business hours, comparing and contrasting a number of kayaks and paddleboard options and situations for her salt marsh adventures. Needless to say, she felt confident enough with the Primo to purchase it over the phone and have it courier-delivered to her gorgeous property along the mouth of the Kennebec River. Thank you, Amy, for becoming a part of our growing community of paddlers who appreciate gear that Outperforms and Outlasts.

07/30/2025

At NES when we mean "Reshape Your Escape", we really mean it. Check out the incredibly innovative Crescent Kayaks K-Craft rigged with a lithium iron phosphate battery-powered electric motor--the NT300 by Newport Vessels. We had this out the other night at a nearby pond (a locals' secret) with pup, Kalla, at the bow. We moved along at a brisk 7-8 miles per hour and with enough battery life to go all day!

The K-Craft can be paddled or powered along through glass and chop just the same. A super stable skiff/kayak/paddleboard hybrid able to carry up to 330 lbs. with room to spare, when evenly distributed.

The NT300 is a 3HP equivalent--no gas, no smoke, pretty darn quiet. Under 24 lbs. Saltwater tough.

Want to try one of these electric powered microskiffs yourself? Give us a call and we can arrange a private demo.

Learn more about the K-Craft's wide range of paddling and motoring capabilities here: https://www.northernexplorershop.com/products/crescent-k-craft

07/29/2025

Last weekend was busy with our signature self-guided kayaking and SUP trips despite the rainy Sunday! While we usually assist folks with their hearts set on experiencing the York River, we also had a family take their paddle board rentals to Brave Boat Harbor--another magical place! Beach chairs and other rental gear went out on rental, too.

NES provided an array of premium paddlesports gear, equipment transportation, setup, and fitment, and then a safety overview, skills session, and navigational review to two big groups in particular. One group of 19 on Saturday and another group of 11 (pictured) on Sunday.

Laura and her family from Massachusetts (spanning all ages) had a blast. The weather and tides were perfect.

And Kirston and her family from Louisianna had an amazing time on Sunday, despite the spotty rain.

Per our standard process, we created an itinerary that allowed all of our excursion clients to benefit from a following tide going upriver (incoming tide) and then back down as it "slacked" and then switched to an outgoing tide (low tide). The timing of the current increased their speed by about 1.25 MPH - about 50% of the normal effort!

Kirston's group spotted an otter as they enjoyed the mostly glassy waters for hours almost all to themselves. Fun story: Kirston's daughter had been craving Dr. Pepper, as overhead when speaking with Kirston during the booking process. So... SURPRISE: they were greeted with a cooler full of Dr. Pepper which was loaded onto one of their kayaks for the trip. We wanted to do something special given the gloomy weather.

Reach out to us to book your adventure today! We will tailor the entire endeavor to maximize your enjoyment.

https://www.northernexplorerrent.com

07/25/2025

Wedding Anniversary kayaking trip, anyone? That's what Ira and his wife decided to do, how about you? The harbor and interior of the York River is a magical place with sights of Wiggly Bridge, lobster piers, wildlife, salt marshes, tall stands of pines, and so much more. Rent a kayak for a few hours, a handful of days, or a week and enjoy the oceanside vibes of the harbor vicinity or the pure wild lands of the Smelt Brook Preserve section of the river—there is a reason it's designated a National Wild & Scenic River! A very special place we work hard to help you fully experience, whether for a special occasion or otherwise.

…Or recreate at just about any other location near or far!

We can deliver to the water's edge or to your door. Or you can pick up the premium equipment we meticulously maintain yourself. We have a drive-up garage section that is on the lower level of our store.

07/24/2025

As one Cresecent Crew departs our loading area (thank you, Shelley!), another one is loaded... Congratulations on the purchase of your second Crescent kayak in a year, Daniel! Daniel added the Crew so he may bring his father, Mike (pictured) and his mom along while he paddles his trusty UltraLite. It also gives him the option to paddle bigger waters alone and fish with a friend (also pictured)--even if one or both of them wish to fish or paddle while standing. That's right. The Crew is stable enough to stand in yet paddles along gracefully unlike wider, flatter kayaks that don't rely on displacement hull technology. Come check 'em out. We have a demo program if you'd like to try before you buy.

https://www.northernexplorershop.com/products/crescent-crew

https://www.northernexplorershop.com/pages/try-before-you-buy-demo-any-crescent-kayak-honu-sup-or-tentsile-tree-tent

07/22/2025

Lots of outdoor gear is moving about the area and country over the last week as we continue to equip good people near and far with knowledge and products designed to Reshape Your Escape! A few examples:

- We rented a 1994 Old Town Discovery 158 (back when they were made out of Crosslink 3!) to a family from NYC heading to Harpswell, ME.
- We shipped a Tentsile Safari Connect 2 to Mark in South Dakota, who is now "leveling up" his "glamping game" on the edge of a local lake.
- A corporate group staying at the Cliff House experienced a group kayaking adventure on the York River with an afterparty at our friends' Dockside Guest Quarters & Restaurant
- Jen and her family rented kayaks for an afternoon on the York River, fishing included!
- And Andrea was all smiles as her new Crescent Kayaks K-Craft arrived at her doorstep (thanks to our courier service) in Connecticut with matching cooler and other gear.

Much more to share soon! Thank you so much to everyone for your incredible support. Happy summer!

07/17/2025

A huge congratulations to Ryan and Tina for their decision to upgrade from their Lifetime kayak to the flagship of high performance mixed-use, open layout fishing kayaks--the Crescent Kayaks Shoalie! Their new kayak will see many days on the inlets, rivers, and ponds of Rhode Island as they chase freshwater and saltwater bass. They had been weighing out whether to buy a NuCanoe Unlimited U10 but after experiencing the Shoalie's impressive agility, speed, manueverability, comfort, and paddling ergonomics while taking advantage of our Demo Program, it was a no brainer. What was an impromptu stop by our store while daytripping in Maine became a stretch of hours mostly after we closed to get them properly outfitted with their new gear. Thank you again, guys. It was a lot of fun getting to know you two and your son. All the best.

07/15/2025

Summertime is in full swing (of paddles)!!! Here is a small glimpse of all the happy experiences we've helped to create over the last couple of weeks. Whether it begins within the showroom of our shop, along the shores of the York River and surrounding locations, or via courier delivery to far off places like Woods Hole Ferry terminal in Massachusetts en route to Martha's Vineyard or in Rockport, Maine! Thank you for all the good vibes, everyone! We love what we do--a labor of love devoted to your most wondrous adventures!
Kayaks Boards

07/08/2025

Taylor and Elena made the visit a couple of weeks ago to score a Crescent Splashback kayak as a way to get into the sport of kayaking while on vacation! Although outside normal business hours when the call came through, we jumped on the opportunity to open up the shop and walk them through a great economical paddling setup complete with a Whisper paddle, foam cradles and straps for rooftop transport, and an ergonomic, non-chafing lifejacket from our friends at Astral. It was a delight to get them setup for a next-day maiden voyage. Wonderful to meet you two!