Boathouse Paddle Club

Boathouse Paddle Club is 30A’s original paddleboarding outfitter, tucked right onto the dock of Western Lake in the heart of WaterColor. Rent a stand-up paddleboard or kayak, book a fitness class, or head out on a guided fishing trip, all from the same lakeside boathouse that helped start South Walton’s paddle culture in the first place. A retail shop on-site rounds out the stop, stocking outdoor apparel and gear for the water and for the walk back to your rental afterward.

The club grew out of RUN/SUP, a hybrid fitness concept dreamed up by husband-and-wife team Darla Ogle and Tom Losee. Tom, a lifelong runner and early paddleboarding enthusiast, wanted a workout that blended running intervals with time on a board, something fun and challenging enough to keep people moving without ever feeling like a standard gym session. That idea grew into the paddle club now operating on Western Lake, where the team says it has served the 30A community for roughly fifteen years.

Western Lake itself is a big part of what makes a visit worthwhile. It is one of the rare coastal dune lakes that make South Walton geologically unusual, a shallow, brackish body of water formed as freshwater filters through sugar-white dunes before occasionally breaching them to mingle briefly with the Gulf. Boathouse Paddle Club holds the distinction of running the only flat-water SUP and kayak rental operation on Highway 30A, which means no surf and no boat wake to fight, just calm water that suits total beginners as easily as it does experienced paddlers training for a race.

Fitness is as much a part of the club’s identity as the rentals are. The signature RUN/SUP workout alternates paddling and running intervals, and the schedule, managed through the ClassFit app, also includes TRX training, bootcamp sessions, and SUP yoga. Since 2015, Retail Manager and Program Director Dru Sandy, who has taught group fitness and personal training since 2003, has helped shape that programming, along with community touches like a kids’ FUN/SUP class, a Run Club, and seasonal RUN/SUP races and clinics.

The on-site shop leans into an active, coastal wardrobe, with racks of Vuori, Lululemon, Florence Marine X, and Perfect White Tee alongside Goodr sunglasses and exclusive Boathouse and RUN/SUP branded merchandise, so it is entirely possible to walk in for a rental and walk out with a new sundress or workout set too. Boathouse Paddle Club welcomes the general public, not just WaterColor guests, and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with online booking available for both rentals and classes.

Plan to arrive a little before your reservation to get fitted for a board and a life vest, and consider booking one of the guided fishing trips if you want a local’s read on where the lake’s redfish and trout are holding that week. Because the shop sits right where Western Lake meets WaterColor’s town square, it pairs naturally with a stroll to nearby boutiques and restaurants once you have toweled off, and the club has recently announced plans for expanded summer staffing, activities, and apparel, so regulars can expect the offerings here to keep growing.

First-timers should not be intimidated by the fitness branding: the paddle rentals and lessons stand entirely on their own, and staff are used to walking total beginners through the basics of balance and stroke technique before ever letting them loose on the water. Families with kids, bachelorette groups, and solo travelers all show up regularly, and the calm, sheltered nature of Western Lake means there is rarely a bad time of day to get out on a board, whether that is an early morning session before the heat sets in or a golden-hour paddle as the sun drops behind the dunes.