A Bubbly Creek paddle offers an immersion into Chicago nature unlike almost any other part of the Chicago River. Great blue Heron and painted turtles await quiet and patient observers. Often, the mile-long creek is almost still, but after a storm it can flow strongly. The banks are almost uniformly green and the creek offers a peaceful float above what was, many decades ago, the dumping grounds of Chicago’s massive stockyards. Now, the only bubbling comes from popping champagne corks celebrating the reemergence of Chicago’s cleaner river for recreation.
Wateriders at Bubby Creek offers kayaking, paddleboarding, sculling, and even a new sport, Vin Sculling. For the first time, we are selling craft, the SeaEagle line of inflatable boats and boards. These high quality inflatables seem a natural fit for this slow flowing urban creek. Come help us celebrate by enjoying a paddle or row on this magnificent natural waterway in beautiful Bridgeport!
In Bridgeport, Wateriders hopes to fulfill both its mission of “Good Green Fun!”
Kayak Rentals
As at Wateriders Northwest, the Bubbly Creek dock will offer two hour kayak rentals to explore the mile long creek and adjacent Chicago River South Branch. In addition to Wateriders’ typical plastic kayaks, Bridgeport will also offer highly comfortable, lightweight single, double (even triple) inflatable kayaks made by SeaEagle (don’t worry, we inflated them!) These SeaEagle craft offer unparalleled enjoyment for slow paced river ambling. Since our first fleet of recycled plastic Walden Paddlers in 1997, we have always looked in match kayak with the experience at hand. SeaEagle boats offer a different, and very comfortable, way to kayak!
Kayaks (single & double) – $40 per rider
- Schedule and Current Availability
- Rentals Saturdays and Sundays beginning April 16 (weather permitting).
- Thursday-Sunday starting Thursday May 5-Sunday May 8.
- Full week schedule by early June.
Wateriders is happy to announce a Marine Experience Center at Bridgeport Arts Center. Come learn about the latest hydrofoiling, rowing, and electric craft after visiting the incomparable Chicago Maritime Museum
Wateriders Maritime/Historical Tour
In conjunction with the adjacent Chicago Maritime Museum, Wateriders will offer a guided Creek/River paddle exploring the maritime history of Chicago. The museum provides an incredible opportunity to view the boats that, literally, made Chicago. Since 1997, Wateriders’ tours have centered around these craft (from Native American dugouts to Voyageur canoes craft to the infamous Eastland), but never before have we been able to offer the experience of seeing the boats themselves at the Maritime Museum’s exquisite exhibits.
Schedule:
Two Hour Tours (including Museum visit before or after tour) Fridays at 1:30 and Saturdays at 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM.
Pricing: Pricing identical to our downtown tours.
SeaEagle Sales and Demonstration
Wateriders also offers Sales and Demos of SeaEagle’s incredible inflatable paddleboards and kayaks, including electric motors and motormounts.
All SeaEagle paddleboards and kayaks collapse into airline friendly backpacks and shipping is always free!
Check out the models available here:
Maas Boats
Wateriders also offer sales and instruction in Maas Boats, the world’s finest open water rowing shells. Bubbly Creek offers an incredible “canvas” for a rowing experience. Maas shells are traditional “sculling” wherein the seat moves fore and aft.
2022 Pricing:
Boats
- Winged Aero – $6,075
- Carbon Winged Aero – $6,775
- Maas 24 – $6,075
- Carbon Maas 24 – $6,775
- Flyweight 24 – $6,075
- Carbon Flyweight 24 – $6,775
- Maas 27 – $6,775
- Double – $11,250
Options
- Self-Bailer – $150
- Medium Fin (Single, FW) – $50
- Large Fin (Aero, 24) – $50
- Carbon Footstretcher – $80
- Titanium Oarlock Pins – $125
Downpayment Required: $2,000 per single, $4,000 per double
Vin Sculling
Combining the SeaEagle NN14’ Paddleboard (or paddleboard of your choice), with our new paddleboard rower creates a new sort of sculling, Vin Sculling, allowing you to enjoy more of the water and exercise more of your body than simply paddleboarding.
Since 1997, Wateriders has explored human powered craft that are accessible, safe and fun. In 2021, Wateriders is proud to introduce this new type of “sculling,” on a paddleboard. Unlike a shell, in rowing a paddleboard, the seat (butt) is fixed and instead the rigger slides. It’s a slightly different kind of sculling and is often easier for beginners to learn.
But what to call it? Typically, paddleboards have a fin, unlike the skeg on a traditional sculling shell. So, it could be Fin Sculling, but if so then why not:
Vin Sculling
Calling to mind two great great American Vincent Scullys:
1. A baseball announcer par excellence, and
2. An architecture professor who was unparalleled in his fields.
And so this craft, which allows a human to go extremely quickly based upon a combination of athletic output (speed and grace) combined with perfectly designed mechanism to capture human energy to propel a paddleboard, is named for both men:
For Vin Scully, paragon of sport and Professor Vincent Scully, high mind of architectural and design instruction. It sounds crazy but what’s really nuts is how fun and easy it is.
Camp Bokililas
Enjoy a day on the water with friends and family! Camp Bokililas is all about bringing the camp experience closer to home. Start the day with a 2-hour outing in a kayak or another watercraft before returning to shore for games, and other camp classics!
2022 Schedule:
Morning (10AM) and afternoon (1:30PM) for each set of dates unless noted:
- Saturday May 7, 14, 21
- Saturday May 28, June 4, 11
- Monday June 13, 20, 27
- Wednesday June 15, 22, 29
- Monday July 11, 18, 25
- Wednesday July 13, 20, 27
- Monday August 1, 8, 15
- Wednesday August 3, 10,17
*Camp sessions are offered as packages of three visits.
* Fridays reserved for private camp groups of six or more.
* Private groups can be accommodated other dates with prior notice.
Pricing:
• Adult (18+): $45/session
• Child (younger than 18): $35/session
* Camp sessions are offered in packages of 3 visits.
* We can accommodate private groups of 6-30 people with a customized one-time camp experience. Please get in touch for more details.
Included: Kayaks, Guides, and Camp Experience!
Directions: 1200 W. 35th Street, Chicago IL
