When the city of Ocean Shores comes to mind, most people likely picture themselves strolling down the beautiful, sandy shores of the Pacific Ocean, flying a colorful kite or indulging in a delicious ice cream cone on a hot summer’s day. One of the more uncommon thoughts that’s continuing to gain popularity is exploring Ocean Shores’ canals via rental from the Ocean Shores Boat House.
The Ocean Shores Boat House, formerly known as the Electric Boat Company, initially opened to the community in 2005 thanks to Tom Kimzey and his late wife, Nancy. With the two Duffy Electric Boats available for rent, visitors were given the unforgettable opportunity to cruise themselves along over 23 miles of freshwater canals that were originally built for a planned resort community in the late 50s and 60s.
After over a decade in operation, the Electric Boat Company was purchased by Steve Borba and his wife, Maria in 2017. “I was active-duty Navy for 30 years and traveled and lived all around the world,” explains Steve. “Maria and I were looking for a change and began Googling somewhere in country where we could purchase a plot of land to park our RV. That’s when we came across Ocean Shores and were immediately intrigued.”
After making their way to Ocean Shores, Steve and Maria met the Kimzey’s and fell in love with the business, eager to make it their own while still offering the same services to the local community and tourists. The first major change was renaming the business as the plan was to offer more vessels than just the electric boats from the past. This included purchasing one and two passenger kayaks as well as hydrobikes that allow riders to sit up out of the water and pedal along the canals. These new additions are a slightly more vigorous activity while still creating a relaxing opportunity for anyone to take in the beauty of the canals.
With the purchase also came the two original Duffy Electric Boats, which being quite a few years old, required some maintenance. “We replaced and renovated almost everything on the boats to ensure they’ll remain in good running order for many more years to come,” explains Steve. Other repairs to the boats included fitting them for all weather conditions by adding a thick roofing layer and offering a fully enclosed option to keep riders warm while still providing 360-degree views through the wrap around windows. While many activities on the coast of Washington in the off-season are not as enjoyable as in the warmer months, the Ocean Shores Boat House has gone above and beyond to ensure riders have access to a memorable activity no matter the month. With their year-round operations, Steve describes how they try their best not to cancel reservations, but occasionally severe wind sustained above 25 miles per hour or serious torrential downpour can cause disruption.
Currently, Steve and Maria are the sole employees operating their dream business. When they purchased the property, the on-site structure already had a two-story building. The downstairs houses the smaller rental equipment, main office as well as a gift shop that Maria maintains and hopes to continue expanding upon, while the upstairs is considered home for the Borba’s.
Prior to the pandemic, one of Steve and Maria’s favorite aspects of the business was the continuous stream of interactions with tourists from around the world. “We would regularly have reservations from guests traveling to Ocean Shores from Germany, England, Australia, and many other places,” explains Steve. “It was a really cool experience and reminded us of my time in the Navy and getting to experience other cultures.”
Since COVID, they have seen very few guests from out of Washington State, but still appreciate witnessing their guests returning from their trip with big smiles on their face. “There’s nothing better than seeing them make great memories,” says Steve. “That’s what we really love. The business keeps us busy, and we love being a part of a community. We can’t allow our fresh waterways to go unnoticed.”
While 2020 was an extremely difficult year for many businesses, Steve and Maria took on the year with a positive attitude and decided to continue operating throughout the many unknowns. “Everything went well and renting the boats turned out to be a great social distancing activity,” states Steve.
As 2021 came around, Steve and Maria looked back at their goal from their first year in business of planning to offer one event per month. Wanting to stick to that goal to the best of their ability, they put their heads together and came up with the perfect November and December event called Caroling on the Waterways. This special event ran every weekend during the holiday season and offered guests the chance to hop aboard a festively decorated Duffy Boat, sing Christmas carols down the waterways, snap a photo with Mrs. Claus and end the visit in the colorfully lit gift shop where a Christmas village was on display. “Everything went amazing,” explains Steve, “and everyone had great time. There were some crazy winter storms that required us to cancel a few trips, but overall, everything went very smooth. In 2022 we would like to see the return of our Full Moon Paddle event as well as put together a few more holiday events.”
Learn more about the rentals offered to explore the Ocean Shores canals by visiting the Ocean Shores Boat House website and visiting the Ocean Shores Boat House Facebook page.
