Marina Boat Rentals is the best place along the coast to rent almost any kind of U-Drive boat you've been lookin for. They have kayaks, waverunners, paddle boats, sail, power and electric boats, all available for hourly rentals. The most popular are the waverunners and the power boats, which are great to go out beyond the breakwater (inside the Marina the speed limit is 5 mph) where you can head north up past Venice Beach (this is a great view that very few tourists ever get to see) and then up to Santa Monica Pier for another great ""picture"" then turn around and retirm to Marina del Rey. That's easy to do in an hour.
Pros: Hourly rentals; variety of boats, easy parking; no experience necessary
Cons: If you want a fancy glossy sail boat, go to a unskippered or skippered private charter rental instead; some of the boats are a little tired looking
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