Go Bananas Watersports

I love this place! Customer service is excellent. They go out of their way to personally help.
I changed from a van to an suv; my old van racks didn’t fit on suv … I wanted to use as much of my old racks as possible in order to save $$. John did a fantastic job of reviving my old canoe saddles, and attaching my existing cradles to my suv’s manufactured racks. He saved me money and headache!

If you ever need great products and great service come here. John and all of the crew are incredibly helpful and patient. Went in with a problem walked out with solution. If you are looking for rack set ups this is the place! I will always shop here for any future purchases.

Thank you Go Bananas for a wonderful weekend! They provided everything for a family of 4 under $ 50!

Although I have only been here once to rent a kayak, the experience was great. While I can’t remember the name of the employee who helped me (my bad), he could not have been more helpful. He took the time to ensure we all had the correct equipment as well as demo to us the proper way to lash down the kayaks to the roofs of our cars using the provided soft racks. Since we were driving over the Pali to the windward side for our kayaking adventure, keeping the kayaks secure was even more essential.
I also appreciate how accommodating they are re: when the kayaks are rented. If you want to get an early a.m. start, you can rent the kayak the night before. Just call ahead of time to ensure availability.
The price was reasonable, the customer service was on point and they have a parking lot for easy pick up and drop off of the kayaks. Double thumbs up!

The gentleman who helped us, I think he is the owner, is Awesome! He was so helpful, extremely knowledgeable, super nice, and gave us a lot of cool options. They have amazing prices on rentals also. We had a really positive experience and are very happy that we went there.

If you want to talk to one of the most knowledgeable people on the island about kayaks and kayaking, or just about anything else, John at Go Bananas is your man. Rare these days to find someone who knows their products so well. When it can be a life or death situation with the wrong equipment you want someone who has researched and tested nearly every item in this store. I recently switched out my roof racks here. John knew the history of every companies rack design, how they tested, the pros and cons. You get the real deal here, not a sales pitch. He even saved me money figuring out how to reuse some of my old parts. Don’t waste your time at the big box shops. The prices here are comparable or better, and the value immeasurable.

Thank you John. I love my roof racks. You are so knowledgable, professional and helpful. Will refer your business to friends and family. Top notch all the way.

I was recently shopping for a fishing kayak for my BF. I really didn’t know much about them but after talking with the staff and John I felt like a pro before I left. It was a one stop shop for everything I needed. We ended up getting a kayak, paddle, Thule racks, j-​hook cradle, life jacket, go pro accessories and straps. He even helped me strap it on my car. He really went the extra mile in everything we needed. If I could give him 6 stars I would. I highly recommend shopping here I won’t go any where else again.

This place is the cheapest place on the island for a 24 hour rental for a kayak. They have singled, Doubles, and even triple kayak’s. The staff loaded my truck and even gave me a water proof bag. He was also in about to give me a tutorial but since I told him I already knew everything and all ready rented from a previous kayak rental store, he said it was cool, Saved me 30 minutes of non sense, these guys know what there doing about anything in the water, hand down. Friendly and fast service.

These guys are great! When I emailed John E. at the store about getting a roof rack for my car he emailed me back with great info with full details about what would be best for someone with my car and my needs/​lifestyle. I went to the store after work and he placed the racks on my car while explaining everything to me that I needed to know about how he placed the racks on there and made sure to answer all my questions. Even when I asked him to show me how to secure things like 3 times he was really patient and nice. His store staff was really nice and helpful too! Great attitude at this place and patient with newbies to the watersport world like me :)

I LOVE my new racks on my truck. Walked in friendly customer service. Couldn’t have been treated any better. This place has everything you need for kayaking, racks, water sports, etc… I highly recommend this place for any type of rack for a vehicle!!! Thank you for everything!

if you are a kayaker on island or looking to rent a boat for a few days, this is the place to go. A funky little shop in North? Waikiki, it has pretty much everything you would need, from shoes to yaks. Also, lots of affordable options for roof racks etc.
Also, great people that are focused on service. Very helpful and willing to chat if they aren’t busy.

When it was time to buy truck racks, a friend recommended Go Bananas on Kapahulu.
When I walked through the front door, I found a toy store for everyone involved in water-​sports. Customer service was attentive, friendly, helpful and informative.
Aaron offered rack options, he and Blake installed them when all the components arrived. Although installation was somewhat challenging, they were patient, totally professional, read the instructions to insure the roof rack was in the correct spot and even measured the location several times to confirm their work.
Since the roof racks were installed, Ive returned to the store several times to make additional purchases and exchange items, and had excellent customer service every time. The staff at Go Bananas has been a experience that added to my entry into watersports that I appreciate.

I went here to get a rack for my truck bed for my paddleboards today. They come in a set but they are nice enough to split it and just sell you half at half the price too which was all I needed too. $ 25.00 extra for them to install it too beacuse I’m lazy like that. Customer service was excellent on the phone and in the shop. I could be wrong but I think his name was glenn that installed it and did an awesome job too.
The rack is cherry. Nice and wide but not too wide. I wouldn’t doubt I could fit my boards and my one man canoe on It too. Something I couldn’t do with the other ones that got stolen. These Thule 500 racks come with a lifetime warranty too which makes this rack worth every penny. I highly recommend this place for anyone looking for racks, new or used kayaks, paddles leashes.

It was a long week at work, but Friday had finally come. I EARNED this weekend, I thought to myself, so no better way than to relax in the middle of the ocean in a kayak to call my own.
Ok, maybe it wasn’t MY kayak, but the kind they rent out at Go Bananas was just as good!
Kayaking, like many other things recently, is a new hobby. Having done it just a handful of times at other places where the shop is close to the beach, it was getting expensive. I also wanted to take the kayak out to other places I was yet to explore, so renting a kayak I could put on top of my car would be the best bet.
Go Bananas allows the flexibility to take the kayak where ever you want to and so much more! Only $ 30 for a one-​day rental, they provide you with EVERYTHING you need to get you going. Included with the rental are the seats, dry bag, soft racks for the car, paddles, knee straps… EVERYTHING! Other places tend to charge everything seperately (why would you charge for the seat? you NEED that!), but it was nice going in and not being haggled for each piece separately.
They walk you through step-​by-​step on how to safely secure the kayak to your car, leaving very little room for error when you’re by yourself on the way back.
This all lead up to an awesome day kayaking around Chinaman’s Hat and Go Bananas made it so easy to do so. A 9am-​6pm rental is super flexible and again, you can’t beat the price. No hesitation coming back to this place for my kayak rental needs next time!

RENTING THE KAYAK: Two friends and I walked into the store right when it opened and asked to rent a three-​person kayak. I just got a 2013 iDcard and wanted to use it at Go Bananas to receive 20% off. Once they confirmed with us that we wanted a three-​person kayak and such, we were asked to read the liability form and sign and initial. The liability form basically states the following:
1) If you rent a kayak for a day (9am to 6pm) like we did, you must return the kayak before 6pm or you will be penalized with a $ 15 late fee.
2) You lose anything, you buy. They have your credit card number from the forms you fill out.
3) It’s your life on the line and Go Bananas is not liable for you dying.
After the official documentation, we were given a tutorial on how to set up the kayak and how to secure the kayak on the vehicle. We were also given advice on how to kayak to our destination based on the current and weather forecast. We’re newbies when it comes to kayaking and we had no difficulty thanks to their tutorial so it shouldn’t be too difficult to bring a kayak back safe and undamaged.
Kayak rentals also come with racks to carry the kayak (s) on your vehicle, paddles, paddle leashes, life jackets (PFD’s), backrests, dry bags, and gear bags upon request. We asked for a second dry bag for our valuables and it was given to us free of charge.
HERE’S A TIP: if you plan on bringing any valuables (i.e. cell phone, large expensive camera, car keys) with you while kayaking, place them in a ziplock bag, wrap them in a towel, and put them in a dry bag. We fell into the water a number of times while trying to kayak to Mokulua Island and everything we had was still dry and undamaged by the time we actually reached the island.
ACTUALLY USING THE KAYAK: Let me just say… NEVER AGAIN… at least not when everybody who I’m with is completely new to kayaking. We kept falling and getting hurt because the waves were being mean and the current kept pulling us away from our destination. There were people both on the beaches and in the water who helped us get back on track and I can’t thank them enough. They basically saved our lives! Also, don’t go kayaking with somebody you’re in a relationship with. If you’re both new to kayaking and you attempt to kayak, you’ll end up arguing and bitching at each other all day. We also heard that three-​person kayaking is harder than two-​person kayaking because synchronization is more difficult.
ANOTHER TIP: Practice your salsa hip coordination and synchronization before you go kayaking. Apparently it’s good practice before kayaking.
AFTER: About 30 minutes after we returned the kayak and equipment on time, I got a call saying that they forgot to grab the paddle leashes from my car and that I needed to return them. By the time I got the message we were already sitting inside of a restaurant and there was no way that I could return their equipment before their 7pm closing time. They said I could return it the next day if I had the chance and I said that I was fine with that. I returned the next day and returned the paddle leashes without being penalized (which shouldn’t happen anyway because it wasn’t my fault). I’m happy to have rented from Go Bananas because of their great customer service and advice.

Shopped for surf racks for my truck and was happy to find try had all the components I need. The guy helping me was nice enough, and certainly knows his stuff.
However, his candor left something to be desired.
I came back a few days later to exchange a part I didn’t need for some other product and well, it was even less friendly than my first visit.
This is the only place on Oahu to grab the best rack components at a fair price, but do be mindful, you might be treated like garbage.
Five star selection
One star service

Go Bananas is simply awesme! My boyfriend was visiting me in October, and although he has visited Oahu numerous times in the past he had never gone kayaking before and neither have I. One of my best friends had told me she kayaked to Chinaman’s hat and hiked up the small mountain. I immediately knew that would be something my boyfriend would enjoy, she suggested I check out Go Bananas and that I did.
We learned that they were pretty affordable, at $ 45 for a double hull from the hours 9−6pm. At first I thought that wouldn’t be enough time, but we made it work. When we went to pick up the kayak the guy there was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. He answered all of our questions, gave us great tis, and suggest other places we can kayak. The fee comes with every thing you need to store the kayak on your vehicle, a dry bag for your stuff, and life vests.
My boyfriend and I had a really great time kayaking, we are actually planning to kayak again on our upcoming trip back home. We hope to spend more time kayaking and enjoying the ocean.
We would highly recommend Go Bananas for any water sport activity and kayaking!
Unilocal 365 CHallenge: ⁹⁰⁄₃₆₅

Got a great deal for 2 for 1 rental of SUP over two days. Everything about the process from rental to return was easy going and go with the flow. Prices were fair for the convenience and location. Service was friendly and professional.
The only drawback is that they could stand to take better care of their equipment or rotate out the older inventory. We had some nice rentals, but I was kinda sorta looking forward to a better selection of SUPs.

I’ve been very pleased with the very friendly, competent, professional, and helpful service provided by Go Bananas. I highly recommend them if you’re looking for anything kayak related (sales or rentals).
They have two locations — one in Honolulu, and one over in Aiea not far from the Pearl Ridge Mall. The Aiea location is sort of a satellite store and doesn’t have ALL the stuff that the main store has. However, I’ve been to both locations and was equally pleased with the friendly and professional service I received.
As an active duty service member, I could opt to go rent kayaks from the outdoor recreation place on base. I would RATHER go to Go Bananas though. The prices were comparable, but the service was 100 times better at Go Bananas. Going on base didn’t save me enough money to give up the good service.
Before we moved to Hawaii, I was not an experienced kayaker. I had only gone a couple of times in my life. I wanted to try it with my six year old son, but I wasn’t sure if I could handle the boat by myself with him just as a passenger. The staff at Go Bananas were very supportive, encouraging, and helpful in telling me that I could do it and giving me pointers how to get started.
The first time I took my son kayaking, we just rented a kayak from the Navy and paddled around Pearl Harbor for an hour to see how my son like it. He and I both enjoyed it, so we decided to try a longer trip.
The second time we went kayaking, we rented a kayak from the Go Bananas in Aiea. They were super helpful in getting the kayak on top of the car and strapped down and explaining the gear and giving pointers on how to use it. My son and I drove over to the windward side to the Kualoa Regional Park and paddled out around Chinaman’s Hat and back again. We had a blast.
We subsequently went to the Honolulu location because they had a wider variety of kayaks available there, and the owner allowed us to rent different kayaks to try them out and then apply our rental fees toward buying a new kayak.
If you’re interested in trying out a kayak, then I highly recommend Go Bananas.