Tim Waldron finishes work on a final piece of the Bartels Park renovation in East Dundee —a self-service, app-automated kiosk for renting kayaks on the Fox River. Waldron is an operations manager for Rent.Fun, a Michigan-based business that runs similar setups across the U.S. | Mike Danahey/The Courier-News
By Mike Danahey | For the Elgin Courier-News
The final piece of the East Dundee renovation of Bartels Park on the Fox River — a self-service, app-automated kiosk for renting kayaks — is ready for use.
“We hope this increases intergenerational outdoor rec opportunities and brings fun to the community,” said Tim Waldron, an operations manager for Rent.Fun who installed the camera-monitored, solar-powered kiosk that holds six single-rider kayaks and two tandem models.
Kayak rentals cost $25 for two hours and $40 for four hours. People who become Rent.Fun members for $99 a year can rent kayaks at any location for $50 a day and $60 a week and can receive a discount for guest passes and other services, according to the company’s website.
The kayak rental kiosk from Rent.Fun is up and running on the Fox River at Bartels Park in East Dundee. Construction on the camera-monitored, solar-powered kiosk that holds six single-rider kayaks and two tandem models finished this week. | Mike Danahey/The Courier-News
“It’s like owning a kayak, but without needing a place of your own to keep it,” Waldron said.
East Dundee signed a $35,000 contract with the Michigan-based company for the amenity and will receive 30% of the kiosk’s annual rental revenue.
The kiosk stands in a shaded area adjacent to a handicapped-accessible, motorless watercraft launch that opened in September 2025. It is one of five launches Kane County funded with $1.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Earlier this year, East Dundee completed a redesign of the section of Water Street along Bartels Park, making it one-way heading north and installing nine parking spaces. The village also has moved street parking to the south side of Barrington Avenue near the park and banned parking on the north side.
Rent.Fun operations manager Tim Waldron shows one of the single-rider kayaks available to rent from a kiosk he built near Bartels Park on the Fox River in East Dundee. | Mike Danahey/The Courier-News
The new kayak kiosk is open from dawn to dusk. Before using it, a renter must be 18 or older, download the company’s app at www.rent.fun and complete online paperwork, which includes a payment method and a liability waiver.
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Related: “Explore the Fox River by kayak”
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