Candy bars, soda and… kayaks? New Virginia Beach vending machines sell something more.
Some vending machines in Virginia Beach parks are dispensing something more than snacks and drinks after the addition of a new kayak vending machine at Stumpy Lake Natural Area.
Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation installed new kayak rental kiosks last year at Munden Point Park and the Lake Lawson/Lake Smith Natural Area last year, and their popularity spurred installation of a new and bigger vending machine at Stumpy Lake.
The city has 12 kayaks available for rental at Stumpy Lake's vending machine, and Munden Point Park and Lake Lawson/Lake Smith each have eight kayaks. The rentals include a single-rider kayak, life jacket and paddle for $25 for up to two hours and $15 for each hour after that. A season pass costs $99.
Tyler Deem records on the 'Rent.Fun' app that he has returned the kayak he rented from the Kayak Kiosk at Stumpy Lake Natural Area in Virginia Beach Friday, June 20, 2025. The app controls payment and the locking mechanism to access the kayaks. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) Brandon Cyphers, front, and Tyler Deem carry a kayak back to the Kayak Kiosk after fishing at Stumpy Lake Natural Area in Virginia Beach Friday, June 20, 2025. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) A kayak available for rent sits locked inside the Kayak Kiosk at Stumpy Lake Natural Area in Virginia Beach Friday, June 20, 2025. Kayaks can be rented for $25, for up to two hours, and $15 for each hour after that. A season pass is also available for $99. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) Tyler Deem removes a kayak from the water to return to the Kayak Kiosk after fishing at Stumpy Lake Natural Area in Virginia Beach Friday, June 20, 2025. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) Brandon Cyphers, left, helps Tyler Deem load one of the two kayaks they rented back into the Kayak Kiosk at Stumpy Lake Natural Area in Virginia Beach Friday, June 20, 2025. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) Show Caption1 of 6The Kayak Kiosk at Stumpy Lake Natural Area in Virginia Beach Friday, June 20, 2025. Kayaks can be rented for $25, for up to two hours, and $15 for each hour after that. A season pass is also available for $99. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot)Expand
Renters use a rent.fun smartphone app and scan a QR code on any container with a kayak inside. The rental also includes a set of wheels to help get the kayak to the water.
The rent.fun website lists more than 100 vending-machine locations, but only a handful in Virginia and Hampton Roads. Suffolk has kayak rental machines at Constance Wharf and Sleepy Hole Park, and Smithfield's Windsor Castle Park and York County's Back Creek Park also have a machine.
In Virginia Beach, the vending machines — which cost about $100,000 for all three locations — replaced a cumbersome rental process.
'We used to have rentals at Munden Point, but that became very staff-intensive and required cash handling measures,' city spokesperson Ali Weatherton said in an email. 'We also had a third-party contract with a local company at Stumpy Lake Natural Area. That was awarded through the competitive bid process. That proved to be inconsistent. Parks and Recreation then decided to investigate the rental kiosks and found them to suit all the rental needs for multiple locations.'
The vending machines have been a hit.
Nearly 900 kayaks have been rented at Munden Point and Lake Lawson/Lake Smith since the installation in April 2024. The new kiosk at Stumpy Lake has rented more than 500 in the past three months.
And more kayaks are coming: There are more to come to Virginia Beach: A new vending machine is planned when the Bow Creek Stormwater Park is completed in 2026 or '27.
Jami Frankenberry, jami.frankenberry@pilotonline.com
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