No, the Kenmore Public Boathouse is a city-owned facility open to the public! The Northshore School District provides a high-school rowing program and the Kenmore Community Rowing Club (KCRC) provides a range of public programs including year-round adult rowing and youth summer camps. 

There are several reasons there are access restrictions. Most user restrictions are for safety reasons – water sports can be unsafe if those participating aren’t properly trained or supervised. Our experienced boathouse manager is responsible for determining these safety restrictions. Additionally, the Kenmore Public Boathouse is home to the Northshore School District rowing teams and the Boathouse is off-limits to adults unaffiliated with these programs during designated practice hours. This is the same as when a school athletic field is closed to the public during a practice. These hours are limited to specific windows during the interscholastic seasons in the fall and spring.

There are a number of programs offered at the Kenmore Public Boathouse for everyone from novice youth to experienced adults.

The Kenmore Community Rowing Club offers Adult Learn to Row programming which provides an introduction to the sport in a small group format. The club also fields morning, evening, and weekend co-ed experienced teams for adults.

For summer 2022, the Kenmore Community Rowing Club offers 3 different summer camp options for students going into 7th-12th grades. The Water Sports Camp for 7th-9th graders is sponsored by What’sSUP, and each weekly camp will feature rowing, kayaking, and stand up paddleboarding. The Team Training Camp is designed for experienced high school rowers and coxswains wanting to continue their fitness and skill development leading into the fall scholastic season. For grades 9+ there is also an Introduction to Rowing Camp - a great way for students to try the sport and see if they’re interested in pursuing it as a high school sport.

For questions about current and upcoming community programming please go to https://kenmorerowing.org/ or email info@kenmorerowing.org

For questions about high school rowing please contact your school’s athletic department.

Don’t worry! Part of the reason the City of Kenmore undertook this project was provide ways for our residents to affordably connect with the waterways that are the heart of our community. Rowing can be an expensive sport but we are fortunate to have a strong coalition – the City, the Pocock Foundation, the Kenmore Community Rowing Club, and the Northshore School District - dedicated to affordable access. The City is committed to ensuring that cost of access should never be a barrier and need-based financial aid and scholarships are available through our community partners. If this is of interest, when

For questions about need-based financial aid for community programming go to https://kenmorerowing.org/ or email info@kenmorerowing.org

For questions about need-based financial aid for high school rowing please contact your school’s athletic department.

The Kenmore Public Boathouse was the result of the shared dream of several community partners. A lot of fundraising effort went into building the budget for the project. Funding was secured from several sources: a King County Youth and Amateur Sports grant ($611k), Northshore School District facility funds ($250k), a State of Washington budget allocation ($242k), and the City of Kenmore Strategic Opportunities fund ($503k) and Park Impact Fees ($84,500k from 2017-2021).

The city received bids to build the Kenmore Public Boathouse at the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to avoid future delays and skyrocketing construction costs the Kenmore City Council made the decision to allocate additional funding to the project from the City’s Strategic Opportunities Fund, with the understanding that this money would be paid back to the City, over time, via a private capital campaign. Public statements of intent and commitment were made by the project’s community partners to meeting this goal. The capital campaign is run by the Friends of Kenmore Boathouse (FOKB) fundraising committee and is still ongoing with the goal of raising $503k to repay the City for its contribution to construction costs. The FOKB reports quarterly on their progress to the Kenmore City Council and these reports can be accessed on the city’s website at https://www.kenmorewa.gov/government/city-council

Any and all are encouraged to join this campaign. If you would like to participate, volunteer, or donate, please reach out to The Friends of Kenmore Boathouse. Learn more about FKB at https://www.kenmoreboathouse.com/