DC paddle boat bar set to launch on the Potomac next month

The Potomac Paddle Pub will combine paddle boats and beer. (WTOP/Melissa Howell)
The Potomac Paddle Pub — founded by Jack Maher and Jack Walten — will combine paddle boats and beer. (Courtesy Potomac Paddle Pub)
Paddlers can bring their own beer and snacks along for the ride. The boat is wide enough to allow passengers to move around the deck and take turns paddling. (WTOP/Melissa Howell)
Paddlers can bring their own beer and snacks along for the ride. The boat is wide enough to allow passengers to move around the deck and take turns paddling. (Courtesy Potomac Paddle Pub)
The Potomac Paddle Pub is environmentally friendly, using only solar panels and the paddlers to keep the boat moving along. (WTOP/Melissa Howell)
The Potomac Paddle Pub is environmentally friendly, using only solar panels and the paddlers to keep the boat moving along. (Courtesy Potomac Paddle Pub)
Jack Maher and Jack Walton — or "The Jacks" as they’re known — came up with the idea for their 15-passenger boat after seeing similar attractions on land.(WTOP/Melissa Howell)
Jack Maher and Jack Walten — or “The Jacks” as they’re known — came up with the idea for their 15-passenger boat after seeing similar attractions on land. (Courtesy Potomac Paddle Pub)
Jack Maher and Jack Walton — or "The Jacks" as they’re known — came up with the idea for their 15-passenger boat after seeing similar attractions on land.(WTOP/Melissa Howell)
Jack Maher and Jack Walten — or “The Jacks” as they’re known — came up with the idea for their 15-passenger boat after seeing similar attractions on land. (Courtesy Potomac Paddle Pub)
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The Potomac Paddle Pub will combine paddle boats and beer. (WTOP/Melissa Howell)
Paddlers can bring their own beer and snacks along for the ride. The boat is wide enough to allow passengers to move around the deck and take turns paddling. (WTOP/Melissa Howell)
The Potomac Paddle Pub is environmentally friendly, using only solar panels and the paddlers to keep the boat moving along. (WTOP/Melissa Howell)
Jack Maher and Jack Walton — or "The Jacks" as they’re known — came up with the idea for their 15-passenger boat after seeing similar attractions on land.(WTOP/Melissa Howell)
Jack Maher and Jack Walton — or "The Jacks" as they’re known — came up with the idea for their 15-passenger boat after seeing similar attractions on land.(WTOP/Melissa Howell)
The Potomac Paddle Pub will combine paddle boats and beer. (Courtesy Potomac Paddle Pub)

WASHINGTON —  A first-of-its-kind attraction in D.C. will combine paddle boats and beer: The Potomac Paddle Pub.

Jack Maher and Jack Walten — or “The Jacks” as they’re known — came up with the idea for their 15-passenger boat after seeing similar attractions on land.

“We were looking at the bike bars on the street and thinking how cool it would be if this was something you could do on water,” said Walten.

Paddlers can bring their own beer and snacks along for the ride. The boat is wide enough to allow passengers to move around the deck and take turns paddling.

The Potomac Paddle Pub is environmentally friendly, using only solar panels and the paddlers to keep the boat moving along. “It really aligns with our values for sustainability,” said Walten.

When passengers make a reservation, they will also be able to give back to their community. “You actually have the option to round up to the nearest dollar and donate the remainder to Potomac Conservancy,” said Maher.

The Potomac Paddle Pub is already a huge success, according to The Jacks’ family and friends.

“We’re excited to get people on there and the groups that we’ve had, everybody’s been having a blast,” said Maher.

The Potomac Paddle Pub opens to the public Oct. 4.

Melissa Howell

Melissa Howell joined WTOP Radio in March 2018 and is excited to cover stories that matter across D.C., as well as in Maryland and Virginia. 

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