Revamped 10.7 Marina brings easy river access to locals and tourists in Verona
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When the husband-and-wife team of Ray Applebee and Kelly Jane Walker took over the 10.7 Marina in Verona, along with Applebee’s parents Pat and Ed in February of 2020, they knew they were taking on a reclamation project.
Although development has looked a little bit different in lieu of the covid-19 pandemic, they’re well on their way in their journey to bring river access and the outdoors to local residents and attract travelers from out of town to the Verona and Oakmont area.
Applebee and Walker have turned the former bar into a multipurpose facility centered around river sports, with a primary service of kayak, canoe and stand-up paddleboard rentals anchoring the location.
They’ve also adopted a business model that incorporates food trucks, including their own house food truck, River Monster Pizza. In addition, they have secured guest craft breweries on a rotating basis to pour pints and offer regular live music and DJ acts in the outside tent on Saturdays, surrounded by lounge-style seating at the water’s edge of the Allegheny River.
But being a marina, their primary objective is taking an area that has traditionally offered relatively restricted access to recreation on the Allegheny River and offering it up to everyone.
“Our mission with the marina is we want to be a marina that’s open to everyone to feel welcome,” Ray Applebee said. “At a lot of boat clubs in the area, you need to know someone or be a member to feel welcome and have access to the river.”
Walker added: “The whole concept is the idea that a lot of people don’t have river access, so here, they can go out, have an adventure on the water, come back and have a drink and some decent food. We want people to realize that foxes and blue herons and the eagles and other wildlife have all come back to the river. There’s lots of nature here to enjoy.”
It’s in that realm of access for everyone that they have a wide array of kayaks and other boats available for rent at affordable prices. They have 35 kayaks available, including 15 tandems, in addition to 14 stand-up paddleboards and multiple canoes.
The kayaks are available for $18 for the first hour, the paddleboards run $24, while the tandem kayaks and canoes rent for $26. All three carry discounted rates for subsequent hours.
“On a beautiful day, we get 60 or more rentals,” Walker said.
She also stressed how they are dedicated to opening up the joys of the river to more people. The marina offers beginner’s paddles designed to teach recreationalists how to be safe on the river.
“A lot of people are worried about getting on the river and being safe,” Walker said. “So we have river orientation paddles, teaching people how to navigate the river.”
Upon returning from the river, local Pittsburgh-area breweries including East End Brewery, Dancing Gnome, Abjuration Brew Co., Helltown Brewing and Mastic Trail Brewing take turns pouring libations for boaters after a hard day’s paddling.
The food truck guest offerings vary, but River Monster Pizza, run by Applebee, is a constant.
They offer wood-fired and Neapolitan-inspired pies utilizing organic flour, locally made dough and mozzarella, and mostly all-organic toppings.
“We’re coming from that traditional presentation, but mixing it up with lots of new and different things,” Applebee said.
A highlight of that philosophy was a recent pizza creation using red pepper hummus instead of sauce, along with zucchini, squash, capers, red onion and mozzarella.
They also carry more traditional pies, such as margherita pizzas and pepperoni pizzas, along with the more creative offerings. The pizza is also available for pickup through their Square site, which can be accessed through the company website and social media pages.
In addition, they are attracting out-of-town travelers to the area by turning some of the surrounding properties, including a house boat, into Airbnb rentals designed to entice paddlers with one-stop river access.
“We get people from Canada, New York City, Baltimore … the boat is booked almost every day this month, and they come into town and go to stores, breweries and events,” Walker said.
The couple plans to continue to expand on their location, with the hopes of adding a restaurant and an indoor events center by next spring. But they will continue having events into the fall and perhaps longer, as the heated outdoor tent allows for enjoyment even out of the summer season.
They also have outdoor firepits for keeping warm and will rent kayaks through at least Oct. 15.
Hours at the marina are Fridays from 1 to 10 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Rentals are available through 8 p.m., and the bands and DJs perform until 9 p.m. on Saturdays. Special
Paddle and Pint Fridays take place every Friday from 6 to 8 p.m.
For more information about the revamped 10.7 Marina, visit tenpointsevenmarina.com.
General manager Greg Schillinger operates the kayak rentals. For more information on boat availability, call 412-596-1647.