New York City paddling

Im going to be in NYC this weekend till The 4th of Aug and was wanting to paddle like the Hudson River to see the sites <br /> Im staying in Times Square are there any outfitters around

try these guys
http://www.downtownboathouse.org/index.html

Yes

– Last Updated: Jul-29-05 12:58 PM EST –

Manhattan Kayak (www.manhattankayak.com) at the Chelsea Piers around 23st and the western shore of the island. They have beginner's tours, tours to Lady Liberty, as well as complete circumnavigation of Manhattan.

Downtown Boat House (downtownboathouse.org) is an all volunteer facility. They are at the southern tip of the island. Much closer to the Statue of Liberty, but further from where you are staying. It's a lot cheaper.

FYI, I'm told that the waters around Manhattan are more for intermediate paddlers or better. There's strong currents and you could encounter the likes of the Queen Mary II. I read a story about a person riding a strong current past the piers when one of these behemoths decides to pull out. Stopping was a problem. He had to pull an eddy turn behind a pier to avoid a close encounter.

Enjoy...

Lou

I second the suggestion
to visit Manhattan Kayak Company. They have fun tours and pier 63 has a fun bar and restaurant for when you get out of the water (I keep my kayak there). There are a variety of tours to choose from, depending on your skill level.



The Downtown Boathouse is free, but the kayaks are sit-on-tops and you can’t go outside of their embayment unless you go with them on a tour, which are also free and work on a first-come first-served basis. Bring an extra set of pants or shorts with you.



NY Kayak Company is another outfitter that has tours. They also have a great shop filled with those things you need at the last minute. We’re grateful to have them in the city because they’re the only dedicated kayak shop in all of Manhattan!



Still, for sheer fun and the general scene, you can’t beat pier 63. If you’re looking to rent a kayak you’ll be disappointed. The conditions and commercial traffic are such that rentals are simply not done.



Have fun. MKC has a website so you can check the tours that are available on the days you’ll be there. manhattankayak.com.



Lyn

Hey Lyn
I’ve got to drop by sometime after work to see you guys off. What time do you guys put in?



Lou

I’m going
It’s a coincidence that you bring up MKC. We just signed up for an Intermediate tour on the Hudson next Sat. I’ve never gone out with this company before. I’m hoping for a good trip and even hope for some waves



Avi

Thanks
Thanks for the imput I have talked to MKC and Nyc kayak and I`m trying to work a time I wanted a early morning and a personal tour around the Stat of Lib. I wanted a workout and tour and it is expensive just have to decide if its worth it I wish I had my Epic with me

If you don’t mind taking a chance
The downtown boathouse - www.downtownbaothouse.org - does free tours, but because of the limited number of boats, spots are drawn by lottery from those who sign up. They also have free paddling - you can take a SOT out for about 1/2 hour in a protected area at either the Downtown Boathouse (near Battery Park City) or at 70th St and Riverside Park.

Another good resouce
for NYC kayacking information is the NYC Kayakers list at www.hrwa.org - Hudson River Watertrail Assn.

Memories
Last year I (I’m from Germany) visited NJ and NYC (http://www.12bar.de/nyc.htm), my best journey so far. On the last day I took the high speed ferry from NJ to NYC and found the downtown boat house in my NYC guide book. I got there and saw some nice sea kayaks, so I put my personal stuff into a locker, got a PDF (it’s all there!), filled out the forms and waited. Unfortunately only SOT’s where given to the guests, the’re all wet and I didn’t have spare clothes with me (I didn’t use a SOT before, in Europe they are almost unkown). I didn’t have much time, so I left without kayaking. Next time I’ll be prepared!



A kayak tour around Manhattan is something I’ll have to do in my life, someday. Such a great city, so many friendly people. Just great!

and if you’d like
a lil train ride north , there is kayakhudson.com out of a very nice park called Kingsland (Sleepy Hollow fame }, the train stops in Phillips Manor and ya just walk into the park , 3 hr. guided trips , nice folks , easy paddle .