Female to Liveaboard in NYC Area

[hdavison88]

Hi Everyone!
I am new to the New York City area, and currently living in Brooklyn, working in Chelsea. I have a 30 foot Hunter that I would like to liveaboard full time. My goal is to have a cheaper living situation than my $800 a month rent, and to be somewhat convenient to Brooklyn/Manhattan. I have done a lot of research online, but there do not seem to be any good options for liveaboards in Manhattan.
The Chelsea Piers and North Cove are too expensive. 79th street boat basin is full and the moorings are too rough/sketchy. I have considered Liberty Marina, but I think it is still around $700 a month for a slip plus power/water expenses. Does anyone know about docking along Newtown Creek in Brooklyn? Or other marina's in Brooklyn/Manhattan?
Any advice would be hugely appreciated. I am excited to be a part of this sea community...I can tell it is full of love!
Best,
Hanna

[Hudson Force]

What about that Marine Basin Marina at Gravesend in Brooklyn? I've never been there, but I remember considering it once a few years ago. Maybe a possibility.

[mbianka]

Check out Newport Marina kind of rolling during peak ferry time. But, just a five minute walk to the Path Train and groceries. There's also Shipyard marina but, I've never stayed there.

[allanpeda]

Lincoln Harbor is right by the Lincoln Tunnel, but the waves will bounce you hard. You can use that to negotiate a lower price from the dockmaster Janer.

Lincoln Harbor Yacht Club

[hummingway]

I love Manhattan! Can't help you with the liveaboards there but I just want to cheer you on!

[captainfritz]

I am in the process of making the move to a liveaboard. Lincoln Harbor looks like it will be called home. It is rocky but a great view, very convenient into the city and quality marina. Does anyone else in this forum currently live there? If so I would like to hear their experiences.

[allanpeda]

I did not live there full time, but my boat was there last winter, and I slept aboard several times through storms. You can negotiate a lower price with Janier if you have such skills ("I like this place put it's tough on my boat, and I really want to deal with you" etc..). It's a bit of a hike to supermarkets, but there is a good stop and shop to the north, and the Tiger Mart to the south is always open. The deli next door by the Co-Op (I forget the name now) makes excellent wedges. I am good friends with Mark and Tony, owners of the charter yacht Festiva. Both are great guys. A lot of characters there. Quite a few owners live aboard, most drink to excess, but that's a nautical tradition, no?

Bus lines to use: 158 stops right there, but is not frequent, the 126 is by the Tiger Mart I mentioned, runs every 20 minutes. The ferry is near by. A nice ride, but pricy and the ferrys are the sworn enemies of every pleasure boat on the Hudson. The 159 local stops right there also, but the *express* does not even come close. Be careful. Bus schedule / driving directions to PABT

Also the light rail runs by there. I used it a few times to get to Sears at the Pavonia Newport mall, and to Hoboken.

FWIW There is a club across from the Tiger Mart called Squeeze. Never been, but tempted.

Any specific questions?

[ShaunJ]

Welcome Hanna,
It looks like everyone is leading you on the right tack, good luck and keep us informed.

[capngeo]

I spent a whole year of my life one week at Chelsea Piers. Became very poor, very fast! But the golf was good! I wound up moving over to the fire station behind the fire boat (I had a connection) for another week after. The ferry traffic was terrible... reminded me of anchoring in the surf! Overall, and enjoyable albeit expensive visit to the Big Apple.... would I go again? I doubt it.... Live aboard there.... in winter? NEVER!

[Tempest245]

When I first brought my boat up from Annapolis, it was in August, and the places I wanted were all full. The only open spot was at Lincoln Harbor. Janer gave me a great pro-rated rate for the rest of the season. I liked the location, you can't beat the view, I had good neighbors, Showers were good, they did a Continental breakfast on weekends.....but it was the noisiest, bounciest place I've ever experienced!
My friends dubbed it " Boom Boom Land" ( not in a good way) . I went through at least 4 of those big rubber snubbers, the wake action tore them up. I finally found a shock absorber style snubber that worked. $$. It was almost impossible to sleep on the boat..the helicopters fly overhead until about 3 am. The docks grind..metal on metal creating a constant, loud..drone. They were working on the breakwater..but, I think this still goes on.

Newport, seems to be a little tamer, certainly quieter, but you still need to put some snubbers on. There's better parking at Newport, more services, shops, food within walking distance, nice waterfront restaurant bar..right at the marina and the Marina Managers are very nice. If I had to go back to one or the other, I'd probably pick Newport.

[allanpeda]

Lincoln Harbor has only gone downhill, and it is no bargain. I had two boats there over a year, and I never heard of any Continental breakfast. To be sure the office has evidence of better days in the past. I too have heard that Newport has a better reputation. I now keep my boat at Marine Basin Marina at Gravesend Bay near Coney Island. It is less than half the price of LH. Mostly you pay $$$ for the view and the proximity to the city. What you get are bumps on the head.

PS: mud low tide and the innermost docks do show the bottom.

[Tempest245]

PS: mud low tide and the innermost docks do show the bottom.

Yes, Part of the problem with Lincoln was that due to the skiiny water, they had to keep sailboats out on the ends..exposed to every wake from the ferry traffic..

Besides going through snubbers like they were butter, I had to put chafe gear on all my docklines, I also added stainless steel plates on my teak toe rails where the dock-lines came off the cleat at the stern, ( no chocks on my stern) otherwise the friction would have worn a groove through the toe rail. Whatever savings I made on the slip, got spent in supersized docking gear.

[veprjack]

I'm about to go through the process (after I buy the boat - lol) in the Boston area. What I may end up doing is renting a mooring (inconvenient but...) for the summer - $1,000 and they have a water taxi if dinghy gets too much. Then it's only $20/ft/month for a winter slip north of Boston. So, my costs would be around $400/month - but I'd have to figure in water taxi if I used it, and again, the inconvenince of a mooring.

Good luck! I'll be cheering you and others on as I learn this game!

[lorenzo b]

City Island is the traditional spot for NYC sailors and the Park and Rec marina at Flushing is very nice, protected, and secure. I think it's going to be hard to beat $800 when you start adding in all the other costs, and spending the winter in a little boat up there will be an experience not soon forgotten. They are getting serious about cleaning up the waters around NYC, so I would think living aboard would be even more difficult than it was in years past. If you are really determined, you could spend all your free time walking along the shoreline and docks talking to people and maybe something will turn up.

[hdavison88]

Hi Everyone!

What a great amount of feedback I have received. I know the boating community is where I am meant to be!

To Update:

I visited Newport Marina in New Jersey yesterday, and I think this will be my new home in April. I have a Gemini 105 MC coming up from Georgia in March, and hope to be in my slip by April. I am excited for the summer months, but nervous for next winter. Does anyone have any tips for making the deck/exterior a place to chill for winter time? Most liveaboards there seemed to have a wrapped exterior to insulate. Does anyone know the costs of "wrapping" them with the plastic material that I saw on most boats in the marina for winter?

Thanks!

Hanna