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Hey everyone. I live near billy joes in newburgh and I was considering getting a boat for the hudson river. My question is what does eveyone do with their boats? I've never had one, don't know anyone who does. If I had a boat and wanted to impress a lady friend, where would be go? What can we do?
Based on your questions, you don't see to be a boater. Neither am I, but I do have several friends and relatives who are into that.
First off, boating is more a "lifestyle" than a hobby. It takes considerable time and money. It also takes quite a bit of skill... you don't just "get a boat." You really need to learn how to safely operate one. This is very difficult if you don't already have friends who are also boaters.
In a car, you can pull over and stop. When you "stop" in a boat, the wind and current keep you moving. If you don't know what you are doing, you risk damage injury not only to you and your boat, but to other people.
People who are into boating are involved in a variety of activities. Some fish. Some drive their boat to nearby restaurants with docking. Some simply enjoy driving their boat. Some drive the boat out into the water and just hang out there. Others save the cost of fuel and just hang out on their boat in the dock. It's almost like "if you have ask, maybe it's not for you."
A boat is a money pit. Dock fees, winer storage, regular maintenance and repairs, fuel cost. If it it is your passion, great. If you are looking at as a casual hobby, its a bad choice.
For the sole purpose of impressing a woman? There are much better choices that are less expensive and involve a much shallower learning curve. Also consider that you and/or your lady friend may be prone to sea-sickness.
If your goal is to impress, look into a private charter. An experiences captain can take you out on the water and you can spend your time concentrating on your lady friend (as opposed to staying afloat). You can probably do this multiple times in a year for less than the cost of ownership.
Most folks who own boats keep them at home and use a public boat launch to enter the water. You will need a pickup truck and a boat trailer/loader, $$$. The NYS DEC maintains quite a few boat launches on the Hudson. Boating on the Hudson is more dangerous than on a lake or smaller river. There are barges and tankers and large ocean going vessels that produce big wakes that can easily capsize a small boat. And then there are the tides that reverse the rivers flow.
We had a boat on the Hudson, you also have to watch out for semi submerged debris. The Hudson can also get pretty rough especially in the afternoon. Small boats can really take a beating on the Hudson. Obviously how a boat can handle the rough water will depend on the size of the boat. Anything less than 21 ft. would be inadequate at least if you plan on staying out all day.
If you want to impress the women maybe you should consider buying a yacht.
Indeed a boat can be a money pit. Some say "boat" stands for Bust Out Another Thousand.
Thanks for the input guys. While I do not have money for a yacht I do still think I would enjoy having a boat. I particularly like the idea of docking at restaurants. Does cold spring have a place to dock? It would be cool to go from newburgh billy joes area to cold spring and walk the main strip.
If boatings your thing, go for it. Although it would be more practical to stick with the lister linked in the prevuous post
I believe cold spring harbor mad at least one restaurant where you can dock. Google it to be sure. Huntington will have more options. Either way, you are looking at a several hour trip by small boat. Not to mention that the trip season and weather dependent.
If you are not a serious boater, I would suggest renting a stretch limo for the day. It will probably cost you the same as the boat fuel for the same trip. It will also be much quicker to get there and provide more choices for dining and social activities.
Newburgh to LI is not a boat trip for the beginner
They say the two best days in your life are the day you buy your boat and the day you sell it.
I have boaters (sailors) on both sides of my family. I have done a bit of sailing myself, though never owned my own boat. It's not like golf or owning a classic car. As said, it is a lifestyle. One can afford a boat on a reasonble salary if one buys a smaller house/lesser tax burden, forsakes international travel, and other luxuries. If you are rich, it is obviously a lot easier, but keep in mind that owning a boat is like owning a second property with recurrent and emergency payments.
My recommendation is to take a boating course. There are several in the Hudson Valley/Bronx. Get some on-the-water experience. You will know whether you want to hand your life over to the whim of Ægir.
Thanks for the input guys. While I do not have money for a yacht I do still think I would enjoy having a boat. I particularly like the idea of docking at restaurants. Does cold spring have a place to dock? It would be cool to go from newburgh billy joes area to cold spring and walk the main strip.
If you really want a boat, then go for it. No question about it they are a lot of fun. Just buy one that is suitable for use on the Hudson River and you should be okay.
I had my own when I was 12. It was a 12 ft. ski boat with a 50 h.p. Mercury it would do 48 mph on the water which is pretty damn fast. I could only use it when the water was calm. My parents had a 17 ft. runabout with a 40 h.p. Evinrude. That was about the minimal size for the Hudson. It could just barely pull a water skier. However that's all we could afford. We did all of our own mechanical work and upkeep which saved us a lot of money and we could store the boats at home during the off season.
We all went on day trip in the runabout about 50 miles up the Hudson. It was fine in the morning but by afternoon it got rough as hell. That's typical of the Hudson. The trip back was anything but pleasant. Needless to say we soon got rid of the boats. With boats that small we really couldn't use them that much on the river which at least for us made them not worth keeping. We had them for about 5 years.
I only went sailing once, it's not for me there's just too much to do. Plus you'll need a small outboard for when the wind dies down which is slow as hell.
I really appreciate the input guys. What type of upkeep/costs do you have to perform? Does anyone know how much docking usually costs for the season? What do you guys think of the boat below for the hudson? Its in my town, in my price range and 23 foot.
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