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Re: Kayaking in JC
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Newbie
 
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dtjcview and brewster,
Thanks for the great idea and support! I like getting things like this done. I plan on visiting downtown boathouse and the brooklyn bridge kayak program this weekend and learn what I can about storage. Cheers, Brian
Posted on: 2011/7/8 11:44
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Re: Kayaking in JC
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Home away from home
 
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Quote:
That is a truly brilliant idea! It's the kind of thing that needs a few energetic people devoted to it to make it happen, like the other local boathouses. Maybe contacting some of the other orgs to see how they went about it would be a good starting place if anyone's going to take this on. Here's a great page of local paddling links http://www.downtownboathouse.org/links.html
Posted on: 2011/7/8 1:42
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Re: Kayaking in JC
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Home away from home
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Perhaps a long shot. There's ample parking space near the LSP boat launch.Now if you could get the Friends on LSP to agree to it, and get a little sponsorship from www.1800packrat.com or www.pods.com or a similar portable storage company, you might be able to get a moving container you can park at LSP (possibly for free given the advertising benefit to the moving company). You'd need to work out a lot of the logistics - who has the key, whether you'd need insurance, setting up a club/corporation etc. Worth looking into. A public kayak club in LSP with storage would benefit everyone.
Posted on: 2011/7/8 1:20
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Re: Kayaking in JC
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Thanks for all of the information everyone. The folks at Liberty Storage on the south side of LSP don't have any more storage that would fit a kayak, and the folks with Friends of LSP were helpful but still no spot for storage at the marinas. Any other ideas?
Brian
Posted on: 2011/7/7 22:21
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Re: Kayaking in JC
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Home away from home
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All true, that's what makes the area across the Hack from Laurel Hill Park so paddle friendly, once you're past the islands it's basically a shallow lake with little current. A good basic plan on a short trip is to always head up current on your way out, so you can ride the current back when you're tired. Better yet is to plan to catch the tide both ways. Tide page http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/noaa ... =Submit&Stationid=8530772
Posted on: 2011/6/30 16:21
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Re: Kayaking in JC
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Home away from home
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I have a canoe, I store it/lock it behind a friend's brownstone in his yard. There are some interesting places to paddle around here. Almost all of them are subject to tides and therefore currents.
Before you drop a short canoe or inflatable into the Hudson or Hack consider a longer kayak that will track a little better. Also take a look at the tide chart to determine the currents and plan your trip around them. Sheltered coves and areas tucked into the shore (like in between the Hyatt and the Pier condos) will provide some relief from the tides.
Posted on: 2011/6/30 15:53
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Re: Kayaking in JC
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Quite a regular
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Hackensack Riverkeeper is a cool group. I did some canoeing with these folks a while back in the kearny marshes. I recall their motto was "any old mud puddle will do."
Posted on: 2011/6/29 20:08
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Re: Kayaking in JC
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Home away from home
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I wonder if you should try calling Sam Pesin & Friends of LSP to see if there's any traction that can be applied to the marina to cooperate. They're on state land after all. Sometimes all it takes is one motivated person to make these things happen...
Posted on: 2011/6/28 18:07
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Just can't stay away
 
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Brian,
I'd be happy to show you the Folbot. I was planning on tagging along one of the tours in LSP tours below. I'll let you know. July: 7/12, 7/13, 7/14, 7/19, 7/23, 7/24, 7/25, 7/26, 7/27, 7/28, 7/31 August: 8/3, 8/4, 8/6, 8/9, 8/10, 8/11, 8/13, 8/16, 8/21, 8/30 September: 9/1
Posted on: 2011/6/28 17:59
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Re: Kayaking in JC
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Newbie
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I will check out that program on the Hackensack for sure, thanks. Paulushooker - again I'd like to see that folbot in action some day!
The problem with the other boathouses are distance / convenience. That probably seems silly since they are quite close, but northern Hoboken, Brooklyn Bridge, and mid-town west are not all super convenient. Also from what I gather, they are sit-on-tops. Anyway it seems from some of the people in this thread, a JC based storage facility and maybe someday our very own kayak club / boathouse might work. I'll keep harassing the marinas. If anyone has a kayak they would spend $50 a month to store/access let me know and I'll contact you if I have any leads at the marinas. Thanks for all the ideas, everyone! Brian
Posted on: 2011/6/28 17:43
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Re: Kayaking in JC
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Just can't stay away
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While it's true that Folbots and folding kayaks are not cheap (Feathercrafts run about $6K, Folbots about $2K and have a lifetime guarantee on all parts.) The benefit is that you can store them in your apartment like I do.
I've taken my Folbot Yukon twice on the plane (two bags) to paddle and camp off of Vancouver and paddle off of LSP near the golf course.
Posted on: 2011/6/28 17:32
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Re: Kayaking in JC
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Home away from home
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Quote:
Thanks, that sounds promising and low-hassle.
Posted on: 2011/6/28 16:48
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Re: Kayaking in JC
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Home away from home
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I think you're going to be disappointed, Folbots and their ilk are quite expensive. Why not stick with the various boathouses on both sides of the Hudson and on the Hackensack? I think I neglected to mention the Riverkeeper house on the Hack rents canoes & kayaks, $25/day. http://www.hackensackriverkeeper.org/canoeproject.html Your only other good option is to join a club that hopefully has local people with cars who can pick you and your boat up. That's how I started paddling before I had a car.
Posted on: 2011/6/28 15:56
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Re: Kayaking in JC
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Home away from home
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Thanks for the tips, all "barriers to entry" help is appreciated.
Yeah, Hudson traffic, currents and rocks, etc., will have my continued respect and caution. In choosing an entry-level boat, I would like something a little more adventure-worthy, but I am unfortunately limited by 1. money and 2. portability, as I have no car. I'd love to find, say, a folding but rigid non-confining river kayak, used and cheap, and small and light enough that I could carry it a few miles on foot, get it into the trunk of a taxi, etc. Anyone know of something like that, maybe something that's already inexpensive, but that I could hunt for used on eBay even cheaper?
Posted on: 2011/6/28 15:09
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Re: Kayaking in JC
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elsquid and brewster, I have read that the inflatable kayaks are not ideal when the current and wind pick up. I agree it is intimidating, hopefully we can get a few people and form a paddle group!
paulushooker - I have been looking at the folbot boats, and I would really like to see yours in action! Let me know if you want to demo it for me. Brian
Posted on: 2011/6/28 13:30
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Just can't stay away
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Let me know if you want to organize a paddling excursion. I'd be happy to join in my trusty Folbot.
Posted on: 2011/6/28 3:53
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Re: Kayaking in JC
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Home away from home
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Quote:
I have one I got to take the kids down whitewater, it's a decent value ( I think you can do much better than that too) but not something you want to go very far in. It's a little tricky getting it full enough to be rigid. and rigidity is what makes it perform more like a boat than a truck tire. As for legalities, AFAIK, during daylight you only need to have a PFD, and you should be wearing it regardless of what the law says on that regard. Night is a different story with a pole light requirement. A lot a serious kayak fishermen fish at night and carry either waterproof cellphones or VHF radio. Some even carry an elaborate "ditch kit". I gotta tell you, even as a whitewater kayaker for 22 years, the Hudson spooks me to paddle alone even in daylight. On whitewater the bank is never a mile away! I was out by the MOT and a 65 ft CG Aux cutter was bearing down on me despite my bright yellow boat, I thought they were coming for me but I started getting out of their way and they eventually veered off. The Hack is much more comforting, and I grew up sailing too.
Posted on: 2011/6/27 21:27
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Home away from home
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Posted on: 2011/6/27 19:30
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Re: Kayaking in JC
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Newbie
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I am saving for one of these:
 The whole thing folds down to the size of a suitcase, so you can carry it with you and store it in your closet.  Expensive, at around 7K, though. http://www.feathercraft.com/kayaks/traditional/k2/index.php they have smaller, lighter ones without sails and such too.
Posted on: 2011/6/27 18:55
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elsquid,
I live in Paulus Hook and I am noticing more and more touring kayaks out and about. There are definitely some good destinations to go to, and I think the Jersey side would be quite safe - I bike the coast every weekend and the boat traffic is low. A quick update on my quest - I've spoken to a few people who are insisting that the city is going to continue the waterfront walkway this summer. It will stretch around the Clock, and is supposed to include some sort of kayaking component. This could be just what I am looking for. Anyone know who I can contact to learn more? Brian
Posted on: 2011/6/27 18:00
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Re: Kayaking in JC
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Home away from home
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Can anyone tell me definitively that it's legal for me to just put a kayak in the water and paddle, as long as I stay out of others' way?
I'd like to buy a VERY small kayak that I can transport from my apartment in Hamilton Park to the Hudson or the Hackensack without a car, even if I have to carry it on my back and walk. I've kayaked a bit in the Hudson and East River coves with various volunteer groups, and I've volunteered with them too. I've done some more adventurous paddling in river and ocean kayaks and canoes on the Toms River, inland and in surf on Cape Cod, and off various ocean beaches, without any untoward incidents. I'm also very comfortable in open water, having raced in seven triathlons and having grown up swimming off NYC/NJ ocean beaches. I even swim in the Hudson off Manhattan on occasion (in the NYC Triathlon). Yet when one asks local boating groups about doing any substantial trips with them, or independently, really getting out and traveling up and down waterfronts and around the harbor, the responses often seem to be focused on all the terrible things that can happen, the 20 safety classes one absolutely must take before we let you out of the little roped-off cove, the horrors of reversible tidal currents and marauding cruise ships, etc., etc. ... I get it, OK? My dad was a professional sailor for years. Boating can be dangerous, the physics are highly complex, the weather and the water itself are hazards. I know. And I know they mean well in discouraging various yahoos, drunks and daredevils from endangering themselves and others and fouling up marine traffic. But I think I'm more like the others in this thread, just a mildly intrepid but responsible urbanite who wants to explore his home waters in the most unobtrusive vessel imaginable, giving absolutely every other vessel the right of way. So can anyone give me some encouragement and basic guidelines here? Can I in fact slip into the Hudson and Hack and tool about without violating some kind of law? Are there specific areas around here that are navigable but off-limits to a wee kayak? Are there any places that are legal but are just so dangerous or high-traffic that you recommend against them? Offhand I would think the marinas with all the big-boy boats are places to avoid, and no doubt it's wise to give various terrorist targets a wide berth, e.g. the Statue of Liberty and the sea walls near WTC/WFC. (I do plan on taking a kayak self-rescue lesson before soloing in any body-confining kayak.)
Posted on: 2011/6/27 16:52
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Home away from home
Joined:
2009/6/29 19:45 Last Login : 2019/3/21 20:55 From The Heights
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I remember Reservoir number 3 (in the heights) had kayaking. I?m not sure whats happening there anymore.
Posted on: 2011/6/27 16:11
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Re: Kayaking in JC
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Newbie
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Thanks for the info Mike. I have no place to keep the kayak that is currently at a friend's home in the burbs, so I'm searching for storage on or close to the water. I have a touring kayak that should be fine in moderate currents. You have any tall tales of being out there in your boat? Brian
Posted on: 2011/6/27 16:08
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Hi, you can learn about the 2011 kayak schedule at this site: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/liberty.html - enjoy!
Posted on: 2011/6/27 15:51
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Re: Kayaking in JC
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Just can't stay away
Joined:
2007/10/16 15:41 Last Login : 2022/12/5 15:16 From Jersey City Heights
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I own an inflatable kayak and just drive to either LSP or the little beach on Frank Sinatra Dr in Hoboken and toss it into the water. Make sure you check currents before venturing out.
Posted on: 2011/6/27 15:20
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Re: Kayaking in JC
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Did you say there is kyacking in LSP on Sundays?
Can you post details as to where you can launch and if it is an organized thing that you need to pay for? And must you bring your own boat?
Posted on: 2011/6/27 15:14
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Re: Kayaking in JC
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Thanks for the info Brewster. Yes I need to keep it somewhere, preferably near the water, but I'll reach out to you if I want to learn more about keeping it in your storage area.
I also am wondering if there are other paddlers with a similar problem. If anyone knows the right people at Liberty Harbor, I agree with you that a storage rack could be lucrative. If a few of us approach them maybe they'll listen. Finally, if anyone knows about an effort to bring something like the Hoboken boathouse to JC, a good area would be the cove directly north of the Hyatt. There is an abandoned floating dock already there and it is a lovely, underutilized space. Brian
Posted on: 2011/6/27 12:02
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Home away from home
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There's a boathouse group in Hoboken. I believe the deal is you can store your boat but others can use it.
Is the problem you simply don't have a place to keep it? I rent out a couple of garages and it's occurred to me that multiple boat storage might be more lucrative than a single car. But it would have to be worth the additional PITA and traffic through my yard. The marina of course are morons, they could build a rack and charge 8 people for storage in an area the size of 2 picnic tables. There's a Riverkeeper boathouse on the Hack in Laurel Hill Park, but I don't think they accommodate private boats. The Hack is terrific paddling, perfectly flat and almost no powerboat traffic. You can get permanently lost in the maze of reed islands.
Posted on: 2011/6/27 3:46
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Kayaking in JC
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I know LSP has kayaking on Sundays, and NYC has a few places that offer it, but does anyone know of a JC effort to bring kayaking to the Hudson? Or.... do you know where I can store a kayak? The marinas don't seem interested in accommodating me.
Thanks, Brian
Posted on: 2011/6/27 2:13
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