# NYC Liveaboards?



## rudderlessnyc (Apr 30, 2017)

Hi All,

New to the forum. Anyone currently living aboard at any of the Jersey City/Weehawken/Hudson River marinas? We are interested in living aboard at Liberty Landing (but would consider Liberty Harbor or Lincoln Harbor) and curious what advice and information others may have to share. Can I expect to be honest about living aboard or do I need to choose my words carefully when signing the contract? Are they watching how often I am on the dock?

Any good (or bad) stories to share?


----------



## kd3pc (Oct 19, 2006)

Lincoln Harbor for a couple of summers, while my Son went to Steven's... It is really convenient. I was honest with them, not sure if that had anything to do with it or not.

It is choppy and motion filled almost all the time, and the floating docks don't really help. We were opposite liveaboards, as we were there during the week and galavanting weekends...but I don't think they really watched us at all. A lot of places nearby and the ferry and NJ Trams just a few blocks away.

Did I tell you it is choppy a Lot.

Hope the Jersey city ones are calmer, but was also told they were quite a bit pricier than Lincoln Harbor.


----------



## killarney_sailor (May 4, 2006)

We lived aboard at Liberty Landing for a couple of years almost a decade or so ago and loved it. There were about 80 to 100 boats with people on full-time. Technically they did not allow liveaboards but did allow stay-boards for what that is worth. Everyone knew what this meant. Each boat has its own electrical meter. Not cheap but the location is great with the park there. You can get to Manhattan either with the LL ferry which is not cheap or using the PATH subways to the World Trade Center or 33rd St. Much cheaper but takes more time. Since we were there they have built a large fancy building with showers, etc. There is another shower facility much further west in the marina. Well-protected from wakes on the Hudson. My sense was that other marinas on the Jersey shore were quite exposed in spite of efforts to provide protection. If you can live with (sorry!) the prices LL is a fine place to be.


----------



## CalebD (Jan 11, 2008)

One member here (mbianka) lived at the Chelsea Piers marina a bunch of years ago. Whatever the monthly cost was, it was cheaper than renting a NYC apartment.

For the summer the 79th St. boat basin is likely the cheapest deal, if you can get a mooring there. Preferable montly or seasonal rates available as well as weekly and transient. SN member MarkOfSeaLife calls 79th St. boat basin home when he comes to NYC on his boat. He told me it cost him about $20/day using the weekly rate. You would need a reliable dinghy as there is no launch service there and (as noted above) it can get bouncy there.

Welcome to SailNet, from another NY-er.


----------



## mbianka (Sep 19, 2014)

CalebD said:


> One member here (mbianka) lived at the Chelsea Piers marina a bunch of years ago. Whatever the monthly cost was, it was cheaper than renting a NYC apartment.
> 
> For the summer the 79th St. boat basin is likely the cheapest deal, if you can get a mooring there. Preferable montly or seasonal rates available as well as weekly and transient. SN member MarkOfSeaLife calls 79th St. boat basin home when he comes to NYC on his boat. He told me it cost him about $20/day using the weekly rate. You would need a reliable dinghy as there is no launch service there and (as noted above) it can get bouncy there.
> 
> Welcome to SailNet, from another NY-er.


As Caleb mentioned I lived aboard at Chelsea Piers from 1996 to 2001. Very convenient while I was working in midtown on the midnight shift. Pretty rocky and expensive but, cheap for a place in Manhattan and you could not beat the waterview. Only negative was they closed down the Marina in December. So some moved to Liberty Landing for the winter. Great experience and memories most of them good but, not all: 
THE BIANKA LOG BLOG: SEPTEMBER 11, 2001


----------



## thh (May 7, 2017)

I'm interested in learning more about the nyc area marinas as well, I'm thinking of marinas north of the city perhaps City Island or Connecticut areas. I've read a few threads and have noticed the nj marias are mentioned a lot but commuting from nj seems like it could be more costly than a marina in Brooklyn or the Bronx (daily tolls are hefty and will be a few hundred a month). 

any suggestions for bronx, westcher marinas that might allow official, or unofficial live aboards (for March-October)?


----------



## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

thh said:


> ....commuting from nj seems like it could be more costly than a marina in Brooklyn or the Bronx (daily tolls are hefty and will be a few hundred a month).....


Don't drive into NYC from anywhere. The tolls are clearly set at deterrent levels to try to deal with the massive congestion. I grew up in the area and remember telling myself I would never take a job that required me to drive over a bridge. I've spent countless hours in traffic jams. Once, I sat for 4 hours on the GWB, coming back from Giants Statium. All traffic shut their engines off.

While familiar with countless marinas, I'm not familiar with which allow living aboard. Officially or not. Others here are. If you're willing to commute, the most logic would seem to be the Connecticut shoreline of Long Island Sound. Not only are there tons of marinas, but the New Haven line of the city's Metro North commuter rail runs along it. It's not inconceivable there is a marina on the Hudson, within walking distance of the Hudson line. Other areas could have busses, but busses will stop for traffic jams too. The train was always the way to commute back in the day, either commuter rail or the subway.


----------



## mbianka (Sep 19, 2014)

thh said:


> I'm interested in learning more about the nyc area marinas as well, I'm thinking of marinas north of the city perhaps City Island or Connecticut areas. I've read a few threads and have noticed the nj marias are mentioned a lot but commuting from nj seems like it could be more costly than a marina in Brooklyn or the Bronx (daily tolls are hefty and will be a few hundred a month).
> 
> any suggestions for bronx, westcher marinas that might allow official, or unofficial live aboards (for March-October)?


You might also want to check out Port Washington. There is Long Island Railroad service to New York every 1/2 hour.


----------



## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

I just had a discussion with a friend about these same marinas. Liberty landing is open year round, but Liberty Marina does not allow for winter liveaboards, bit is supposed to be much better protected. He described Liberty Marina as "sketchy" management and not well maintained but that it is secure and the showers are "warm." He said your pretty much on your own as they don't do much but it is more convenient to the train. 
Liberty Landing is better maintained but not as convenient to the train, but the ferry is nice to get to Wall Street but expensive. 


Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk


----------



## midwesterner (Dec 14, 2015)

The link below is to a blog by a couple that lived aboard in New York 4 almost a year.

http://www.sailmeom.com/stories/2016/9/30/how-to-live-on-a-boat-in-new-york


----------



## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

As a native, I would mention that the Liberty-anything marinas are not in New York City. They're in New Jersey, on the mainland.

Small differences, you're in a different tax venue with different rules about everything--not New York City or State. Among others, you may consider the need to comply with NJ state law that requires every powered vessel operator to have a safety training certificate, either from NJ or from their home state. (Presumably they'd also accept the federal, i.e. internet, ones.)

Nothing wrong with the mainland (G) but it ain't New York. You might find yourself in two tax jurisdictions with "commuter tax" on your income as well. I've no idea what the current situation is on that, just that it has been an issue in the past.


----------

