Pier 26 West Street
New York, NY 10013
Voicemail: (212) 385-8169 Fax: (212) 966-7014

The Downtown Boathouse is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to providing public access to the Hudson River in New York City. We are a non-profit organization, with a long-term objective of founding public boathouses to provide public access to the Hudson River.

We have a permit from the New York State Department of Transportation to operate an interim public access facility at two locations within the future Hudson River Park.

The Boathouse owns about 20 kayaks which we make available to the public, under supervision, on weekends and holidays from mid-May through mid-October.

The operation is paid for by membership contributions and member boat storage fees. The work is done by the many volunteers of the Boathouse, which allows us to maintain this property and provide this service on a limited budget.

Our objective in this interim operation is to create the public interest that will make Hudson River Park a waterfront park featuring public access to the water. We are providing an example for future waterfront park renovation and construction throughout New York City that we hope will make this environmentally responsible, traffic-alleviating, recreational activity available to everyone.

We have 2 locations in New York City:

1. Our original site is in Lower Manhattan on Pier 26, which is technically in the TriBeCa district. We are between Canal and Chambers Street on the river side of the West Side Highway.
2. Our new site opening in the summer of 1999, is at the head of Pier 64, which is in the Chelsea district. We are located directly at the end of 24^th Street, on the riverside of the West Side Highway.

Membership in the boathouse is open to any person. We ask members to contribute a $50 yearly donation. This is a tax-deductible donation that provides the money to pay for our public programs and equipment. Membership is voluntary, and you do NOT need to be a member to participate in any of our programs, or to volunteer to help out. Members receive no exclusive benefits, other than the privilege of voting in our elections. It is just a way of showing your support for the boathouse and its objectives.

To join the boathouse, please fill out the following form and mail it to the address at the top of the page along with a check for $50. Please print clearly.