Great place with welcoming people. They're teaching you how to row and handle boats. They also invite people to build boats. I enjoyed rowing here. Looking forward to came again and bring my friends. read more

Village Community Boathouse - On Hudson. Heading south. - Boating Near Me - Manhattan, New York

Our family needed a refreshing experience a few weekends back and thought we'd do some free kayaking but ended up at the Village Community Boathouse for a 2 1/2 hour row. Wow! That was great! You get to go out in traditional rowboats up or down and across the Hudson River. We made it all the way to a little beach on the NJ side. Who would have known there was a beach? The whole experience on a Sunday afternoon was just so unusual and full of interesting surprises. And we (ages 17 to 69) felt very safe with our very experienced coxswain lady. Oh, and best thing is ....it's free. Apparently it is an entirely volunteer run non profit organization and the rely on donations. Which we happily did (by check for a tax deduction) BTW - they were super nice and let us park our bikes inside the boathouse. read more

See all

Aside from the horizontal tango, I consider myself a physical retard in regards to kinetic activities involving hand-eye coordination, synchronization, and skills. I can't swim, I'm crap in sports, and I trip over air when I'm walking. For some reason unbeknownst to me I thought I could row a boat in the Hudson River. I rowed a boat decently across a lake in Central Park I thought, how difficult can it be? You fool. Free community rowing is available on Sundays starting at 12pm, and Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:30pm. My bf and I arrived on Sunday at 11:45 and the folks of the VCB were just rolling in and getting things started. Even though we came early we didn't get into the water until about 1pm. It's probably OK if you come at 12:30 or even later than that. You have to sign a waiver, either in person or online, and it's good for a year. Bring a couple of water bottles because you don't want to suffer from dehydration you WILL need it. Bring a snack or sandwich to eat during breaks. Wear a cap or a hat as well as sunglasses to protect you from the blazing sun . If you don't have a baseball cap, the VCB has some dirty old caps for you to borrow. But do you really want to wear an old sweat drenched dirty cap that other New Yorkers wore before you? There are plenty of life jackets available in different sizes (for children and adults) for every rower to were. There are water bottles available for $1 but they were lukewarm, so I really do recommend bring your own cool refrigerated water bottles. Put on sunscreen!! Put on sunscreen on every inch of skin that can possibly be exposed to the sun! I usually apply sunscreen to my bf's face, ears, neck, and arms; forgoing his hairy chicken legs. Unfortunately, my poor darling snow white's legs and knees was as violently red as a steamed Maine lobster after our excursion into the Hudson River. White people: APPLY SUNSCREEN! There are several coxswains (the person in charge of the boat) that takes a group of people out in a boat. You get a short crash course about boating and the terms you need to know. Ask questions like: how do you row? I didn't do it right and I didn't get a chance for someone to teach me the proper maneuver or practice. Make sure the plastic part of the oar is on the gunwale and you twist the rope so it's secured over the peg. Bring fingerless gloves bc we got blisters. Community rowing is free and open to all so offer a donation There were younglings with us in my boat and when I got tired and started getting seasick the tykes took over for me. Rowing has no age or race bias or gender preference. It just hates me and wants me to die. Have you ever had motion sickness? Have you ever felt queasy, barfed out a lung, and walked out looking emaciated and close to death after being on an airplane? Have you ever felt dizzy or a little sick to your stomach during a long bumpy car or bus ride? Have you ever been haunted by cruel dark memories of a devilish tilt-a-whirl ride? If you answered yes to one or more questions then do yourself a favor and take 2 Dramamine Less Drowsy Formula pills (it comes in a yellow and purple tube) 30 mins to 1 hr before your excursion into the hellish waters of the Hudson River. I'm a fucking idiot. I'm fairly certain that I have an inner ear balance issue, and I had had BAD experience with motion sickness in the past, but it never occurred to me that being in a small boat and bobbing up in down in waves formed by BIGGER cruise ships and such will make me have an excruciating bout of sea sickness. I got very sick. The world was spinning and my stomach held a revolt against me. I contributed my insides into the river. Dave the coxswain, a nice pleasant man on land but a mean old bastard in the water, kept on reminding us that the city's sewage flowed beneath the surface of the river we were rowing on. You fucking son of a bitch. After a scary incident in which we got stuck next to these big black metal floaty things in the water by the dock and nearly capsize we found our way back to the pier. I was so sick I collapsed on chair in the VCB warehouse for an 1hr and a half. The mean old jaded seafarer became a sweet pleasant man again and offered me tea and gave me acupressure wristbands that supposedly eliminates motion sickness. They didn't work. I projectile vomited every fluid that I put in me and finally gave up and made the long trip home to Long Island. I missed my dinner reservations. My arms were dead tired, my body ached, my vision became blurry and I thought I was gonna die. I crossed out rowing in the Hudson River off my bucket list but then I needed a bucket to pour the remains of the insides into. Do I regret it? Yes and No. It was a great experience and if you take heed of my notes you will come out better than me. If the previous reviews of the VCB wasn't so fucking useless maybe I would have been more prepared. read more

I just found out about the boathouse and went for a row recently. I have never rowed boats like this and the volunteers were very helpful. It was a lot of fun to row across the Hudson. This is a great resource for the city. I plan to go again before the weather gets colder. read more

Great experience! It's easy to access the location and the people running it are very nice. Recommended!

Where else in NYC do you have a chance to row out in the Hudson River-FOR FREE; in a wooden boat built by students and/or volunteers? This Community Boathouse is a beautiful diamond in the rough. It's completely volunteer run, and provides public access to NYC Waterways. The boathouse is open year-round, but the rowing season starts in April and ends in October or November depending on the weather. When winter comes, the boathouse still opens to the public for boat building as well as boat maintenance and repair. The coxswains (ie captains of a rowing vessel) are trained and certified in house. New coxswains do not take novice rowers out onto the river until senior coxswains consider them to be effective leaders, and promoters of safe, human powered boating. Everyone going out on the river must where a lifejacket. And the coxswains will stay in the cove between Pier 40 and Pier 34 until they feel that their crew is ready to go out onto the river. Each coxswain, crew and row are unique. A seasoned volunteer rower or member of the boathouse will give up their seat in a boat for a new rower. Although there is a time when boats are meant to go out, the COD (Coordinator of the Day) will not send out a boat without a fully trained coxswain who has filled out a float plan and enough rowers to power the boat. So, if you arrive on a weeknight at 5:30 you might have to wait until 6:30, and if you arrive at 6:00 you might miss your chance to get on a boat (unless you call ahead and the COD knows to wait for you). Is the boathouse perfect and every row an amazing experience for all involved? Of course not. If you know that you get seasick, and Dramamine doesn't help-stay on land, duh. If you are not able to lift an oar into the air, then go as a passenger & sit by the coxswain. It's one of the best ways to see the city. Depending on the tides, currents, weather & strength of the crew, on a typical community row a crew can go as far north as Pier 66, across the river to NJ or as far south as Pier 25. Since the boathouse is a totally volunteer run not-for-profit, they do ask rowers to help clean the boat after a row and do give what you can to the donation barrel. read more

I love the Village Community Boathouse. It's a hidden treasure in NYC. On Pier 40, follow the signs! "ROW!" You will be entering a world that you didn't know existed in Manhattan. These dedicated boat builders of all ages have created a fleet of unique, sturdy, beautiful Whitehall gigs, with names such as "Pete Seeger" "Storm Queen" and "NOTORIOUS G.I.G." For FREE you will be able to hop on a boat with three or four other people and a Coxswain, and begin a journey up and down the Hudson River. Best of all you will be using your own power!! Forget the rowing machines, this is the real thing. The staff is well trained, the boats are incredibly sea worthy, and you will be well taken care of. The views are spectacular! We often stop over in New Jersey for a beer or Starbucks coffee. We visit the Statue of Liberty. Every year we row all the way around Manhattan!! For me, this is my summer staycation. If you love the water you will love the Village Community Boathouse. Just follow the signs at Pier 40. "ROW!" Adventure, good people, peace. read more