New Jersey's Largest Free Paddling Program

Our 21st Year!

We are run 100% by volunteers and we are supported 100% by your donations. 

In 2004, a group of kayaking enthusiasts, with help from the City of Hoboken and Downtown Boathouse of New York City, began offering free kayaking to the public. The developers of Maxwell Place donated four acres of their land, and built the boathouse in 2008. The boathouse is an homage to the original NY Yacht Club which opened in 1845 and was located close to our current location. 

After many years of hard work with dedicated volunteers, we are proud to sponsor a variety of exciting paddling programs. Our programs attract a diverse group of beginner and experienced paddlers, many of whom, live nearby in Hoboken, Jersey City, Weehawken, and New York City. Some even travel more than an hour from suburban locations to experience the mighty Hudson River for the first time. 

Initially, our public paddling was only provided 1-3 times a year. Now we are open almost every weekend during the summer and serve an average of 4,000 paddlers per year! As our volunteer base grows, we hope to be open more often.