Manhattan Community Boathouse

Helpful information (aka all the questions I had, now answered after going).
–Lockers: They have lockers, and a few keys (bring your own just in case, keys tend to run out). Free.
–Changing Room: There are a few areas to change inside the boat house (like dressing rooms in a store).
–How to get there: From downtown, recommend taking that NQR or 6 and walking west. Taking a taxi from downtown was a disaster because the west side highway blocked the entrance so I had to walk from 59^th and 12^th on the running path. Boathouse is a little south of 57^th.
–Process: Sign a waiver, get a life jacket (put stuff in locker), go sit in line at the bottom of the docks and wait for other kayakers to come in and then for your turn.
–Kayaking: on the water in a little area for about 20 – 30 minutes (if theres not a lot of people), The voluneteers help you get in and out of the boat. You mostly just float in the water, not a lot of paddleing,
–What to wear: I wore jean shorts and my entire bottom was wet. You will get wet, all over your butt. Everything else will stay dry (that is if you don’t capsize, which doesn’t happen). But be aware that you will definitely get wet there is no way around it, luckily it will be localized to only your butt. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Our experience– Came at 6:30 on Monday, waited about 30 minutes (there was a huge group in front of us) and were able to be on the water for about 20. Really nice way to view the river and also think twice about ever littering again, because there aren’t any fish in the water, just garbage.

Walked up on a Saturday morning with my family including two small children and we were in kayaks on the water 7 minutes later. So easy and it’s FREE! FREE IN NYC, people. They made sure we had correct life jackets for my 4 year old and 8 year old. FREE lockers to keep your wallet, phone, purse, change of clothes safe. Paddled around, took in the beautiful views of the skyline and the Palisades, gentle waves from wakes in the bay. Terrific. Wonderful outdoor experience in the best city in the world — for free. This is why it’s all worth it to live in the NYC metro!
Tips: Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, wear swimsuit bottom and change afterwards — your entire rear and never-​regions WILL get completely wet, including any unprotected phone you put in your pocket, don’t do that. (Our pics are from a waterproof GoPro.) Go now!

We stumbled upon Manhattan Community Boathouse one day while bike riding. I think that it is a jewel in the city. It operates primarily with volunteers. Anyone can take a kayak out and I think it was pretty awesome to see a huge cross section of people taking advantage of this free program. If you want to take a real ride on the river, all you need to do is volunteer and then you can participate in the volunteer paddles on the river (and do a trip on the river). I highly recommend getting out there and trying out kayaking on the Hudson!

If you’re looking for a fun summer activity in the city, I’d absolutely recommend the Manhattan Community Boathouse. It’s free, the staff is friendly, and we had a great time kayaking. Plus, it’s free! There was a bit of a line when we showed up (around 11 on a Sunday in August), but the staff was on top of things so it moved quickly. I only wish we’d stayed out a little longer, but we got hungry for lunch!

Free kayaking in The Hudson which doesn’t seem as clean as the East River. Lots if little things floating by. Nice touches like free lockers, sunscreen. People running operation are super nice, very chill. The kayaks are the really wide ocean type so they’re very stable but not fast. Nice park along river to dry off.

If you’re looking for something fun to do on summer day, definitely check out free kayaking at Manhattan Community Boathouse! They’re apparently a spinoff of Downtown Boathouse, and decided to stay uptown after Downtown Boathouse moved downtown. There are two locations: Pier 96 (at 56^th Street) and the 72^nd Street dock.
My three friends and I went to the Pier 96 location on a lazy Sunday afternoon and waited about 15 – 20 minutes for kayaks. Two of us grabbed a double, and the other two got singles. The area you’re limited to isn’t very big (you unfortunately can’t go far out into the Hudson River), but it’s still fun to paddle and float around. Just don’t fall out of your boat because apparently swimming in the Hudson is illegal. The people working there didn’t really enforce a time limit and there wasn’t a line for kayaks either, so we ended up staying out for about 30 minutes. Just be mindful of how long you’re out there if you see people waiting!
There are also lockers, two curtained changing stalls, and an outdoor showerhead. I would recommend bringing:
— A lock (they only have a few locks to give out)
— Sunscreen
— Bathing suit bottoms or something you don’t mind getting wet (…your butt will definitely get very wet)
— Change of clothes (if you don’t want to walk around with a wet butt afterwards)