Hoboken Cove Community Boathouse

This place is also known as Hoboken Cove Community Boathouse. I knew they had kayaking, but I signed up as soon as I saw they were going to have stand up paddle boarding on the weekend. Most places offer SUP lessons for around 50 $-90 $, I wanted to get a feel of SUP before going for a lesson.
Both kayaking and stand up paddle boarding are free at the boathouse. It is first come first serve and when busy they have a paddle limit of about 20 minutes. They provide the kayaks, SUP board, paddles, and life jackets. After you arrive at the boathouse, you are required to sign a waiver. You can put your belongings in the locker for a fee of 1 $.
They have single and tandem kayaks to choose from. You can paddle in the small bay area. The volunteers are friendly and provide tips to beginners. I would say for beginners this is a good place to practice or get a feel of kayaking. I have kayaked a couple of times on rivers/​ocean but always with my husband. I will probably come here to practice my solo kayaking skills. Experienced kayakers will probably get bored since you can’t venture too far out from the shore.
There were quite a few people ahead of me waiting for SUP. Noelle (I believe that was her name) took two people out at a time. She provided instructions on proper stance, paddling and maintaining your balance on the paddle board. We were on the water for about 20 – 30 minutes, would have to loved to do some more SUP.
The boathouse also provides guided river trips on certain days. They take 15 – 20 people per trip. There’s a lottery and if your name is not selected, you can try again on another trip date. The guided trips are usually 1 – 2 hours long.
Check their website for schedule of the river trips and the free kayaking.

I just went today to check out all the huff puff about this place and I loved it!
You just show up at the boat house and sign a waiver to participate. It’s totally 100% FREE! They have lockers available to rent if you’d like. They just ask for a small donation to access the lockers. I would suggest just leaving your phone at home and bring a sling bag you can take in the kayak for your keys and if you bring anything else make sure to put it in a ziploc bag to keep it safe and dry from the elements.
But come on, you’re going kayaking you don’t need a phone to enjoy this free, awesome, unique Hoboken experience.
They have single and tandem kayaks available to choose from. The staff was super friendly and willing to help if you’d never gone kayaking before. They also have people out on the water to make sure no one goes beyond the rocks or to help out if needed.
I went tandem with a friend but next time I’ll probably go solo; we were having communication issues. Apparently I can’t tell my right from my left when I’m in water, go figure. Regardless, I had a blast there today and I’ll definitely be back again soon.

This was a pleasant surprise to discover a boathouse in Hoboken which gives free kayaks in the summers. I was here in the summers of 2012 to try out kayaks in the waters of hudson.
The staff was helful and everybody was made to sign a constent form in the begining. The had the lockers for $ 2 fee to store the personal items.
They had bascially cordoned off one end of the hudson river and we were allowed to ride kayaks within that area. The kayaks were good and they had an option of picking up a kayak with single or double riders.
Overall I really had fun riding the kayaks, I would definitely be back next summers.