Sunset Marina

VERY helpful and VERY useful. People are the nicest in the whole world and very open hearted and welcoming. Sweetest people ever. No complaints at all. Whatever you want WHENEVER you want, it gets done. Great place.

Our family of four (two kids — 12-​year-​old boy and 10-​year-​old girl) rented two tandem kayaks here, and had a blast. The family that owns and runs the marina is great — very friendly and helpful, and concerned with making sure we had a good experience. It was a really windy day, and they gave us great advice on making sure we were safe and had fun. It was exciting to be out in the bay, battling the waves — more of a thrill ride than we expected, and the kids loved it. Most days are much more placid, we’re told. We explored the nearby marshes, and paddled into the house-​lined canals of Broad Channel to rest in the calm waters and admire the Manhattan skyline on the horizon. You have to call ahead for reservations, since they have a small number of kayaks. Early in the day is probably better, since in many cases people are late bringing them back.
We coupled this with a hike around the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.

Rob and family were extremely helpful and accommodating my ultimate family day: Kayaking on Father’s Day with my family of SIX! We easily accessed the Marina by car on a beautiful drive around the inter coastal (we took the scenic route for a few dollars extra since we were splurging). Even though we were an hour late and the late rental of the day we were welcomed and given great hospitality by the owners.
Quickly we all geared up and paddled out on large orange sea kayaks into the lovely Jamaica Bay as the sun lowered over the NYC skyline. This was truly a Father’s Day to remember and the host’s were extremely gracious and generous with their time. All in all, Kayaking at Sunset Marina was a top-​notch experience and I can’t wait to go back.

I went kayaking at the Sunset Marina in Broad Channel, Queens as part of my Brooklyn weekend. It’s incredible that within the confines of New York City one can paddle around a bird sanctuary in the Gateway National Recreation Area, with a view of the Manhattan skyline in the distance. In the other direction, there were nice views of the Rockaway peninsula and its houses. It’s really close to Kennedy Airport, but the planes were not too distracting. In fact, the birds were noisier! The paddle was really fun, made better by how nice it was outside: sunny but not too hot and not humid at all. It was low tide, however, and there were some times when I had to butt shimmy and pole my way back into a deeper channel. The staff were very kind and helpful and there was a bathroom to change in if you want to do so. Sunset Marina uses ocean kayaks even though its area is in the Bay, and I am more used to the lake and river kind, but it was still a lot of fun, and took no time at all to get used to the different style.
There are a series of launches all over New York City in all five boroughs. Not all have kayak rental facilities, but a new goal is to check out all the places that do in all different parts of the City in the coming years – and at least «check off» all five boroughs. It was a great outing!