NYC’s Premier Public Paddling Center Since 1996
100% Open for All
For 30 years, Manhattan Kayak has made paddling more accessible through low-cost public rentals, classes, and guided trips. We provide the gear, coaching, and guides for all people to move confidently through the Hudson River and New York Harbor.
Try our rental program at Pier 84 for low-cost kayak and paddleboard rentals.
Train at our paddling school with 26 maritime professionals.
Explore with our guide service—named #1 Kayak Tour in America by USA Today—to explore NYC’s waterways on guided trips ranging from 1 to 33 miles.
Join our community of locals for day trips and urban-to-wilderness escapes.
Where City Meets Ocean
The Enclosure Collapses
The moment you paddle beyond the pierheads, the city’s enclosure collapses. The three-sided canyons of Manhattan are replaced by a 360-degree horizon where the sky finally opens. Floating on a boat or board, you enter a wide-angle wilderness where humans aren’t in control. The hum of traffic gives way to the whooshing sound of the paddle moving through the water, salty spray, and the rhythmic bounce of the water. This restores the spirit.
Muhheakantuck Lifeblood
For 400 generations, the Munsee Lenape knew this as Muhheakantuck—the ‘river that flows two ways.’ The Hudson is the city’s lungs and its lifeblood; its tidal currents circulate with a rhythm dictated by the moon. This is the invisible hand of the river—a natural conveyor belt that switches directions predictably, every six hours.
We coordinate our trips to go with the flow, allowing the current to accelerate our travel by up to 4mph. It’s delightful when you realize the river’s carrying you faster and farther than you could travel alone.
A State-Protected Marine Sanctuary in Manhattan
The Pier 84 Boathouse sits within the Hudson River Park’s 400-acre River Sanctuary. Here, the mixing of salt and fresh water creates a vibrant marine world that thrives beneath the surface. Beneath the concrete and wood pilings of the modern waterfront lies a hidden landscape.
At the foot of Pier 84, where we’re located, there was once a salt marsh. Fresh water from the wetlands of what’s now Times Square fed into the Hudson. The 11-inch oysters growing under our docks are the living proof and heartbeat of a reviving ecosystem.
As the food chain restores itself, we share the water with untamed creatures. Schools of menhaden attract striped bass, seals, and pods of bottlenose dolphins who’ve danced alongside our kayakers.
Your Urban Oasis
Located at Pier 84 in Hudson River Park, the boathouse sits on a 4½-acre calm-water sanctuary right next to the Intrepid Museum. It’s the perfect place to gear up, wind down, and connect with the community.
- Inside: Lounge, changing rooms, restrooms, water fountain, and lockers.
- Outside: A spacious patio, boat staging area, and public launch access.
Meet The Team
More than a company, we’re a collective of kindred spirits.
Eric Stiller
Founder Eric brings kinetic energy, humor, and decades of river mastery to every trip. He’s passionate about helping people connect their bodies to the water through good technique. Raised on the water by his father Dieter, Eric began paddling at age 3 and has logged over 20,000 miles on kayaks and paddleboards.
Eric worked alongside his father at Klepper America in Union Square from 1983 to 1995, outfitting and training elite clients, including U.S. Navy SEALs. He authored Keep Australia on Your Left, chronicling his 6,000-mile kayak and bicycle journey along the Australian coast. His blend of physical energy and deep experience underpins the spirit of MKC.
Jay Cartagena
General manager, lead guide, and instructor, Jay welcomes kayakers from their first strokes through their greatest adventures. With patience, warmth, and a spirit of connection, Jay steadily guides the NYC paddling community forward.
Susan Basu
Managing partner Susan is the fiery core behind MKC, shaping programming, guest experience, and the physical space. She leads with precision and belief in MKC’s mission of public access, education, and community.
Stacey Hull
Paddleboard instructor, kayak guide, and manager, Stacey channels the rhythm, flow, and radiant energy of dance onto the river. She helps paddlers find balance, confidence, and joy through deep body awareness.
Judy Dong
Paddleboard instructor and manager, Judy shares endless positivity, thoughtfulness, and joy to every session. Whether on a board or in a HIIT workout, she lifts the energy of everyone around her.
Davis Janowski
Kayak guide and historian, Davis leads paddlers through NYC’s waterways with expert skill and rich storytelling. His waterfront history programs, sharp navigation awareness, and community spirit help paddlers connect with the many layers of the city’s shoreline.
Andrew Villalobos
Kayak guide and outdoor educator, Andrew brings strength, warmth, and a calming spirit to every trip. With a steady hand, a kind heart, and a nurturing approach, he helps paddlers build confidence and joy while connecting to nature and the rhythm of the river.
Tommy Montgomery
Kayak instructor and guide, Tommy brings strong technique, quick wit, and charm to the water. With accuracy, humor, and a focus on keeping groups moving and engaged, he helps paddlers build skills from ball of foot to paddle blades.
Lorenzo Bevilaqua
Kayak instructor, trip leader, and safety maven, Lorenzo keeps paddlers connected, confident, and tuned into the river’s rhythms. He leads with keen awareness and humor, helping paddlers build their on-water judgment.
Ronald Rivera
Surf ski instructor, guide, and racer, Ronald brings athletic spirit, sprint speed, and big water mastery to MKC’s community. Focused on technique, training, and high-intensity adventure, he inspires paddlers to chase skill, strength, and waves.
Fiona Cousins
A master of sea kayak and surf ski technique, Fiona offers sharp observation, clear instruction, and veteran coaching expertise, helping kayakers build true proficiency. She teaches capsize and re-entry with a calm clarity that makes it simple, fast, and no big deal.
Paul Rochford
Kayak guide and emergency specialist, Paul delivers sharp skill, calm focus, and a MacGyver spirit to every trip. From sweeping the back of the pack to rigging emergency tows with ease, he’s the steady hand you count on when the river throws a curveball.
Margaret Kingsbury
A dancer and multi-sport paddler, Marge brings vibrant energy, sharp movement awareness, and a deep love of biomechanics to every session. Whether surf skiing, paddleboarding, or sea kayaking, she leads learners toward skill, confidence, and joy in motion.
It Started with a Father Who Loved the Outdoors
In the beginning, there was father Dieter and his son Eric
Dieter Stiller is in Union Square at his Klepper Kayak shop. He’s run the shop since 1958, selling the first folding kayaks in the USA. Father and his young son Eric go kayaking in the Delaware River and Adirondacks, where Eric learns to zoom on the water.
The Federal Clean Water Act passes in 1972, setting a national framework for restoring water quality after years of pollution. At that time, the lower Hudson shoreline is ragged and industrial.
Eric came into his own
Dieter summons his son to help out at the shop. After college, Eric begins selling the kayaks and racing them up and down the East Coast. An unstoppable athlete, he offers to help new kayak owners to train locally, jumping barricades to launch along the city’s shores. Rockstar David Lee Roth joins him, seeking solace in the great outdoors.
One day, an Australia model named Tony Brown strides into the shop and mentions he’s planning to circumnavigate Australia by kayak – but has never kayaked before. A concerned Eric coaches Tony a couple of times every week — by kayaking from the run-down Gansevoort Landing back and forth to the Statue of Liberty.
The duo kayaked halfway around Australia the next spring. Eric documented their completely self-contained expedition—relying only on what they could carry and camping on remote shores—in his book, Keep Australia on Your Left.
A bold adventurous team arises
Eric returns to NYC and is alone on the water. He imagines that NYC can be a world-class paddling destination. He borrows some kayaks from the Union Square shop and finds like-hearted friends to jump the fences and paddle up and down the Hudson River, around Manhattan, to sunken ships and desolate buildings. Then, ingenious pal David Lee Roth encourages Eric to turn this edgy hobby into a career. The community becomes Manhattan Kayak. Its small team teaches and trains ambitious athletic New Yorkers out of old buildings and barges in Chelsea.
Our team scored new digs
The Hudson River Park emerges on Manhattan’s West Side starting in the 1990s. MKC’s original base is torn down by the Park. First, we relocate to the new Pier 66 Boathouse in Chelsea and stay for 7 years. Then, in 2013, we relocate to the Pier 84 Boathouse in Hell’s Kitchen. This becomes the home-base for our 26 staff and dozens of graduated students who own their own kayaks, surf skis, outrigger canoes, and paddleboards. Excitement grows as the group explores waters far and wide and develops a unique community on the waterfront.
Our team sticks together and feels like a family. As new people learn with us, they become woven into this very special waterfront quilt.
We honed our craft of teaching and touring
Many of us started as students here. We know it takes real skill to confidently navigate NYC. We teach sea kayaking and paddleboarding in three 2.5-hour classes to help newcomers develop proficiency. Class graduates are ready to go on exhilarating adventures. We offer low-cost public rentals and beginner river trips for fun, sun, and scenery.
We continue to manifest an extraordinary lifestyle
Come discover the unpredictable, unwieldy, and bold side of life. Words can’t explain what zooming on the water connects us with…something inexplicably great that brings awe and excitement. All while in New York City.
We hope to see you on the water!
– The Manhattan Kayak Team