NY Canal 2020 Permit Fees Waived

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boatbrain

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Good News again for 2020.

Recreational Vessel Permit Fees Waived for the 2020 Navigation Season

Today, January 31, 2020, ny.canal.gov announced that Mariners are advised that fees for recreational vessels have been waived for the 2020 Navigation Season.
:thumb::thumb::thumb:
 
Thank you very much New York, every little bit is appreciated. Erie and Oswego canals this summer.

Ted
 
Greetings,
Mr. LM. I think for very many years upstate NY was forgotten by Albany (NY state capital) and was an economically depressed area. A number of years back, the state poured a lot of money into the Erie Canal system and as a result it became a really nice cruising/destination area. Perhaps the NY canal authority is looking to boost revenues for those towns and villages along the canals by eliminating fees. Just a WAG.


We transited the Erie/Oswego canals about 25 years ago and it was not particularly nice. Run down facilities and seedy waterfronts. I can't comment as to the conditions now but word on the street is it is VERY nice.



Interesting that I vaguely recall the lock station in Fulton NY seemed to have been run by Hell's Angels. Robust bikers complete with tat's, headbands and riding boots. Sort of a scene out of a Mad Max movie. Nice guys though...
 
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Canal fees have been waived since the NY Power Authority took over the operation in 2017, as stated above. Some of you may know of the "reimagining" of the canal. The AGLCA has been involved in this as I am sure some other organizations may have been also. There was a questionnaire for us boaters to fill out on how we use the canal system. There were some fears that the state might veer away from the canal as a viable transportation corridor in favor of support of recreational activities like canoes, kayaks and paddleboards. I hope those fears are behind us.
I love the canal. Having traveled it for years, we have been fortunate to visit many places along the way. Although in recent years we use it more as a highway to get to some of our favorite cruising grounds, we have our favorite places along the way that offer a nice mix of friendly folks and nice amenities that are must stops.
Here is a recent article on the "reimagining"
https://www.niagara-gazette.com/new...cle_388438ee-035a-577f-9351-8495bc7e4038.html
 
Wifey B: Methinks they figured out that fees discourage use, the structure made people stay shorter periods, and, perhaps most of all, they didn't net any real money. Selling, collecting, checking, and all for so little. It's like, why exactly are we doing this again? :ermm:

The new spirit is to encourage use, it's to recognize the communities that need it and benefit from it. I talked to local business owners along the way. Seemed to me not many boaters. We were there in 2016. I remember a couple saying the summer traffic wasn't what they wished but it was what kept their businesses alive. They also commented that their land tourists came to see the boats too. I remember one lady in her 70's and she said she wasn't a genius but she was smart enough 50 years ago to figure out a small business there wasn't going to make her rich. However, it gave her a good life, she met a lot of people, she enjoyed what she did. Without the boaters and other tourists though she couldn't have done that. :)
 
I’ll bet the cost to implement a fee and permitting system is more than they bring in in revenue.
 
twistedtree said:
I’ll bet the cost to implement a fee and permitting system is more than they bring in in revenue.
Click to expand...
Exactly right.
They even admitted as much when they first dropped fees yrs ago. They have promised $300M towards reimagining but that includes many components not normally associated w boaters... bike paths etc.
RTF
Many of the towns have improved facilities and most cruisers are pleasantly surprised that they are free or very minor fees for tie ups, power, laundry, etc compared with other cruising grounds.
No scenic comparison to the Canadian canals that are beautiful clean fresh water lakes / waterways but NY canal towns do have some attractive stops / small towns.
 
O C Diver said:
Sorry, only going a little past Brewerton and then turning North up the Oswego river to Lake Ontario.

Ted
Click to expand...


I had a feeling that was the plan based on the description. Exactly what I did last summer when I brought the boat up to Rochester. What direction are you headed once you get to the lake?
 
A. to keep federal funding
B. to keep the canal businesses going.
 
rslifkin said:
I had a feeling that was the plan based on the description. Exactly what I did last summer when I brought the boat up to Rochester. What direction are you headed once you get to the lake?
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Across the Lake to Kingston then Ottawa by way of the Rideau canal.

Ted
 
O C Diver said:
Across the Lake to Kingston then Ottawa by way of the Rideau canal.

Ted
Click to expand...


Enjoy the trip! That one is on my "someday" trip list, just not sure when I'll get to it.
 
rslifkin said:
Enjoy the trip! That one is on my "someday" trip list, just not sure when I'll get to it.
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That's my job. It's a dirty nasty job, but somebody has to do it. :rolleyes:

Ted
 
We had a nice trip through there this summer up to the point where I got sick at Sylvan Beach. Not a lot of traffic but enough to fill most of the transient docks. Plenty of room in the locks. The Waterford fireworks were insanely close to the town docks. Closest I've ever been without Nomex!
 

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O C Diver said:
Across the Lake to Kingston then Ottawa by way of the Rideau canal.

Ted
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Ted
Are you aware of the discounts on Cdn lock & mooring passes purchased before end Mar?
 
In 2015 I chartered a canal boat and made a point of exploring the towns along the waterway. It was clear that the region has been going through many years of economic decline. In getting to know some of the local businesspeople, their consensus was that retrenchment resulted from the collapse of Eastman Kodak, HQ-ed in Rochester. Lots of folks reminisced about well-paid jobs, either at Kodak or in a related industry / business. Those who remain in the small towns along the canal have had to adapt to a very tough job market.

When people learned that I was off a transient boat, they were most welcoming and hospitable. As soon as it was built, the canal became the central economic force all across mid / upstate New York. Now, in the twenty-first century, its value proposition seems to have recovered. As with most transit infrastructure, make it free to users, and they will come.
 
Bacchus said:
No scenic comparison to the Canadian canals that are beautiful clean fresh water lakes / waterways but NY canal towns do have some attractive stops / small towns.
Click to expand...

I love the scenery on the Erie Canal. But I'm into post industrial landscapes :) There's a lot of history and some amazing engineering in places. And the finger lakes seemed pretty clean to me

Most of the communities along the canal have made real efforts to welcome boaters, and it's an under utilized treasure IMO. I've been through all the waterways around the great lakes and the Erie remains my favourite.
 
Jeff F said:
I love the scenery on the Erie Canal. But I'm into post industrial landscapes :) There's a lot of history and some amazing engineering in places. And the finger lakes seemed pretty clean to me

Most of the communities along the canal have made real efforts to welcome boaters, and it's an under utilized treasure IMO. I've been through all the waterways around the great lakes and the Erie remains my favourite.
Click to expand...
No argument that the Finger Lakes are the real gem along the western canal as far as fresh clean water, good fishing and swimming. That's the reason we call Seneca Lk home and explore from there. But if anyone hadn't experienced the Rideau it is a must see.
 
Anyone know if this includes the Champlain Canal up through Fort Ann to Whitehall and into Lake Champlain?
 
lhousesoccer said:
Anyone know if this includes the Champlain Canal up through Fort Ann to Whitehall and into Lake Champlain?
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It does. The whole NY Canal system is covered, so the Champlain Canal, Erie Canal, Oswego Canal, and Cayuga-Seneca Canal.
 
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Good news here, since I plan to transit Oswego, Erie, and Champlain later this summer. And a takeaway for all of us using the these canals should be to patronize these businesses along the way that depend on the canals. If we can afford these boats, we can afford to spread a little money around to them.
Joe
(A 'buy local' guy here at home}
 
CapeWhaler said:
And a takeaway for all of us using the these canals should be to patronize these businesses along the way that depend on the canals.
Click to expand...

I'm not personally a huge supporter of the whole "buy local" thing, although it's a good sentiment and I do what I can.

But for the canals, I think it's in all of our best interests to think that way. Anywhere else in the Northeast they're going to charge you $100-$200 per night just to tie up. No reason we can't give at least some of that back to the local communities which let us tie up for free, or for a very nominal fee.

The canals are expensive to maintain. It won't take much to convince the taxpayers to just abandon the whole thing. Every dollar we pump back into the local economy is a small step toward keeping them operating.
 
May not be an issue this year as they are saying the system may not be open for complete transit until mid July 2020.
 
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