New York Water Taxi

What New York Water Taxi does

New York Water Taxi (legal entity: NYCL Acquisition, LLC d/b/a New York Water Taxi) is a New York City-based private marine transportation company that operates a 10-vessel fleet of catamaran water taxis out of Pier 81 (West 42nd Street) and Pier 16 (South Street Seaport), with docking access across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, New Jersey, and Governors Island. Founded on September 25, 2002 by Douglas Durst and Tom Fox as an affiliate of The Durst Organization, the company was acquired in January 2017 by New York Cruise Lines — the parent of Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises — and now operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary under that umbrella. The fleet consists of two vessel classes (Gladding-Hearn at 149-passenger capacity and Direktor at 99-passenger capacity), all featuring low-emission engines, low-wake hulls, hospital-grade mufflers, climate control, ADA-accessible main decks, and modern audio/visual systems.

The company's revenue is generated entirely through custom, quote-based private charters (no public schedule or ticket sales) segmented across five horizontal use cases: corporate and municipal transportation (including employee commuter shuttles for clients such as NYU Langone Health, IKEA Red Hook, and Fairway Market), weddings and private event transportation, private sightseeing cruises (positioned as an extension of Circle Line), film and photo production rentals, and experiential brand sponsorship (boat wraps and interior takeovers). Go-to-market is relationship-driven: a small named sales team (Christina Vetrano, Sales Associate; Moises Montoya, Director of Special Events) handles all bookings via website inquiry forms and phone, with a mutual referral arrangement routing overflow demand above 149 passengers to sister company Circle Line vessels that accommodate up to 600 passengers. Distribution is supported by SEO, social, Yelp, TripAdvisor, BizBash, wedding directories, trade shows, and word-of-mouth.

The business is asset-heavy and operationally specialized: vessels range 53-72 feet with capacity 64-149 passengers, operate year-round in all weather, and serve both transactional event demand and recurring enterprise commuter contracts. There is no mobile app, no public API, no disclosed AI/ML capability, and no disclosed funding beyond a 2011 NYSERDA grant of $150,000. The company is privately held as a subsidiary of New York Cruise Lines, Inc., and its financial performance is not separately disclosed.

Name

New York Water Taxi

Legal name

NYCL Acquisition, LLC d/b/a New York Water Taxi

Website

https://nywatertaxi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

New York Water Taxi is a New York City-based private marine transportation company operating a 10-vessel catamaran fleet for custom charters serving corporate clients, weddings, private sightseeing, film productions, and brand sponsorships across NYC and NJ harbors, as a subsidiary of New York Cruise Lines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Transportation / Private Charter Services

NAICS

Coastal and Great Lakes Passenger Transportation (483114), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (4872)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban/Commuter Ferry Operators (Harbor/Water Taxi) (TLAFALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Passenger Catamaran Operators (TLAFALAE), Harbor & Water Taxi Passenger Services (THAEAGAF), High-Speed Catamaran & Fast Ferry Services (THAEAGAD), Catamaran & Sailing Cat Cruise Operators (THAEADAD)

Keywords

• Private water taxi
• Harbor ferry charter
• Corporate event transportation
• Wedding boat charter
• Sightseeing cruise charter

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Private Charter Transportation: Core revenue stream from private water taxi charters for groups of 30+ passengers. Services include wedding transportation, corporate commuting, private sightseeing tours, and event transportation. Pricing based on hourly, daily, weekly, or one-time charter arrangements with flexible scheduling across 10+ docking locations in NYC and NJ.
2. Experiential Brand Sponsorship: Revenue from experiential marketing campaigns including full boat wraps (mobile billboards on the Hudson River), immersive interior takeovers, and branded vessel experiences. Targets brands seeking unique waterfront exposure near landmarks like Battery Park, Statue of Liberty, and Hudson River Park.
3. Film and Photo Shoot Rentals: Rental revenue from film productions, TV shoots, commercials, and photography sessions. Vessels available for hourly, half-day, or full-day rentals with flexible scheduling for sunrise, golden hour, or night shoots. Capacity ranges from 64 to 149 passengers per vessel.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

New York Water Taxi provides exclusive private catamaran charter services across New York Harbor for groups of 30+ passengers. The company operates ten modern catamarans (capacity 64-149 each) serving corporate transportation, wedding and private party charters, private sightseeing cruises, experiential brand sponsorship platforms, and film/photo production rentals from 10+ docking locations across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, New Jersey, and Governors Island. Services are quote-based and custom-scheduled with no public timetable.

Product overview

New York Water Taxi operates as NYC's leading marine-based private transportation company, providing exceptional custom charter services for groups, parties, corporations, and municipalities across New York Harbor. The company offers a unified platform of water transportation services built around its 10-vessel fleet of catamaran vessels. The core product portfolio includes: Private Sightseeing Cruises (offering Full Manhattan Experience, Harbor Lights Tour, and Landmark Tour options), Corporate and Municipal Transportation, Wedding and Private Party Transportation, Experiential Brand Sponsorship (boat wraps and interior takeovers), and Film/Photo Production Rentals. The fleet consists of two vessel classes: Gladding-Hearn Class (149 passengers, 72') and Direktor Class (99 passengers, 53'). All vessels feature low-emission engines, climate control, ADA accessibility, and operate from Pier 83 (West 42nd Street) and Pier 16/South Street Seaport with docking partners across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, New Jersey, and Governors Island. The company is a subsidiary of New York Cruise Lines, the parent of Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate and Municipal Transportation Multi-day and recurring private ferry transportation for municipal organizations, corporations, and event planners. Provides customized ferry service with flexible hourly, daily, weekly, or one-time scheduling, multiple daily pick-ups and drop-offs from over a dozen piers across NYC/NJ harbor, seven days a week, for employee commuting, conference shuttles, and corporate events.
• Private Sightseeing Cruises Exclusive private boat charters for guided tours of NYC skyline, waterways, and landmarks including the Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building. Includes recommended tours (Full Manhattan Experience, Harbor Lights Tour, and Landmark Tour) plus fully custom route creation for VIP, family, birthday, and team-building cruises.
• Wedding and Private Party Transportation Private event ferry transportation for weddings, anniversaries, and milestone celebrations. Includes docking access across New Jersey, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Governors Island, with modern climate-controlled vessels designed for group comfort and style.
• Experiential Brand Sponsorship Experiential marketing platform featuring full boat wraps as mobile billboards and immersive interior takeovers for high-impact brand visibility in NYC Harbor. Targets brands seeking exposure near Hudson River Park, Statue of Liberty, and Battery Park, reaching tourists and commuters.
• Film and Photo Production Rentals Vessel rentals for film productions, TV shoots, commercials, and photography sessions. Vessels accommodate 64-149 passengers with indoor and outdoor decks, power access, restrooms, bar facilities, and flexible scheduling for sunrise, golden hour, or night shoots.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• New York Cruise LinescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017In January 2017, New York Water Taxi was acquired by New York Cruise Lines, the parent company of Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises. This acquisition combined two of New York's most recognized water-based transportation brands, expanding private charter and sightseeing offerings. NY Water Taxi operates as a subsidiary (NYCL Acquisition, LLC d/b/a New York Water Taxi) under New York Cruise Lines, Inc.
• Circle Line Sightseeing CruisescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCircle Line Sightseeing Cruises is New York Water Taxi's sister company under New York Cruise Lines ownership. NY Water Taxi is marketed as 'an extension of Circle Line Sightseeing cruises, New York's only sightseeing cruise company dedicated to perfecting the art of sightseeing.' For larger bookings (150+ passengers), customers are referred to Circle Line vessels (up to 600 passengers).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Seastreak: Regional high-speed catamaran ferry operator running commuter and leisure routes between New Jersey and Manhattan. Directly comparable vessel type (high-speed catamaran) and harbor operations, though primarily NJ-based commuter-focused.
• Water Taxi Miami: Miami-based water taxi and private charter operator with a similar urban-harbor water taxi concept and event-driven use cases. Comparable business model in a separate US harbor geography.

Direct peers

• Classic Harbor Line: Luxury yacht and schooner charter operator in NYC harbor offering private charters, weddings, corporate events, and sightseeing. Comparable on the private event, wedding, and premium sightseeing use cases NYWT targets.
• Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises: Sister brand under New York Cruise Lines and the dominant NYC sightseeing cruise operator with vessels up to 600 passengers. Operates scheduled sightseeing tours in the same NYC harbor and is the explicit overflow partner for NYWT's >149-passenger bookings.
• Manhattan by Sail: NYC harbor operator offering sailing yacht charters, brunch cruises, and private events from Chelsea Piers. Comparable to NYWT on private sightseeing, private events, and charter experiences in the same waters.
• Statue Cruises: Authorized ferry operator to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island from NYC and NJ. Direct comparable in harbor-based passenger ferry service, though focused on a single iconic destination where NYWT is geographically restricted from operating.
• Liberty Landing Marina Ferry: Jersey City-based ferry service connecting Liberty Landing Marina to lower Manhattan. Comparable water taxi operation with overlapping commuter and event use cases in the same NYC harbor geography.
• Beast Speedboat (Circle Line brand): Circle Line's high-speed sightseeing thrill ride in NYC harbor. Sister brand product but directly comparable as a passenger vessel sightseeing and event experience competing for the same NYC harbor tourist dollar.

Broad incumbents

• Hornblower Cruises: Large national cruise and ferry operator offering dining cruises, sightseeing, and event charters in NYC and other US cities. Overlaps with NYWT's private charter, corporate event, and experiential offerings as a much larger portfolio player.
• NYC Ferry: City-operated public ferry system across NYC waterways, including East River routes that NYWT helped pioneer. Competes with NYWT on commuter and corporate shuttle pricing with subsidized fares and municipal backing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights3 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nywatertaxi
• Facebookfacebook.com/nywatertaxi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/newyorkwatertaxiandcirclelinedowntown

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about New York Water Taxi