clayton island tours

What clayton island tours does

Clayton Island Tours is a privately held, seasonal boat tour operator based in Clayton, New York, that runs narrated sightseeing cruises and private charters on the St. Lawrence River in the 1000 Islands region. The company operates a fleet of five vessels (Miss Clayton, Island Girl, Night Heron, River Loop, Osprey) with passenger capacities ranging from 43 to 70, including the Night Heron glass-bottomed boat that provides underwater views of the riverbed and is the only such public offering in the region. Public tour operations run approximately May through October, with year-round administrative functions supporting motorcoach tour planning, private charter sales, and corporate event bookings. Scheduled tour prices range from $15 to $84 per person across products such as the Boldt Castle and Two Nation Tour, Rock Island Lighthouse Glass Bottom Tour, Sunset Cruise, Canada Tour, Live Music Cruise, and Fireworks Cruise, with add-ons including picnic lunches, professional photography, catering, and bar service.

The company generates revenue across four streams: per-person scheduled public tours, quote-based private charters for events and weddings, on-site food concessions (Kay's Kitchen), and ancillary services including photography and motorcoach group packages. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via the company's website (powered by FareHarbor), phone bookings, and TripAdvisor, supplemented by a dedicated motorcoach receptive services department and partner-led co-marketing arrangements with local wineries, museums, and lodging providers. Customer segments include individual tourists and families (primary), private event hosts, tour operators and motorcoach groups, and school/educational institutions served through the Save the River field trip program. The business operates without disclosed external funding, holds no identified patents, and shows no evidence of AI/ML capabilities, with technology limited to standard web booking infrastructure and physical marine assets.

Name

clayton island tours

Legal name

Clayton Island Tours

Website

https://claytonislandtours.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clayton Island Tours is a privately held, seasonal boat tour operator in Clayton, NY, running narrated sightseeing cruises and private charters on the St. Lawrence River in the 1000 Islands region aboard five vessels (43-70 passengers), serving individual tourists, families, private event hosts, motorcoach groups, and school field trips from May to October.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Boat Tour and Charter Services

NAICS

Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (48721), Inland Water Passenger Transportation (483212), Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Sightseeing & Scenic Boat Tours (Harbor, Sunset, Dolphin/Whale Watching) (THAJAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Charters & Yacht Experiences (Crewed, Bareboat, Day Charters) (THAJAJAB), Tourist & Sightseeing Cruise Operators (Day Cruises) (TLAFALAF)

Keywords

• Sightseeing boat tours
• Private boat charters
• River cruise services
• Thousand islands tourism
• Glass bottom boat tours

Headquarters

HQ city

Clayton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Scheduled Public Boat Tours: Narrated sightseeing tours on the St. Lawrence River covering the 1000 Islands region. Tours include Boldt Castle and Two Nation Tour, Rock Island Lighthouse, Islands/Lighthouses/Castle, Sunset Cruise, Canada Tour, Fireworks Cruise, and the Ultimate Sightseeing Tour with lunch. Prices range from $15 to $84 per person depending on tour duration and inclusions.
2. Private Charters and Events: Custom private charters for weddings, corporate events, bachelor/bachelorette parties, family reunions, fundraisers, and shuttle services. Available May through November. Pricing is quote-based. Boats available include Miss Clayton (43 passengers), Island Girl (55 passengers), Night Heron (49 passengers), River Loop (65 passengers), and Osprey (70 passengers).
3. Food and Concessions (Kay's Kitchen): On-site concessions offering breakfast, wraps, sandwiches, salads, fried foods, ice cream, and picnic lunches ($14 plus tax). Picnic lunches can be pre-ordered online with tour tickets or called in one hour prior to departure. Available for on-board consumption and off-site catering.
4. Event Services and Add-Ons: Professional photography packages ($250 per event), event planning services, catering (buffets, hors d'oeuvres, dinner), fully licensed bar, and wedding packet discount coupons offered as upsell add-ons to charter and event customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Clayton Island Tours operates narrated sightseeing boat tours and private charters on the St. Lawrence River in the 1000 Islands region from Clayton, New York. The company runs a fleet of five vessels (43-70 passengers) including a glass-bottomed boat (Night Heron), offering scheduled public tours to Boldt Castle, Rock Island Lighthouse, and Canadian waters, as well as private charters for weddings, corporate events, and group celebrations. Operations are seasonal (May to October), with year-round charter and motorcoach tour planning, plus on-site food concessions at Kay's Kitchen.

Product overview

Clayton Island Tours operates a fleet of five vessels (Miss Clayton, Island Girl, Night Heron, River Loop, Osprey) providing narrated boat tours on the St. Lawrence River in the 1000 Islands region from Clayton, NY. The core product portfolio includes seven scheduled public tours (Ultimate Sightseeing Tour, Boldt Castle Tour, Rock Island Lighthouse Glass Bottom Boat Tour, Islands/Lighthouses/Castle Tour, Canada Tour, Sunset Cruise, Live Music Cruise, Fireworks Cruise) plus private charter services for events including weddings, corporate events, and group celebrations. The company also offers ancillary services including on-site food concessions (Kay's Kitchen), professional photography partnerships, and partner lodging accommodations (Chateau Country Inn, Captain's Cottage). All tours operate seasonally from May through October aboard intimate 43-70 passenger boats with professional guides sharing legends and lore of the region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,500 TripAdvisor reviews with a top ranking in Clayton, NY

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Coyote Moon VineyardscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCoyote Moon Vineyards partners with Clayton Island Tours to offer 'Wine and Cheese Cruises' on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights during the season. Reservations are made directly through Coyote Moon Vineyards at 524 Riverside Drive in Clayton, NY.
• Thousand Islands MuseumcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThousand Islands Museum partners with Clayton Island Tours to offer 'Sunset History Boat Tours' as a fundraising initiative. Tours cover topics including wildlife, shipwrecks, ghost tours, island interior tours, and Canadian destinations. Reservations made through the museum at (315) 686-5794.
• Save the RivercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSave the River launched a program in 2009 bringing school children to the St. Lawrence River for 'On The Water Field Trips.' Clayton Island Tours provides boat transportation for hundreds of students annually, visiting sites like Rock Island Lighthouse, Minna Anthony Nature Center, and Canoe Point State Park. The program is supported by New York State's Connect Kids to Parks Field Trip Grant Program.
• 1000 Islands Land Trust (TILT)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerTILT charters Clayton Island Tours for boat transportation to island events for TILTreks, Kids Treks, and Camp programs. Reservations made through TILT at 315.686.5345.
• Chateau Country InncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerChateau Country Inn is located on the grounds of Clayton Island Tours. Guests staying a minimum two nights receive free boat tour tickets to regularly scheduled tours including Boldt Castle, Rock Island Lighthouse, and Sunset Cruises.
• Captain's CottageminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCaptain's Cottage is a 4-bedroom/3-bathroom vacation rental adjacent to Clayton Island Tours. Guests receive free boat tours with a minimum 2-night stay.
• Grindstone Island WineryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGrindstone Island Winery partners with Clayton Island Tours for wine-related cruises and events, with boat transportation provided for winery tours and tastings.
• Bodega 524 Deli & BarminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBodega 524 Deli & Bar presents two unique boat tours with Clayton Island Tours in 2026: 'Pier Pressure Booze Cruise' (Friday nights) and 'Bootlegger's Voyage' (Thursdays June-August). All tours booked through Bodega524Deli.com.
• Swan Bay ResortminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSwan Bay Resort is listed as a community partner, potentially offering coordinated packages with Clayton Island Tours for resort guests.
• Gregg Ordon / GTO PhotocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClayton Island Tours has partnered with Gregg Ordon of GTO PHOTO to offer professional photography services for special events aboard the boats, at Boldt Castle, and Rock Island Lighthouse. Photography fee is $250 per event with 1 month Dropbox storage.
• FareHarborcoreTechnology or IntegrationFareHarbor provides the embedded booking calendar and reservation system used on claytonislandtours.com, enabling online ticket sales, calendar management, and booking flow for all public tours and gift cards.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• City Cruises (Hornblower): Large-scale sightseeing cruise operator across major US and Canadian cities offering harbor, sunset, and dinner cruises; overlaps with CIT's general sightseeing/sunset cruise category but at much larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Boston Harbor Cruises: Major Northeast harbor and whale watching cruise operator with similar sightseeing/whale watching product offerings, broader fleet, and year-round operations; comparable business model but at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Gananoque Boat Lines: The leading 1000 Islands boat tour operator on the Canadian (Ontario) side of the St. Lawrence River, offering comparable sightseeing cruises to Boldt Castle and the islands — directly competing with CIT's cross-border Two Nation and Canada Tours.
• Shoreline Cruises: Thousand Islands sightseeing cruise operator offering multi-stop narrated tours including Boldt Castle visits, serving the same regional tourist pool and competing directly with CIT's scheduled tour lineup.
• Uncle Sam Boat Tours: Operates narrated boat tours from Alexandria Bay, NY in the 1000 Islands region on the US side, offering similar sightseeing itineraries to Boldt Castle and surrounding islands, making it the closest direct geographic competitor to Clayton Island Tours.
• Rockport Cruises: Operates sightseeing cruises in the 1000 Islands region near Clayton, NY, offering similar narrated tours with comparable vessel sizes — a direct competitor for the same tourist customer base.

Others

• FareHarbor (parent: Booking Holdings): Technology platform used by Clayton Island Tours for online booking and reservations; included as an enabling ecosystem participant rather than a competitor.
• 1000 Islands Tourism Council: Regional destination marketing organization that drives inbound tourism demand to the 1000 Islands; not a direct competitor but a critical ecosystem participant that funnels customers to operators including CIT.

Regional players

• Hornbeck Tours: Provides sightseeing and eco-tours in the broader Northeast US/New York waterways region; operates in different geographies but with similar small-vessel narrated tour format comparable to CIT's model.

Emerging players

• Maine Lobster Boat Tours: Operates small-boat narrated tours in the Northeast with a focus on local marine culture and scenery — a comparable emerging operator format with similar small-vessel, experiential positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ClaytonIslandTours
• Instagraminstagram.com/claytonislandtours
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clayton-island-tours

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 clayton island tours