He makes a living at the World’s Most Famous Arena, but starting this season, Lance Thomas of the New York Knicks will be spending some leisure time at Brooklyn’s most famous marina.
The 6-foot-8, Brooklyn-born power forward, an avid fisherman, has chosen to dock his 40-foot boat at the Moonbeam Gateway Marina on the western edge of the Gateway National Recreation Area.
Last April, the National Park Service turned over operations of the aging lower Flatbush Avenue boatyard to Moonbeam Leasing and Management LLC, which embarked on a multi-million-dollar overhaul, including — among other changes — giving the marina a much-needed makeover, fixing floating docks and replacing old pilings, repaving the parking lot, repairing electric service, and providing new Wi-Fi and Internet access.
A master plan for the 10-year, $5-million–$10-million rehab, says Moonbeam’s CEO, calls for the installation of a new entrance, security booth, sales office, clubhouse, café and bathrooms, expansion of the marina’s current capacity from 500 boat slips to 800, and rebuilding the bulkhead to accommodate super yachts up to 100 feet long.
“This is the most beautiful site in Brooklyn, and it’s the largest marina in New York Harbor by far,” said Steven Maksin. “We intend to beautify, improve, and expand this hidden jewel’s facilities in order to better serve the community, raise the marina’s profile, and provide the highest quality recreational services to boaters from New York City and elsewhere.”
Maksin said berthing fees at Moonbeam Gateway will be $100 per foot in the summer, $50 a foot in winter.
“Keeping a 40-foot boat in storage, including hull and launch, for an entire winter will only cost $2,000,” he said. “At that rate it’s the cheapest game in town.”
Thomas didn’t need to see the finished product to decide that the reborn marina was the right place to berth the boat he usually keeps in Venice, La., about 75 miles from his offseason home in New Orleans.
“I was told there were marinas in Manhattan, on the West Side,” the player said. “But when I got to [Moonbeam], I immediately saw how nice it was, and how friendly the staff is. My boat is 40 feet, with a 12-foot beam. I need a dock with space. Now that I’ve found Moonbeam, I’m going to keep it here every time I bring it from Louisiana. My boat is an extension of myself; I’m not going to leave it at a place where it wouldn’t be properly taken care of.”
Moonbeam Gateway Marina, 3260 Flatbush Ave., (718) 252–8761.
