Water on the
WATER?
Sea the City in a Luxury Hot Tub By Tara Ryazansky Photo by Tina Winslow
B
oats bob in the water at Liberty Landing Marina. Docked amongst the yachts and sailboats is a large catamaran that’s different from all the rest. It blends in well enough with its welldesigned aesthetic, but it certainly isn’t like the others. It’s Sea the City’s hot tub boat, the first and only one of its kind in the New York City area. “I don’t think it stands out at first glance, but when people inspect it a little closer they start to inquire about what exactly it is. You can’t always see the hot tubs when you’re standing at the dock looking,” says Adam Schwartz, the owner and founder of Sea the City.
Unique Ride On the deck, it’s clear just how unique of a ride this boat offers. It allows passengers to see the city while hanging out in luxury hot tubs. Sea the City has been operating out of the marina for seven seasons as a jet ski rental business. “I am a lifelong boater. When I was about 40 years old I decided to make my passion my business. That’s when I started my jet ski business,” says
Schwartz, who previously worked as a business consultant. “I was always looking for another business to expand into.” “A couple of years ago, I started to see all of these very small hot tub boats that exist around the world. They’re in London, Amsterdam, Seattle, Vancouver, basically you rent them and they’re just sort of off the waterline. They’re for very calm waterways. That’s not what we have here,” Schwartz gestures toward the hectic harbor. Still, Schwartz was intrigued and wondered if there was a way to make a boat like that work in the busy waters of Jersey City.
Starting From Scratch “I’m a lifelong New Yorker so my mentality is always sort of like, there’s nothing we shouldn’t have here,” he says with a laugh. “I started thinking about how we could adapt that concept to the much more active water that we have in New York Harbor. I started putting together that idea of having a much bigger platform, and larger tubs with a captain and crew. We worked with boat builders. We found a boat builder who had experience in the harbor. We started from scratch.”
The result was a 40-foot-long vessel fitted with two hot tubs. “It’s built specifically for the purpose we’re using it for, and the waterway that we’re in,” Schwartz explains. The boat launched in September 2020. “COVID was an issue, but outdoor activities and water sports in general were all the rage. We had a very, very strong year. The feedback from the get-go was very positive. People really enjoyed having an outdoor space to socialize in. It’s a great way to see the city,” Schwartz says. “We’re very fortunate. You always wonder how it will go when you have a new concept. It’s a pretty cool way to make a living and spend your time among people who are just overwhelmingly in a good mood.”
Enjoy the View How could you be in a bad mood while relaxing in a hot tub and taking in the views along the Hudson? Schwartz typically takes guests out of the marina and toward the Statue of Liberty where they hang out for a while, and, of course, take lots of photos.
