Just bought a 400SS in Deeetroit. At some point we want to make the trip across erie, through the canal to the Hudson river. Then on to New York and down the east coast. Any thoughts? Are there guests slips available June-July in NYC. At what $$? Best marinas in the Hudson river? Does the erie canal have tubelock traffic in the summer?
Eventually we will end up in the gulf in a year. We are planning to do this a couple weeks at a time and explore the areas.
Start in June? Local Knowledge? Thanks

Man am I jealous. Some day I would love to make a trip like that.

We stayed at Watertown Marina just North of the city 30mi? Nice and regular rates. North Newburg was very cool. Nice waterfront and welcoming. In the city we visited Liberty Landing behind "The Statue" All nice that time of year. Locals should check in and get more detailed. We loved it. Rolling thru Bear Mountain/West Point at 50-60 thru the bends in the river... I'm not a fan of a city so seeing it from the water was perfect.

We ran out in the Atlantic and up by Coney Island but the East River was closed for a body recovery... no shnitz. Why we stayed on the boat/docks in the city

I'd come down the Hudson into the LI sound.
Hit essex CT, Newport RI, Martha's Vinyard, Nantucket, block island, montauk, greenport , sag harbor, fire island, and then back to the city and southbound.

How available are guest slips in The NY area? Sounds like I should bring the 382 also?

During the peak weekends(re: holiday) it can be tight, but I think you should be fine.
When are you considering doing this?

june-july ish

You'll be fine.
I still think you should round LI. Really special spots

You just need to start planning now, route and marinas.

I'm a Captain for Erie Canal Cruises which leaves out of Herkimer, NY. I'm very familiar with the canal system. The ice is starting to break up and the hydrologists will start filling the land cuts and bringing the levels up in about a month. There are many good resources for boaters. Search out Great Loop sites too for info, especially regarding the ICW and inland waterways. PM if you have any specific questions. It's an amazing journey and the Flight of Five in Waterford is worth the trip alone.

http://www.canals.ny.gov/boating/index.html

http://www.captainjohn.org/

The big thing I remember when I was looking into it is there is a SPEED LIMIT.... There was only a few areas where you could run fast and that was crossing over 2 or 3 lakes. If you do speed the lock master will know... So with that said you will have a lot of idle time... Not a bad thing but it's good to know what your getting into. It wouldn't detour me. I would love to do it one day.