Even during the 200th anniversary celebration of the Erie Canal, demand for boat slips at Wide Waters Marina remained sparse.
City Treasurer Sue Mawhiney said of the nearly 40 boat slips available, only five were rented during the anniversary year in 2025, bringing in $1,870.50. In 2024, seven slips were rented.
When asked what boaters are looking for, Rob Smith, sales manager at Smith Boys boat dealership in Tonawanda, didn’t think it was the Erie Canal.
“Nobody wants to ride up and down the canal,” Smith said. “It’s boring. Five miles per hour? You think your 10-year-old wants to idle in your boat up and down the canal? They want bow riding and tubing,” he said of being towed behind the boat for a thrill ride.
Describing canal cruising, Smith said, “You can look at the leaves turn color for a day in autumn.”
Craig said the city received feedback that Wide Water’s Marina fees were high for the area, and fees were adjusted this year. Craig said that would hopefully make a difference in utilization.
“We’re kind of in a little bit of a recession,” Craig said, and high fuel costs may be a deterrent to boaters.
Kathryn Fogle, 4th Ward alderman, also said that Lockport had become known for high fuel costs.
Smith didn’t seem to think costs were the key factor. While he described recent boat sales as “quiet,” Smith said it was mostly due to cold and rainy weather.
“It’s more weather than anything else,” he said. “You can say gas prices, but that only affects the new boater who doesn’t know what they’re going to spend.
Smith said a 20% increase in any boater’s spending range isn’t a significant deterrent.
“An extra $200 isn’t going to kill them,” Smith said.
Supervisor John Syracuse closely watches boating trends and revenues at the Town of Newfane marina.
“I think there’s a wider variety of opportunities that open up with a large body of water,” he said. “You look at sport fishing — it’s second to none here. With the canal, you can’t sail. I don’t think you can jet ski in the canal. But I’ve heard boaters say if you use the canal system, you can go all the way to Florida. They both have wonderful opportunities.”
Syracuse said he’s seen fewer of the 16- to 18-foot boats, owned by locals, docked at Newfane’s marina. He said now residents mostly stay for just the day. But overnight docking revenue adds up — with a $12,500 in May, he said. The marina brought in $2,100 in daily launches last month, Syracuse said, and made $4,100 in fish cleaning fees at $2 per fish. He said fishing events were an important driver for the marina business.
Last August, a canal-side performance by the Flotsam River Circus brought its troupe of musicians, circus performers and puppeteers to perform on their barge-mounted theatre tied up at Goehle Park adjacent to Wide Waters Marina.
The event attracted an audience of 1,000 people, said Jayson Lembke, partner in Wide Waters Grill.
“That really opened our eyes,” he said.