How to get started

Stop by and give it a try!

Ever walked by Central Park Conservatory Water and thought, "That looks like fun" or "Wonder how hard it is to sail one of those boats?"  Want to get a feel for model sailing before actually buying a boat?  Check out these options:

If you like competing and love racing, stop by any Saturday from early April to mid-November, between 10 AM to 1 PM and introduce yourself.  We'll show you how it's done and let you give it a try.

You can also email us through our Contact page, let us know you'd like to give it a try, and we'll set up a convenient time for a test sail. 

Thinking about buying a boat?

There are many great classes of boats on the market. A good place to explore what's available and who's sailing them is the American Model Yachting Association's "Boats" page.

If you're interesting in racing, we always suggest buying the class of boat your local club races.  Our club races the International One Metre (IOM), the fastest growing racing class in the world.  On the one hand, they can sound expensive to someone new to the sport. A good second-hand boat can be found for around $600 to $1,600.  And new best-in-class IOM's can cost several thousand dollars (not what we'd recommend for beginners). But if you buy wisely, they hold their value.  So if you decide to upgrade or get out, you'll recoup a good percentage of your investment.

The club usually has a few pre-owned boats available for sale at the boathouse.

More info

Also check out the entire American Model Yacht Association's website.  It's a great resource for exploring different boats, sails, parts, accessories, other clubs and their locations, how- to's, and just about everything else connected with model sail boating. 

Racing on the pond

On Saturdays between 10 AM till 1 PM, from early April to late November, we race the International One Metre (IOM), the world's fastest growing RC class of radio control sailboat.  While it's a fast, nimble high-tech design, it's also more affordable than many similar size classes. (Read more)

Where to find us

Just inside Central Park off 5th Avenue between 72nd and 76th Streets you’ll find Central Park Conservatory Water where CPMYC has been sailing since 1916. Right next to the pond is Kerbs Memorial Boathouse where we store our boats from April through November.

 

Storing your boat

During most of the sailing season we store our boats next to the pond inside Kerbs Memorial Boathouse, which was  sponsored in 1954 by Jenne E. Kerbs in memory of her parents Alice H. and Edward A. Kerbs who enjoyed watching the boats from their 74th St and 5th Ave window.  If you’re in the area, stick your head inside the boathouse and check out our  collection of over 100 sailboats.  Or stop by some Saturday  morning, watch us race and introduce yourself. 

If you're interested in storing a model yacht at the boathouse, stop by the first floor of the Arsenal building just inside Central Park at East 64th Street.  Permits become available in late February/early March. They cost $20 for the season which extends from early April until mid November.  And there are a limited number of spaces in the boathouse so apply early if you want to be assured of a spot.

Rules of Conservatory Water

Out of respect for the many visitors to Conservatory Water safety and the local wildlife, the Central Park Conservancy has establish the set of rules shown in the photo below that we fully support and hope you will too. These include NO MOTORIZED BOATS. Thanks for your cooperation.

Become a CPMYC Member

Do you live more than 50 miles from New York Central Park but would still like to support or become a member of one of the oldest, most recognized model Yacht clubs in the world? Click on the link below. 

Please keep in mind, this is an application to become a CPMYC Member - this is NOT an application for a boat storage permit.
Those must be purchased through the NYC Parks Department "Permits" window at the Arsenal Building just inside Central Park off of 5th Ave. at 64th St. 

We welcome your support.  But member or not, we welcome you to join us on the water soon. 

2025 Membership application

Helpful Links

Suppliers of Tools, Materials and Supplies
Du-bro - parts

Horizon Hobbies - Spektrum radios and other serious RC supplies

MAS Epoxies - marine grade epoxies and supplies

Micro Fasteners - small hard-to-finds

Micro-Mark - small scale hand and power tools, supplies

Midwest Model Yachting - range of boat stuff

Model Yacht Fittings - solid brass fittings

SAILSetc - part, rigs, sails, boats

ServoCity - servos and related

Small Parts - small parts, power and hand tools, 3D printing, finishing
Tower Hobbies - heavy-duty supplier of everything RC related

West Systems - marine grade epoxies and supplies

Worth Marine - Pekabe fittings