How much did Colin Jost pay for the ferry?

Jost and Davidson first purchased the decommissioned Staten Island Ferry boat for $280,100 with plans to turn it into New York's hottest club.



In January 2022, Saturday Night Live stars Colin Jost and Pete Davidson, along with real estate broker Paul Italia, purchased the decommissioned Staten Island Ferry boat named the John F. Kennedy for $280,100. The vessel was sold at a New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services auction after it was retired from 56 years of service. Jost and Davidson famously joked on SNL about the purchase, with Davidson later admitting they were "very stoned" when they decided to buy the 277-foot ship. Their ambitious plan for 2026 involves transforming the historic ferry into a multi-purpose floating entertainment venue, featuring a nightclub, restaurants, and event spaces. However, as of early 2026, the project remains in a state of expensive "work in progress," with the boat currently docked in Staten Island as the owners navigate the significant logistical and financial hurdles of refurbishing a massive, aging industrial vessel into a safe and modern public hospitality space in New York Harbor.

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Jost also poked fun at the situation, writing, We're excited to prove the non-believers wrong. You're going to be BEGGING to get on this ferry in two years. Mark my words. Jost and Davidson first purchased the decommissioned Staten Island Ferry boat for $280,100 with plans to turn it into New York's hottest club.

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Saturday Night Live stars Davidson and Jost, along with comedy club owner Paul Italia, had plans to turn the ferry into New York City's next hottest club when they purchased the vessel. The ferry was auctioned off by New York City's Department of Citywide Administrative Services for $280,100.

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Pete Davidson is seemingly having second thoughts on a big purchase he made with his former Saturday Night Live co-star Colin Jost. The duo bought a decommissioned Staten Island ferry boat back in 2022 and since then have not found a use for it.

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Eliminating the ferry fare was seen as an action to standardize Staten Islanders' MetroCard fares with those of commuters in other boroughs. Despite the fact that the ferry fare had netted $6 million in annual revenue for the city, its abolition only cost the city about $1 million.

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The Staten Island Ferry provides service every day, year-round. It is free to ride the ferry. Travel time in either direction between St. George and Whitehall is approximately 25 minutes.

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To put cars on the ferry would require a major security checkpoint, DeSimone said. It's not as simple as just driving down here, there's a whole bevy of regulations the Coast Guard would require. Vehicles haven't been allowed on the Staten Island Ferry since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

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It's FREE and you can either get off and spend some time on Staten Island, or simply disembark, walk around and get back on the ferry returning to Manhattan. It is about an hour round-trip.

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