No joke! Pete Davidson’s big bucks party boat plan still afloat: report

Dean Balsamini
·3 min read
A composite photo of Colin Jost and Pete Davidson and two separate photos of the Staten Island Ferry, John F. Kennedy boat
Two years after SNL Staten Island buds Pete Davidson and Colin Jost forked over $280,000 for a decommissioned 1965-built Staten Island Ferry, the punchline is the duo is working with a high-powered architect to transform the old John F. Kennedy vessel into an entertainment destination, according to a report in Curbed.
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Saturday Night Live buds Pete Davidson and Colin Jost are working with a high-powered architect to keep afloat their dream of transforming a decommissioned Staten Island ferry into an entertainment destination, according to a report.

Just when it seems the nearly 60-year-old John F. Kennedy ferry, which the pair bought two years ago for more than $280,000, was going to be left to rot, Curbed reported Davidson and Jost have hired Ron Castellano to help rehabilitate the vessel.

“It’s going to have a lot of things. I think right now, we have six bars and two venues, operated separately or combined. We have outdoor event space, we have two restaurants”— in addition to 24 hotel rooms, said Castellano, who developed the Garfield at 142 Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights and the Nine Orchard Hotel, which occupies a former bank off Canal Street.

Pete Davidson and Colin Jost paid $280,000 for a decommissioned 1965-built Staten Island Ferry in hopes of turning it into an entertainment destination. @chadrock/Chad Rachman
Pete Davidson and Colin Jost paid $280,000 for a decommissioned 1965-built Staten Island Ferry in hopes of turning it into an entertainment destination. @chadrock/Chad Rachman
Jost and Davidson supposedly “have input” and “see everything” during the overhaul of the ferry. WireImage
Jost and Davidson supposedly “have input” and “see everything” during the overhaul of the ferry. WireImage
The nearly 60-year-old ferry has sat in a decrepit state off Staten Island’s north shore ever since Davidson, Jost and comedy club owner Paul Italia purchased it in 2022. NYC DCAS
The nearly 60-year-old ferry has sat in a decrepit state off Staten Island’s north shore ever since Davidson, Jost and comedy club owner Paul Italia purchased it in 2022. NYC DCAS

The big bucks venture for a floating nightclub appeared to have turned into an unfunny eyesore with pieces falling off it just last month, The Post reported.

The JFK Ferry is listed on the website for Castellano’s firm, Studio Castellano, as a project he’s working on for “JFK Partners.”

There is no mention of Davidson or Jost.

The project has a budget of $34 million and a floor plan of 65,000 square feet, according to the website.

The venue’s aesthetics will harken back to 1965, when the vessel was built, Castellano told Curbed.

The architect shared he, Davidson, Jost, and their partner, comedy club owner Paul Italia, regularly meet to discuss the ferry.

The plan for the ferry includes six bars and two venues, operated separately or combined. Gabriella Bass
The plan for the ferry includes six bars and two venues, operated separately or combined. Gabriella Bass
The project has a budget of $34 million and a floor plan of 65,000 square feet, according to the website for Ron Castellano’s firm, Studio Castellano. Gabriella Bass
The project has a budget of $34 million and a floor plan of 65,000 square feet, according to the website for Ron Castellano’s firm, Studio Castellano. Gabriella Bass

“They [Davidson and Jost] have input. They see everything,” said Castellano.

A brief video shown on the website last month revealed his renderings for each floor: a top deck furnished with patio tables set with umbrellas, another floor with two rows of hotel rooms that open onto sundecks, and a lower level with two clubs, the outlet reported.

The plan is for the boat to go between Miami and New York City, Castellano said.

Castellano, Davidson and Jost did not immediately return messages Saturday.

When the ship was auctioned off in Jan. 2022, it was listed in “poor condition” because of mechanical issues, but the hull was in good shape.

The planned floating nightclub appeared to be an unfunny eyesore with pieces falling from it, the Post recently reported. Gabriella Bass
The planned floating nightclub appeared to be an unfunny eyesore with pieces falling from it, the Post recently reported. Gabriella Bass

The ferry used to commute up to 5,200 passengers daily before it was taken off duty in 2021.

Davidson, 30, warned last year on Seth Meyers’ “Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers” podcast the overhaul of the boat could take about five years.

He said the plan is to completely gut the inside, which had bench style-seating.

The outside is intended to remain as true to its current form as possible, “The King of Staten Island” actor also said.