Photo by drtana

Jack’s Boathouse, which serviced canoers, kayakers, and other Potomac River navigators for 68 years, is officially a thing of the past. The boat launch at 3500 Water Street NW is now known as Key Bridge Boathouse, following the eviction of Jack’s Boathouse after the National Park Service, which runs the Georgetown waterfront, said the venerable business did not have a proper lease.

While Jack’s Boathouse owner Paul Simkin attempted to fight the eviction with an ultimately unsuccessful lawsuit, NPS opened the site to bidders and awarded a concession contract to B&G Outdoor Recreation, Inc., a Boston company with several boat rental facilities scattered around Massachusetts. The boathouse site was leased from the District government in 1982, but the waterfront was turned over to the federal government in 1987. In his suit, Simkin argued that because of various amendments to the deed that authorized the transfer, the land should actually be back under D.C.’s control with him as the tenant.

But a judge disagreed, and dismissed the suit last month, clearing the way for B&G Outdoor Recreation to set up shop. The website for Key Bridge Boathouse popped up today, featuring a quite visible logo showing its status as an NPS authorized concessioner.

The prices listed by Key Bridge Boathouse are actually a bit cheaper than what Jack’s listed. Adult kayaks are now $14 an hour, down from $15, while canoes will be rented out at $25 per hour per boat, rather than the per-person rate Jack’s charged. The Washington Post’s Mike DeBonis also reports that Key Bridge Boathouse has kept on many employees from Jack’s Boathouse.

At least it seems that Jack’s Boathouse isn’t being erased. On its website Key Bridge Boathouse has a page for a biography of Jack Baxter, the veteran D.C. cop who opened the boathouse in 1945 after 11 years walking the Georgetown waterfront beat.