Boaters at Jones Beach say a day meant for spectacle has left them with a costly mess. Several people reached out to News 12's newsroom to report that the Four Leaf air show at Jones Beach had left their boats damaged, after red dye from the event settled onto their vessels and left behind stains they say will not come out.
For at least one boat owner, the damage is far from cosmetic. The boaters say the red dye landed across their boats and left stubborn stains, and one of them estimated that the cost to repair his vessel could run to about $13,000, a hefty bill for what was supposed to be a summer afternoon on the water.
The boaters trace the staining directly to the show overhead. One of them said that one of the planes had burgundy smoke coming out of it, a color that he described as exactly the same shade as the stains that ended up all over the interior of his boat.
The frustration appears to reach well beyond those who contacted the newsroom. According to the same boater, hundreds of boat owners have been complaining on Facebook about the same problem, venting online about the marks left on their vessels after the event.
So far, those affected say they have been left without clear answers. News 12 said it reached out to the New York State Parks Department and to Four Leaf for more information, but had not heard back, with the dispute unfolding in the heart of the boating community's busy summer season.
For now, the boat owners are left to weigh the cost of repairs largely on their own. With the stains proving difficult to remove and the potential bills reaching into the thousands of dollars, the boaters are looking for answers over an air show that, they say, left a lasting and expensive mark on their vessels.