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.
The authorities have since broken their silence. According to Eyewitness News, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation issued a statement saying it was aware of reports that a red dye oil had potentially impacted boats during the Four Leaf air show at Jones Beach, and that it was actively investigating the situation. It was the first public acknowledgment of the problem after boaters said their earlier inquiries had gone unanswered.
For the boat owners, the potential cost has only come into sharper focus. Some now estimate the damage to their vessels at between 10,000 and 20,000 dollars, since the affected seating will have to be fully reupholstered, and several said they had tried everything from magic erasers to bleach without success. Beyond the stains, a few also voiced concern about what they and their families may have breathed in from the low-flying planes. Notably, while several colors were released over the weekend, boaters said only the red dye left the stubborn marks.