The decommissioned Staten Island ferry that former “SNL” star Pete Davidson bought two years ago with grand plans to make into a floating nightclub has instead become an unfunny “eyesore” – with pieces just falling off of it.
The nearly 60-year-old John F. Kennedy has sat in a decrepit state off Staten Island’s north shore ever since Davidson, fellow “Saturday Night Live” comedian Colin Jost and comedy club owner Paul Italia paid $280,000 for it in 2022.
“I walk past that ferry almost every day, and have not once seen anybody work on it since Davidson bought the thing,” said John Marchesi, 49, who was walking his dog in a nearby park.
“I think he and his buddy bought it on a whim and realized it would cost a fortune to fix it up,” he said. “So it’s just sitting there waiting to spring a leak. Look at it. It belongs on the scrap yard.”
But while it still floats at Caddell Dry Dock off West Brighton, the massive boat is apparently missing one of its life preservers that was recently discovered by an eagled-eyed treasure hunter.
Staten Island father-of-three Louis DeFeo found the bright orange life preserver stamped with the name “John F. Kennedy” on Jan. 30 while he was getting fresh air near Snug Harbor about a half-mile from where the boat is docked.
“I noticed it was retired. It looked like something that would be on the ferry. It didn’t look like a regular vest,” DeFeo told The Post. “So it intrigued me and I immediately Googled ‘John F Kennedy,’ and I saw Pete Davidson and Colin are renovating it for a venue.”
As a lifelong “SNL” fan, DeFeo said he’d be thrilled to give the life preserver back to Davidson in-person.
“Anything that represents Staten Island, I’m a huge fan of,” said DeFeo, of Annandale, who runs a YouTube page “Indiana Tones.” “We get a bad rap, and there are many good things in this borough that you don’t know about.”
While it’s unclear how or when the vest went overboard, it doesn’t appear much, if any, work has gone into the ferry.
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 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 of the former passenger bench style-seating in order to transform it into a comedy and entertainment venue. The outside is intended to remain as true to its current form as possible, “The King of Staten Island” actor also said.
“We’re gonna keep what we can and just repurpose, make sure it’s nice, but it’ll be the Staten Island Ferry,” he said on the podcast.
Calls and messages to Italia, who is also a real estate agent, about the ferry’s progress were not returned this week. Davidson and Jost also couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
NYC Councilman Joe Borelli (R-Staten Island) is rooting for the group’s success, even if it might take time.
“I would give anything to see Pete Davidson and Colin Jost redevelop this thing into something fantastic, and if they need help, there are a lot of Staten Islanders in government that would be willing to help make it happen,” said Borelli, the City Council’s minority leader.
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella also wants to Davidson and Jost to succeed considering their Staten Island roots.
“We will do anything we can to help them, assuming they need our help” he told The Post. “We’d love to see them be successful with the boat.”
Local resident Linda Adria, 55, also hopes something is done with the 277-foot, 4.2-million pound ship.
“It’s kind of an eyesore,” she told The Post. “Maybe they should retire it for good, if you know what I mean.”
