Flyboard L.I., forced out of Riverhead by regs, heads to Port Jeff, as local man launches flyboard business in Greenport

People interested in trying the hot new sport of flyboarding will no longer be coming to downtown Riverhead to check it out.  They’ll be heading to the villages of Port Jefferson and Greenport instead.

Flyboard Long Island — Long Island’s first and, until this year, only flyboard rental and instruction business — will be operating out of Port Jefferson harbor, company founder James Bissett IV told RiverheadLOCAL today.

Bissett had been operating in sheltered waters adjacent to Treasure Cove Marina, his company’s home base. But noise complaints by neighbors prompted the town first to issue Bissett summonses charging him with violating town code provisions relating to water skiing.

Then the town board, which also became concerned about environmental impacts of the activity, adopted new code provisions forcing his operation out into the deeper waters of the bay.  That was it for Bissett, who said his business drew some 500 tourists to downtown Riverhead in its inaugural season last yerar. He’ll be operating in Port Jefferson this season, he said today.

Meanwhile, a Riverhead-born and -bred adventure-lover is setting up shop for flyboard rentals and instruction in Greenport.

Brian Carrick, 27, of Riverhead, got a green light from the Greenport Village planning board last week on his proposal to make a splash with the sport on the village waterfront.

Shaka Flyboarding Ltd. will be located on the dock at Preston’s Marina in Greenport, right next to Claudio’s and Crabby Jerry’s.

For Carrick, the business is a dream realized after years of planning. He first got hooked on the sport after watching a YouTube video about flyboards when they first came out in 2011. “I thought that flyboarding needed to make its way to Long Island,” he said.

After planning for over a year, his business plans took solid shape: Carrick will be offering flyboard instruction and rentals in 20-minute increments up to an hour; he’ll also offer group rates.

In June, a new jet pack by Zapata Racing — the company that invented the flyboard — will become available and if all goes well, Carrick hopes to offer jet pack rentals for those who might feel uncoordinated and trepidatious about using the flyboard.  Instead, those more timid souls will be able to sit in a seat “and fly around the water with zero effort.”

Carrick’s journey into business has been propelled by his passion for the sport. “Ever since I was young, the career advice has always been ‘to find something you enjoy doing’. Well, I love the water, I love being outside, and I love flyboarding, so what better career path is there than owning a flyboard business? Every day that I am out on the water with customers won’t be another day at work for me.”

To start, Carrick’s flyboarding business will operate just on weekends; after July 4, the business will be open on Fridays, as well, with hours all three days from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. During the week, Carrick works at Peconic Bay Medical Center as a radiologic technologist.

Greenport, a tourist hub in the summer, is the ideal location for those looking to flyboard, Carrick said. “Greenport is known for its small town feel, shopping on Main Street, and its harbor. By bringing the flyboard to the East End of Long Island, Shaka Flyboarding can add their chapter to the flyboard story.”

Carrick believes flyboarding will provide a unique experience for tourists and locals alike and also prove a boon to the local economy.

“I’m glad it came to Greenport,” village planning board member Chris Dowling said.”We’re a maritime village, the more activities on the water, the better,” Dowling said.

With Denise Civiletti