Mbta Commuter Boat

There is no better way to go downtown or even better to Logan. 23min to airport, that beats the crazy traffic
You can read the newspaper while having a coffee.

I have been taking the commuter boat from Hull into Boston for the past several years. I use it for commuting to work or when I want to get into the city for an evening out. The boat is timely and just a 20 minute ride from Hull to Boston. There are drinks and snacks on board for purchase. The staff on the boat are always very friendly. You can choose to sit inside the boat or on the top deck. Tickets can also be purchased on board. The boat has a number of booths and a row of chairs/​benches to sit at. I would like to remind others that the «boat people» can be territorial with there seats on the boat and when the boat gets packed during peak time people will practically ask to sit on your lap. I had an odd occurrence on the boat this morning where a woman asked if she could «squeeze in» the booth where I was sitting, When I looked at the rest of the booth, there was not an inch of space left to sit. I was situated on the end and I respectfully let her squeeze in. I tried to sit back down and half of my butt was hanging off the seat, all while trying to balance my coffee, paper and cell phone on my lap. I opted for standing the rest of the ride. Overall, its a great way to commute into the city. Just be weary of the peak times and arrive early for a spot near the window to watch the water as you cruise into Boston.

This review is for the F2 (MBTA water shuttle to Quincy). All I can say is-​magical! In laws were in town and was looking for something quintessentially Boston to do but not willing to pay a lot. Paid 8 dollars on Saturday night of fourth of July weekend for the most amazing harbor cruise! Caught the 9:35pm shuttle to Quincy, paid on the shuttle (there was no one at the booth). In Quincy, just stayed on the boat. Along the way, highlights included: 4 sets of fireworks, gorgeous Boston skyline, Boston harbor islands, cool breezes on a VERY hot day, and beer/​wine on board. Round trip was a little over an hour. Beware– it’s tricky to find the dock on Long Wharf. The shuttle to Charlestown (F4) leaves on the wharf nearest to the aquarium (when facing Marriot Long Wharf, Charlestown ferry is to the right. The F2 to Quincy is to the left of Marriot Long Wharf. Both are marked with a «T» sign. Don’t be distracted by other harbor cruises. Useful link w/​maps/​schedules:

For $ 1.70, you can ride a boat from Long Wharf to the Charlestown Navy Yard. It’s a no-​brainer.

I’m only giving four starts to this excellent, affordable, fast, and efficient commuter service because their hours are a bit too short — if they ran until 11pm, I’d be giving out five stars! We were out in Hull this past week in a rented condo and rather than deal with the nightmarish Rt3a traffic into and out of the city, we drove 2 miles down to Hull High School and used the free (and perfect spacious) parking lot for the commuter boat to Boston’s Long Wharf. A twenty minute, stress free boat ride with hot coffee or tea in the morning and fresh popped corn and beer at night on the way back! The fare was $ 6 each way and it was on time every day.

We went on the short ride from long wharf to Charlestown and it was amazing. The weather was really nice so that helped the situation but this is something that everyone should do. It’s super cheap and the views of the city are awesome. It’s crazy to think that it’s part of the MBTA. They have several different routes and the boats run often so you never have to wait very long. We then went to the USS Constitution museum and the Bunker Hill monument via the Freedom Trial. The MBTA Commuter Boat is a great cheap way to see the city from the water.

I almost want to move to Quincy and get a job downtown just so I can make my commute more fun!
I can just imagine getting out of work at 5:30 on a summer evening, hopping on the boat, grabbing a beer at the bar and heading up to the top deck for my ride home. Could it get much better than that?
I was down by the waterfront on a spring-​like February day and decided to just get on and see where the boat would take us. You really can’t beat $ 6.00 for a harbor cruise! To my surprise, the boat we boarded was headed to Quincy, and it took under 30 minutes to get there since the boat cruises at pretty high speeds once it gets going!
Take a ride on the T boat, even if you don’t want to go to Quincy, they will let you take a roundtrip ride just for fun!

Be honest. Did you know that the T offers water shuttle service? Some people know, some people don’t. It’s not as if the MBTA goes out of their way to promote it in any significant way.
I took the commuter boat from Charlestown to Long Wharf on a day of intense Freedom Trail Death March Tourism. It was just the respite that I needed. The boat was utilitarian, but nice. It was just big and fast enough to preclude any seasickness on my part. Being out on the water was just fantastic.
The routes that the T has for the boats seem somewhat impractical to me. If there were more boats coming from the South Shore, I could see this being a real benefit for commuters from, say, Hingham or Quincy. It’s also more costly.
Ok, so impractical + costly. Then the question is, why do the water taxis exist in the first place? Someone must be using them, I guess. I think it’s a damn shame that more people don’t. It’s a great way to get in and out of the city without all the crowds and smells that the subway has to offer.