Page 29: of Marine News Magazine (January 2026)

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Feature

Fire Island Ferries here are ferry operators, and then there are ferry operators whose names are inseparable

Tim Mooney is the from the place they serve. Fire Island Ferries falls squarely into the latter category. Since third-generation family

T 1948, the company has been a signi? cant ma- member at the helm of rine artery connecting Long Island’s South Shore to the car-free communities of Fire Island’s western end, moving the iconic Fire Island residents, summer visitors, tradespeople, freight and just about everything else that keeps island life running.

Ferries. While the

Today, that legacy is carried forward by Tim Mooney, company’s primary third-generation owner and operator, who joined the busi- ness full-time in 2004. Under Mooney’s leadership, Fire focus has been moving

Island Ferries has quietly evolved into a diversi? ed marine people to and fro, transportation and services company, while staying ? erce- ly focused on reliability, safety and a ? eet strategy built from the Long Island, around building quality boats from the start, maintaining and repowering them as needed to keep a steady stream of

NY mainland to the passengers – nearly 1 million per year by Mooney’s count

Fire Island barrier – ? owing steadily between Long Island and Fire Island.

communities and

All in the Family

Mooney’s path into the family business wasn’t straight, beaches, the business clear or pre-ordained. He didn’t grow up dreaming of run- has evolved and grown ning a ferry company, but a con? uence of interest and cir- cumstance led to his leadership of the family business.

since its start in 1948

Mooney grew up sailing, as a teen immersed in racing and instructing at Bay Shore Yacht Club, working sum- via acquisition and mers as a sailing instructor. When his father suggested it organic growth. Mooney was time to come work for the family ferry business — weekends included — Mooney chose a different route, discuss the assets, the opting instead to work for a sailmaking company through people and the priorities high school before heading off to college. The direction of his career changed in 2004, when his father began thinking to safely, ef? ciently about stepping back. “He said he wanted to go to Florida more and play some golf,” Mooney recalls with a laugh, “and keep his cumulative he asked if I was interested in coming in.” The timing was operation of moving right, so Mooney joined the business and never looked back.

Two decades later, the company is now seeing its own gen- about one million people erational transition, with two of Mooney’s four children already involved in the business. “I’m pretty happy; I’ve annually in good order.

got both an exit strategy and continuity.”

By Greg Trauthwein

By the Numbers: A Seasonal Powerhouse

Fire Island Ferries’ footprint is larger and more complex www.marinelink.com MN 29|