We had a wonderful time on the housebarge. There were four of us, two adults and two children (9 and 12) and we did not feel that it was too small. The kids thought it was very cool. The housebarge is well equipped but what really made our stay great was the hospitality offered by Angus and Lisa. They were so attentive and helpful from the moment we booked to the last moment of our stay. All our questions were answered promptly, and they took us every day to the subway station (20 minute walk or bus ride away). They even picked us up from the subway and from Coney Island once.
Lisa gave us great tips for dining and things to do in the area and although we were often in Manhattan we followed her advice and never once regretted it. The best was getting fresh steamed lobster from Jordan's Lobster restaurant around the corner and eating it on the roof terrace of the boat as the sun went down.
We had no problem using the housebarge as a base to go to downtown Manhattan. We calculated it took us around 40 minutes to get to Brooklyn Heights and 55 minutes-60 minutes to get to Grand Central Station.
We have no reservation about recommending this place if you want a different special visit. Kids will love the adventure too.