Metro

Tough row for NYC canoeists

A breach of nautical protocol has rival Queens and Brooklyn paddlers battling in federal court.

What originally seemed like a good idea — the union of the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club and the Long Island City Community Boathouse — has sunk to the depths of Davy Jones’ Locker, with clashing personalities and competing visions lying at its core.

Owen Foote, a co-founder of the Gowanus Dredgers, says the controversy intensified after his canoe club passed a resolution to kick out Erik Baard, a Long Island City activist and freelance writer.

“The main issue was insubordination,” Foote told The Post. “He was a former [Dredger trustee board] secretary who was a helpful volunteer, but it was inability to follow the chain of command that led to him being asked to leave.”

Baard counters that the leadership of the Gowanus club essentially launched a mutiny to commandeer control of the Long Island City group and its East River fleet of canoes.

“The Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club is a much smaller organization . . . in terms of fleet size, volunteer base, community served,” Baard wrote to the judge.

“The LIC Community Boathouse affiliated with, but never agreed to surrender self-ownership to the Gowanus Dredgers,” he wrote.

Baard fired his latest broadside last week, asking a judge to scuttle any plans to remove canoes, kayaks and paddling equipment from the Queens boathouse until the suit has been decided.