Parking and launch access are free. There can be a good deal of boat traffic on the river, especially ferries, but if you are careful, you can paddle around the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The museum in the old railroad/ferry terminal is another point of interest.
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The Manasquan Canal is off-limits.
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More of a pond than a lake, only about half a mile long, but accessible in Thompson Park. Never actually been there. Nearby Swimming River Reservoir is completely off-limits, even to the people that live on it!
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Mercer Lake is actually a big gravel pit that was dug out for highway fill. In 1975, someone got the bright idea of damming it off, and it turned into one of the nicest lakes in the state. The lake fills from a creek to the east, and the water is very clean. Mercer county turned the whole area into a beautiful park, great for all sorts of other activities as well.
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The Manasquan Canal is off-limits.
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The Navesink River is more like a big brackish lake, except where it narrows-down and connects to Raritan Bay. While it is tidal, most of the river has negligible current, although it is wide enough to get choppy if the wind is strong. The water is generally clean, unlike the nearby Swimming River. Boat traffic is not too bad either.
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Dragonflies
Dragonflies are aerial predators with a strong liking for water, so you are very likely to get 'buzzed' while out kayaking. They are harmless to humans. Dragonfly larvae are fully aquatic little nightmares. There are many kinds of dragonflies in the region, too many to list.
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