Airport
"so if i leave my truck parked on the ramp while im cranking a boat onto the trailer, thats considered inconsiderate? "
‘The WHITE zone is for loading and unloading only.’
No, it’s the RED zone.
‘No, it’s the WHITE zone.’
Do you need to argue about EVERYTHING?
(Go watch the movie Airplane for more clarification 
they need to know this
Tell whoever the park authority is that the kayak ramp is inferior, and why. Parks get grants to put these in, they should know whether they’re getting it right or not.
The ramp is a loading zone
I don’t leave any boat, powered or otherwise, on the ramp while I go to get my trailer or car.
I don’t stage the boat on the ramp either going or coming.
The ramp is a loading zone, not a dock or a staging area. I get annoyed with anybody that blocks the ramp for any reason other than loading unless they have absolutely no other option. Happens all the time that someone will block the ramp with their boat or sit there and arrange their gear on the ramp before launching or after loading when they are stowing rods, attaching tie downs, etc… There is a staging area for that sort of
design changes
Slush, if you were referring to my complaint a few days back about the poor paddler accommodation at Pittsburgh’s Riverfront Park, I do want to mention that the local parks authority did later get things right when they sought public feedback on a proposed design for a canoe and kayak (and now SUP) access ramp farther downriver and on the other bank (Duck Hollow). They did listen to our comments and made a much more paddlecraft friendly dedicated access area.
(Unfortunately this nice ramp is at a slight bend in the river that is also a sidestream entry area so it has been silting up badly and collecting debris. I’ve gotten my boats hung up on sand bars and concealed snags trying to launch and land, especially during low water periods. Don’t know who we would approach about getting it dredged)
Related to funding
The explanation I’ve been given is that fishermen are paying for the ramps through mandatory boating and fishing fees. Kayakers contribute nothing so we get nothing. At one lake where I paddle kayakers are prohibited from parking in the power boat lot. They have to park along the roadway a block away. This bugs me because kayaks and canoes aren’t creating water and noise pollution or costs for policing of drunk boaters.
boat launch etiquette
Okay, let me explain. We use a public dock with no fees. its free to use. What I found outrageous was this, I was first at the boat ramp, and on my way back with my dolly to get my boat. The power boats had just come in and had seen me park my boat on the ramp to load it onto my trailer. I was not going to be holding them up by any means. I was loaded and almost back to my trailer when they were backing up their truck and trailer. I don’t know about you but what I was pissed off at was the fact that they just up and moved my boat. I have always been considerate of other boaters and this one time I wanted an easy load onto my boat trailer. But with the launch being full of loose gravel and not having 4x4 I had to use my dolly. There was plenty of room left on the beside my boat for their boat which they used then moved my boat. I was not causing them any delay in their busy lives.
You’re assuming they associated ypu
And the kayak.
Seems simple but that is often not the assumption the other users make
Just keep your boat to the side in the first place
Yesterday on the Silver River in FL there was a huge troop of Scouts that had three dozen kayaks all over the hand carry launch. Rather than get upset because while the boys were packing camping gear and should not have hogged the launch we used the busy motorboat launch. And moved smartly to remove the boat so that trailer skippers had enough room
No launch sites are not free. Sometimes they are funded by motorboat registration fees. Sometimes by other means
don’t touch my boat…
given all the circumstances previously mentioned, the bottom line is don’t mess with someone else’s boat/craft/kayak. Would one even consider moving some else’s power boat? We all boat on water and should be considerate of another. “Do onto others as …”. Peace be with you all.
Huh?
You were loaded and almost back to your trailer when the were backing up onto the ramp… which means that when they first arrived your boat was on the ramp somewhere because you were still retrieving your cart.
Same answer. If the kayak is on any part of the ramp the motor boats are using, it should not be surprising if someone comes up and moves it.
Maybe you are in the clear
You say your boat was off to the side and that they had plenty of room. If that’s the case, maybe there’s nothing different that you could have done.
Still, rather than “leaving enough room” I always make sure that anyone can clearly see that I have made a real effort to be totally out of the way. If the average powerboater sees that you are trying not to use more than your share of the ramp (and anything that’s not right on the edge, or completely off the edge is more than your share), he will be so happy that you aren’t like the paddlers that stick in his memory. Also, could it be that the guy backing up his truck wasn’t 100 percent sure he’d be able to miss your boat? Not everyone can back up a trailer flawlessly using mirrors, and there’d be no way to see something as low as your boat if the driver were looking out his back window.
That said, no one here has disagreed with you about the fact that no one should have moved your boat, but the fact is, plenty of powerboaters view kayaks as mere toys and wouldn’t see any harm in dragging one out of the way. That doesn’t make it right, but no one should be surprised if it happens. Safest bet is to make sure no powerboater ever feels like moving it might be the thing to do. Do you want to be “right”, or do you want to have no conflicts?
hah, yeah
Rule #2 is “Don’t block the ramp”.
Rule #1 is “Don’t touch anybody’s stuff without invitation irrespective of whether or not they are blocking the ramp”
good to know they were responsive
in improving the launch.
As for funding, we get the same story around here. Nevermind that a launch or fishing dock can benefit each other.
and mescaline?
or just spiders?
throws poisonous spiders in my rig
I think I understand that.
"rec powerboat right of way"
There is no distinction in the inland navigation rules for recreational vs. commercial vessels. Lobster boat travelling from A to B, Picnic Yacht out for a cruise, Sailboat under power, kayak - all these are in the same navigational class as far as right of way are concerned.
Sometimes you HAVE to
– Last Updated: Jun-03-15 8:15 PM EST –
use the ramp. There is no beach. There is only weeds and signs that say keep out of weeds. If you paddle alone and can't keep your cart in the kayak then where the heck do you put your kayak??? If you leave it on the dock it's in the way too and even more of a tripping hazard. If you can't afford a lighter boat what do you do? Stay home??? this is still America and state owned ramps are open to the public for use. The power boater was out of line.
The equipment is there
I have spent more time than usual in my basement this last week, getting 30 years of stuff cleared out of it. Without having gotten to pulling together and organizing all the kayak gear yet, I have come across three sizes and shapes of wheels to attach under the end of a kayak to be able to easily wheel it away. Two of them would fit inside the hatch of most of the kayaks down there, one would fit inside all of the sea kayak even with the 10 inch round hatches and I know of a set similar to that one that folds even smaller when needed.
Similar options exist with a canoe, while the wheels have to be bigger you also have more liberty in terms of space to stow them.
This seems akin to those who want to argue that paddle boats should have the right of way over motor boats. Yes, you can hang out in the middle of the channel and play chicken with a lobster boat coming in on autopilot at the end of the day and no one in the wheel house to see you. But why in the heck would you want to when a paddle boat usually has perfectly good water to paddle in the shallows. Similarly, why would you leave a boat that you cared about in the way of motor boaters when all it would take is maybe a $40 set of wheels to keep it out of harm’s way?