You might want to take a look at NC
We get all of what you mentioned above and free put-ins on almost all lakes and rivers, and it is all free.
Naturaloy it is coming out of our taxes, but there are no registration fees.
Cheers,
JackL
Lowhead dams
are marked on most Ohio rivers. On the Muskingum, which has eleven hand-operated locks (last hand-operated locks in the US) kayaks and canoes can lock through all season for $15. Given the limited traffic, the state surely loses money operating the locks.
Water access isn’t free anywhere there are roads, ramps, dredged waterways, harbors, dams, etc. You–or someone else–pays for them, one way or another.
Even more…
I’m building a SOF and was getting the forms downloaded from the state to register it. There’s a field to fill in that calls for a HIN (Hull ID Number). I figured since it was a homemade boat and didn’t have a HIN, I’d just leave it blank. But out of curiosity I called the office in Columbus and told them of the situation. They said I had to take the boat to the nearest regional inspection station (90 miles away) and have the boat “inspected” at which time they would issue a HIN. THEN I could register the boat and get my little $20 sticker. Jeeze.
Joe
Ohio doesn’t hate paddlers
My understanding is that the DNR folks routinely check up on paddlers to see if they are registered but I’ve seen no evidence of malice.
I applaud the DNR guys at Yankee Springs in Michigan though. 4th of July weekend they were patroling the very crowded waters of Gun Lake and helping out folks who needed a hand here and there.
not required in NC
and if they ever pass a law “requiring” registration i’m not going to submit to it anyway. let 'em find some other way to pay for all their graft and pork barrels … it’s not coming out of my pocket, that’s for sure !!!
No, water access is not free. I pay for
it through state taxes, federal taxes, some local taxes, property taxes, sales tax, gasoline tax, and, for boat ramps, my fishing license. I pay for water access everytime I go to a state park or a National Forest campground that has a boat ramp. The lock operations are paid for with other taxes probably. The ONLY reason for states to register paddle craft is to enhance revenue. As for motor boat owners who complain about paddle craft at boat ramps, the fees for motor boats probably paid very little of the cost of the ramp, if any.
Not quit (locks in NY)
There are hand operated locks in rivers between the Saranac Lakes, in NY.
No registration in NJ
There is no state registration for kayaks and such in NJ.
You have to pay or have a fishing license to put in at some state-owned lakes.
Not qute (locks in NY)
There are hand operated locks in rivers between the Saranac Lakes, in NY.
Try “not quite”
Comical?
Again, I find it comical that people who wouldn’t bat an eye at paying $800 for a drysuit so they can paddle their $1600 kayak with a $300 paddle are complaining about a $5-$15 yearly fee.
I don’t know how it is in your parts, but here in Ohio, those dam warning signs are on many rivers no power boat could possibly navigate and the dedicated canoe/kayak put-ins are totally useless for anything but their purpose. I don’t have any problem forking up $5 a year ($15 for 3 years)considering the services that money provides me and others.
Do you complain roads cost money to maintain as well? Maybe the argument would work for the multitudes driving SUVs since that type of vehicle ostensibly doesn’t need roads, even though 9 out 10 of those gas guzzlers show no signs of ever having been any farther from pavement than a gravel parking lot.
Is the tiny DNR fee you have to pay the biggest social injustice you face? Wanna trade lives?
Phreon
it’s not the $$$ it’s the principal - -
if they took that money and dedicated it to doing something having to do with kayaking specifically … heck, even boating in general, i’d have no problem.
this is not the case however. we don’t need boat put-in’s here in North Carolina … the rivers and Sounds are loaded with them. every river flowing into the Albemarle Sound for example, has public boat access throughout their length or non-private lands which give easy access to them.
virtually the entire length of the Outer Banks has public areas to launch a boat into the ocean and free parking to boot. this isn’t florida or new jersey where you have to pay through the nose in order to use your kayak.
i will say up front that i don’t know what i’m about to say is fact, but i’m betting there’s more than a little truth to it. in other states where registration of boats is required, i’ll bet that if any part of the fee involved goes to anything at all having to do with you getting your boat into the water, it’s a damn small percentage. most of it goes to pay school taxes, or fund this or that pork project which some senator or congressman thought of while sitting on the toilet. some of them are amazing in their stupidity. i don’t have kids … and i don’t feel at all guilty for not wanting to support people who do. you have kids? good on ya … YOU support them. and ETC.
Do you…
Do you only pay for the roads you personally drive on?
Phreon
paying for roads …
no, i understand the need to maintain roads, even those i may not drive on … who knows, i may drive on them next week. but if i’m not mistaken, roads are federally funded since they are interstate projects.
registering kayaks on the other hand, is a state issue and in my particular state, there’s no need to pay for anything related to water access for kayaks. any funds gained from boat registration, if they went to water related projects at all, would go toward cement ramps for power boats and i don’t have a power boat.
None, Zip Zero Zilch
Texas Registration Requirements
The following vessels when on Texas public water are required to have current registration, including when docked, moored, or stored.
According to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department:
All motorized boats, regardless of length;
All sailboats 14 feet in length or longer or any sailboat with an auxiliary engine(s); and
USCG Documented vessels (New — see section below).
Exempted vessels — All (non-motorized) canoes, kayaks, punts, rowboats, or rubber rafts (regardless of length) when paddled, poled, or oared and sailboats under 14 feet in length when windblown.
I think it’s ridiculous that some states require people to register their kayaks. Just trying to squeeze more revenue out of people.
Maybe abandoned, but
I think it won’t do any good with a boat that has been stolen, as they’ll just peel the stickers off and reregister it. Of course, if you keep your boat’s serial number along with its warranty information, that’s a way to track it that can’t be peeled off, and doesn’t have an annual renewal fee.
The principle is what it is
– Last Updated: Oct-24-05 4:05 PM EST –
Say I have a log cabin on a lake in Northern Maine. Say I build a kayak or canoe out of local materials. Say I want to launch this homemade craft from my doorstep and paddle said craft out on said lake. Say it is 120 miles on bumpy dirt roads to the nearest place to get a registration for said craft. Say no way.
Kayers need ramps?
What you say may be the deal in Ohio, but I paddle the bays in Texas almost exclusively, so I don’t need warning signs for low overhead dams. I drop my kayak in off my private dock almost every time I paddle. When I paddle the surf, I carry my kayak from the street to the beach. I’m not paying for ramps.
Why do kayakers need to be using drive-in ramps anyway? As a courtesy if nothing else, you should be keeping off them and letting the motorboaters who actually need them use them. Kayakers can just pull over to the side of the road and walk down to the bank, beach, shore, whathaveyou, and put their boats in, so why use a specially designated putin?
yes and no
I’ve lived in quite a few states so here’s what I’ve found. Arizona and Minnisota registration required. Alaska, Florida, Mississippi, Montana, and Wyoming don’t require registration.
I think Chris Rock said
"Why should I pay taxes for other people’s kids to go to school? I don’t have kids. I don’t care how dumb your kids are. I use condoms for a REASON."