Pa Launch stickers

You’re making it too hard on yourself
Go to the Outdoor Store pay ten bucks and you get a paper temporary permit.

In ten days or so you get the sticker but meanwhile the paper is sufficient



If I can do it online from Maine surely you can too

You’ve misunderstood the regs.
In PA you have the choice of three options, registration, launch permit, or PA state parks permit. All you need is one, for they’re reciprocal. If you’re from a state that does not require registration for human-powered crafts, just do what Kim suggested and procure a launch permit online prior to your visit.

not misunderstood, just informed
straight from the link provided:

UNPOWERED BOATS



“Unpowered boats are boats without motors such as certain kayaks, canoes, rowboats, sailboats, rafts or inflatable boats. Unpowered boats are not required to be registered – unless used at a Fish & Boat Commission access area or lake, or at Pennsylvania state parks and state forests; or required by the owner (one example is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers).”



if you dig a little deeper you find out that since I live in a state that doesn’t require paddlecraft registration I will have to register my boat in pa if I’m using an access on state land according to PAs state website.



That may not be the way it’s enforced locally but that is how it is written up- dig a little deeper and see for yourself.



ohh kayak medic don’t even get me started on maine- all-a-gash (to your wallet) North Maine Hoods oops I think I mean Woods, Basstarrrd State Park- duel fee structures. The only time I wish WV charged for river access is when I see a Maine license plate in my home state!



On the plus side the Adirondacks are pretty easy. Go New York!

Dig deeper

– Last Updated: Sep-18-16 10:16 PM EST –

If you dig a little deeper, you'll find that if you prefer not to register your boat, a launch permit is all you need.

Go here: http://www.pa.wildlifelicense.com/start.php

They don't require PA residents to register unpowered boats either.

NOT true

– Last Updated: Sep-18-16 11:17 PM EST –

A kayak only needs a launch permit. Whoever told you you needed registration AND the permit was quite misinformed. Paddle craft are not required to be registered in PA but some people choose to do so and if they do, they don't have to get the launch permit. It's either/or. I believe cost is the same so I really don't get why people bother with the registration. I've bought used kayaks here in the state from people who offered to transfer the registration but I just tear it up -- have never used anything but launch permits in all the years i have lived and paddled here.

Many of the state employees don't even understand the regulations, which is why I used to carry a ziplock baggie with the DCNR boiler plate printed out with the boating permit regs hi-lited..

Trust me, I've researched this to death and you only need the launch permit. You can enroll on line easily, pay with your credit card and print out the temporary permit. During the hundreds of times I have kayaked in PA I have only had Fish cops or state rangers inspect me maybe a dozen times, but on two of those occasions we were denied access to a launch area because one of our boats had an expired sticker. or none at all.

an unpowered kayak
can be registered or you can have a launch permit. I get mine from the state park near me and they hand it to me right over the counter and it’s good for 2 yrs. You don’t need both. But, if you have an electric motor, it needs to be registered and you need to put the registration number on the bow. My kayak wears the launch permit proudly along with a few other choice stickers!

So you want free
and feel entitled to a handout and have some else pay for your fun?



Do you bitch about road tolls on the NJ Turnpike too?



Much of Northern Maine is accessed over private roads. They need to be maintained via grading and application of stone. Its not free.



I have a worthless neighbor who feels as you do. Since he doesn’t like the way we don’t cowtow to him he refuses to pay for road maintenance. For the road that allows access to his house along with 38 others. With no maintenance comes no emergency services.



I don’t care if you never come here. Good.


advantage of stickers
OP Jim, while I do understand the reluctance to “pollute” a new toy with a sticker, there are distinct advantages to adding such things to a boat. Keeping it “pristine” greatly improves its attractiveness to thieves. ALL my boats have some degree of customization including decorative stickers and drawn on designs.



I use automotive grade stickers that can’t be easily removed (they can be by heating but that’s not the sort of project thieves are likely to want to deal with.



Having the permit records your ownership of the boat with the state which can aid in recovery (keep a hard copy of the registration number in your files at home – this is an advantage of enrolling on line because you can print out the registration.)



You should also take a Sharpie permanent marker and write your name and phone number on the inside of the hull in an easy to see place. This not only makes theft less attractive but allows people who might find your boat if it has gone astray to contact you. Law enforcement and rescue groups really appreciate this – finding a stray boat can trigger a man-hunt, often unnecessary.

hey I believe you,

– Last Updated: Sep-19-16 10:31 PM EST –

but that doesn't mean it's clear or obvious on this web page: http://fishandboat.com/faqregt.htm#1

Some other pa web pages do a better job of explaining this and then you have Ohiopyle State Park and they are doing it differently than the rest- charging per launch (but perhaps they have season passes for frequent users?) and how about Pine Creek? You need a permit to camp, you can travel through two state parks and it is listed as an official pa water trail by the fish and boat commission yet I haven't found any mention of launch permits anywhere.

Now compound PA by 50 states, add on local fees, invasive permits and you've got a bit of a mess. That's the point I'm trying to make. The rules make more sense when you live there and are more familiar with how they function.

So how do I roll. I usually like and return to the less popular places- that's just me. There are more strainers than rangers, usually no scheduled dam release so you might be scraping over rocks or boating high water, and 90% of the time you won't see another group of paddlers. The exception to all that is when I am putting on a "club event" or "group paddle". Yet less hassles- permits, red tape and such.

I pay my state and federal taxes. I live in a state that has limited user fees, and has National Forest Land that doesn't require paddling fees. All kidding and flaming aside, you are more than welcome to come to wv and paddle for free, unregistered and sticker free. Just realize I live in a state that extends this courtesy to everyone regardless of where they reside, for free. The notable exception is the army corp lakes here in WV but I think they hit everyone up equally.

I just happen to believe that while wv is sometimes much maligned we happen to have gotten it right when it comes to paddling. You should know however that there is a small fee (a dollar or two) collected by commercial rafting companies who are responsible for reporting and paying per customer to the state of wv. Residency doesn't factor into the amount. Not sure of the rational behind all that.

One tip for paddling in wv, obey the speed limit in small towns! Some places have rigid enforcement. You can avoid the $2.00 toll by getting off at the Cheylan and Sharon/Cabin Creek exits. Locals avoid the Pax toll when going to the New River by taking the
Mossy exit.

New Jersey turnpike-PA turnpike not likely! from Wv to Maine it is not necessary! I 79 to I68 to Happy Valley PA to I 80 to Binghamton NY to Bennington VT to Keen NH to Western Maine to DoverFoxcroft to Northern Maine. Less stress, less traffic and bag Monadnock or Lost Lake enroute! Just say no to turnpikes and I95 in the northeast!


It is unlikely one will change my mind about duality fee schedules. I've paddled over 2,000 miles on Maine's inland waterways- it is beautiful, there are many nice people, and some of it is remote and worth exploring or repeating. Yet even after all that paddling it is a bit like Moxie, there is an aftertaste. I ultimately believe that the people it hurts the most are the folks in Greenville, Jackman, Millinocket and Patton because their local tourist economies suffer when folks like me are less likely to repeat.

Tourism won't replace a closed coalmine in wv or a closed pulp mill in Maine because the jobs are seasonal and lower wage jobs. It's scary to see how many of the kids I teach have parents that are trying to raise a family on low wage seasonal salaries but sometimes that is all there is.

Would we charge differently if you were black, gay, or paddle a canoe versus a kayak? Would we bother to show up a second time or go some place else if we did that? Is it really all that different with residency? That's the aftertaste that creeps in my mouth.

The bigger issue is navigability, water rights for recreational use vs land owner rights. States vary on that a lot as well. That's separate and more important discussion.

Lastly, I've kind of jacked this thread, my apologies to the OP. All of this fuss over a little sticker and what it represents.