I think a lot of those “ramps” have been installed in municipal park launch sites as a well-meaning, but erroneous and unfortunate, ADA “accommodation” , presuming it will make it easier for the decrepit and the lame to convey their craft to the water. This “decrepit” old lady would rather used a dirt or sandy bank or simple wooden dock. Scratched the crap out of the gelcoat on my composite Avatar two years ago when we were forced to use one of those accursed ramps on a small river in Michigan because high water from recent rains had made launching from the swamped and collapsing bank impossible.
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The first time I saw one of those roller launches, the only thing I though of was how clever. If they work for the plastic boats, is it fair that the Gucci crowd condemns them. Let the lowly plastic boats use them. If you own an exclusive boat, doesn’t it make sense to do what you always did, rather than rain on the parade of people who can actually use them. After all, you’re probably the exception rather than the rule. There are a lot of plastic boat owners out there who CAN use them. Don’t ruin it for them. Maybe the composite boat manufacturers should tell purchsasers to avoid roller launches. Buying a fancy boat is an option, not a mandate.
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Old Town Camper
25 years old and perfect for my needs. Stable and Bulletproof.
I paddle in South Florida
Stable is important because there can be snakes, gators, or sharks in the water and I need to keep the dry side up.
Bulletproof is important because I paddle in the narrow mangrove tunnels and over oyster beds. Royalex is great for that.
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I agree with you in principle, but the problem around here is that the roller launches are usually installed as part of a park modernization, and when they install them they also wipe out the previous launch options. They’ve been turning dirt and grass into concrete walkways and putting large rocks on the water’s edge. A single person cannot carry a kayak over all the concrete or get into it on the rocks, nor lift and turn a kayak over the sharp edges to get it into the roller launches.
I agree that the issue needs to be addressed. There was a topic on this issue from at least a year ago. A planner actually solicited advice. Mariner Cove is an area that I launch from on occasion. A committee selected and installed an impressive kayak launch made of aluminum. The problem being it’s too steep to use and the aluminum gouges even thevplastic kayaks, which renders it unusable for ANY boat. Fortunately, two beach access spots are still available. My favorite is smooth pea gravel because it doesn’t abraid the plastic or stick to your shoes and get inside the boat. Kayak clubs are in the best position to lobby for improvements.
The problem you face isn’t the roller launch, its no launch access at all, because the roller launch is the only option. I would hope the committee in charge of the parks would respond to a letter or petition, or contact the county executive and request a low cost option, like gravel which would reduce erosion. Good luck.
There ARE some roller launch structures that are reasonably well-designed, but most of the ones I have seen are not. The one in Michigan clearly had hazards for ANYONE using it. It seemed like they had tried to make it so a disabled person could launch but there were some alarming features to the structure that included potential pinch points, uneven component connections that would have made a real problem with a wheelchair, and protruding sharp hardware(like the raw metal edges along the ramp that scraped the hull of my boat and also scratched the plastic rec boat my cousin was using . There were also pieces of flotsam debris stuck in the ramp rollers that we had to extract and a few of the rollers were jammed and not spinning, meaning a boat sent down the ramp could hang up or slide sideways and jam against the upright “railing” of the design. It was just plain ugly and badly made. Probably was the “low bid” proposal some bureacrat went with instead of asking real boaters what would work for them. We had that happen here in my city 20 some years ago when the growth of canoeing and kayaking on our major rivers lead to some really awful “human powered boat launch ramps” being built to draw us away from the fancy concrete launches and floating docks set up for all the power boaters and jet ski users. These “dedicated launch areas” were mostly hard to access, including long walks from designated parking areas, steep and often muddy and poison ivy and knotweed choked narrow trails down to the water’s edge and then areas of 6 to 8" square rough cut ashlar blocks jumbled into the shoreline and for some feet out into the water which caused hull scratching and even foot entrapment for those trying to launch. We quickly complained, documented the poor design and abandoned those sites. The municipalities finally designated a committee to offer recommendations for small boat launches that were actually safe, practical and accessible. All the ones that were not were either bulldozed and replaced or are now overgrown and abandoned by all but the flocks of Canada geese and mallards.
By the way, if you want to dismiss my $300 barn-sale rescue composite kayak as a “Gucci boat” then la-di-da to you, and who is really the “snob” here?
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well, you are…we in Ohio have the same launches that people are discussing. I wouldn’t even use them for Royalex canoes let alone composite boats.If I didn’t like the put-in, I’d go find something better suited to my liking…everything doesn’t have to meet all needs. more than that( and I’ve never seen a disabled person use one of the many launches…but if I did, they’re perfect
I don’t look down on Gucci boats, and I’m not offended when people with svelte boats call my boat a barge or a pig. The only reason I contradict the frequent negative image about the Wilderness Systems boats like the Tsunami and the Pungo is to correct the inaccurate portrayal of those kayak models. I’m accustomed to people in certain class ranges when they sneering at the Tsunam, and the weight of plastic compared to a $3,600 to $5,000 composite boat.
I care less about what anyone paddles, how much a boat costs, or the perception of my chunky barge. There’s a pervasive negative attitude about solid primary, as if it’s a marks of someone who is less adventurous and maybe unworthy of being considered a serious kayaker. That would be me! It’s my choice. If I’m a snob, then I’m not alone.
I agree with @RiverWay. My point is that the criteria for selecting some of the roller launches seems to be handicap access. The fact that such launches damage expensive boats is unfortunate, but that doesn’t mean they should be ripped out. That’s arrogant!
I simply can’t lobby for ramps that are freindly to fiberglass or composite boats, because I have a plastic boat and have
no standing in the argument. However, if I were to approach anyone designing launches for kayaks and canoes, I would surely point out the problem. The answer is for people who own composite of fiberglass boats to go to the designers and raise your concerns, or at least put signs on the launch to caution about the danger to certain types of boats.
The only time I smashed up a boat was from paddling whitewater, but I never told anyone not to go whitewatering or don’t take an expensive boat down a white water river. I’m curious how many members take a composite or fiberglass boat on a whitewater adventure.
Jaysnob
What were they thinking! Why would an administrator select something without consulting the users. I’d at least go to a kayak/canoeing club to solicit advice.
I do understand the dilemma faced by owbers of high dollar boats. I’m sure the intention is good, but the “device” at Mariners Point in Joppatown, MD is of no value for anyone. You can see how the ramp pitch is so steep, the boat can’t be pulled onto it (I can’t find my pictures of it). I tried it once and gouged the plastoc so severely, I though the boat would leak. Crazy, clueless design.
Fortunately, they also have a stepped area to accommodate tidal fluctuations, but I prefer the natural beach. Havre de Grace, MD has a concrete ramp with rubber inserts parallel to the water. The moss growing on the rubber allows the boat to slide up the slope.
Shanks Mare on the Susquehanna river below York, PA is gravel with the parking lot about 20 to 30 ft away. Hard to improve on that.
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Nice boats, better launches (2:19 - 3:15):
Cowabunga!
-sing
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I personally took this launch on my second Santa Cruz Surf Comp with my plastic WW boat. It was a blast! Too bad that I didn’t have a GoPro back then! Impossible tho’ with a surf kayak with fins, but definitely doable with a seakayak (and probably a blast too with that ) if you are a paddler who don’t mind a bit of wear and tear for an adventure boat.
Where there is a will, there is a way!
-sing
Keep your boats covered
What is the occasion for all the boats in the background?
I’m fairly sure they are owned by residents of Centerport, NY and permitted to be stored at the town beach. I checked, no composites, OC-1 or surf skis amongst the hundred kayaks there.
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In this photo you posted I would launch my sea kayak from the dock with the cleats. I tie a line from a deck line just in front of the cockpit on the side away from the dock to a cleat without any slack and keep my weight slightly away from the dock as I sit on the back deck then slide into the cockpit.
Here is a photo from a dock well above the water I was thankful for the ladder but have done this on docks this high above the water without a ladder. The dock close to the water in your photo would be easy-peasy.
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