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Best lake launch area ?
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Author:  Tricyrtis [ Tue Mar 13, 2012 11:55 am ]
Post subject:  Best lake launch area ?

I am an AI owner since summer '11 living on a lake in Colorado. This forum is amazing. Your advice has helped me tremendously and I have never even asked a question. However, I have not seen discussion of this problem:

I have been launching my boat using a cart with heavy duty wheels at my neighbors small man-made sandy beach area. The water level varies such that sometimes the beach is covered and sometimes I need to roll the boat 40' over mud and sharp sticks. (I am a 125lb woman so I usually add the amas / mast when in the water and then remove the cart as this reduces the weight that I am pulling to the waters edge.)

My waterfront has a rail-road tie breakwall. I have the opportunity to modify the breakwall where it is just one railroad tie high in order to make a launch pad although, due to lake rules, I can not install any permanent structure (no concrete, lifts etc.). Cost is a concern. The contractor's would either cut away the railroad tie (not ideal), build up around it with soil or build a ramp over it (more $). He then suggests putting down heavy perforated garden tiles anchored by gravel and cover with sand for a 4' x 16' launch area hoping the sand would not wash away for about 5 years. I am not sure if this would be a significant improvement over mud for the initial cost and sand replacement cost. Perhaps I just need the ramp. It seems that exposed gravel would not be good. Neither the contractor or I have experience with boat launch areas. He needs to do it this week while the weather is nice. Does anyone have any comments about the plan or suggestions about how to make an optimum AI launch area at minimum expense? Thank you!

Author:  jeffruss [ Tue Mar 13, 2012 1:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best lake launch area ?

This sounds like an interesting challenge! How about using PVC and making some sort of rail system. Put it over the railroad ties and well out into the beach/mud area. Move the boat onto it from the lawn and slide it down. To retrieve, an inexpensive boat winch (manual to save money) and crank it back up the same rail system? I'm envisioning maybe 2 inch PVC with 1/2 inch PVC spacers to hold it apart but with a rope run through the outside rails, through the spacer PVC and out the other side to keep the rails from collapsing. It would sort of look like a ladder when you were all done.

Jeff

Author:  Slaughter [ Tue Mar 13, 2012 3:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best lake launch area ?

Any chance of a photo Tricyrtis. It's a bit hard to envisage with words.

Author:  Cowsgomoo [ Tue Mar 13, 2012 5:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best lake launch area ?

Slaughter wrote:
Any chance of a photo Tricyrtis. It's a bit hard to envisage with words.

Yes, this one will never happen without pics! :)

Author:  PassWind [ Thu Mar 15, 2012 7:30 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Best lake launch area ?

jeffruss wrote:
This sounds like an interesting challenge! How about using PVC and making some sort of rail system. Put it over the railroad ties and well out into the beach/mud area. Move the boat onto it from the lawn and slide it down. To retrieve, an inexpensive boat winch (manual to save money) and crank it back up the same rail system? I'm envisioning maybe 2 inch PVC with 1/2 inch PVC spacers to hold it apart but with a rope run through the outside rails, through the spacer PVC and out the other side to keep the rails from collapsing. It would sort of look like a ladder when you were all done.

Jeff



That is EXACTLY what I constructed, ad hoc, up at my in-laws lake front property. Their waterfront is a very jagged rocky slope - I used pool noodles over the "rungs" of the PVC ladder for slide-ability. It works, but it does distort from rectangular shape to more of an obtuse parallelogram shape. If you can anchor the top solidly it should take away some twist

I was working in caveman mode, ie, very little tools and the nearest hardware store being a mom&pop shop 40 mins away so I was quite limited (makes Home depot being 3 miles away from my home seem dreamy)

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