Scott Broam ) writes:

.. The space between the X-tie at the
front of the step and the next step is filled with pea gravel.

the only thing I have against sand is it gets in teh boat - but it is cheap
I've read that crushed lava is nice.

... THe 5
or 6 different steps accomodate different river levels.

like a floating dock always dry, but cheaper and easier to maintain.

there's a local park which has blocks of limestone for a terraced
river bank. its good for launching. no maintenance. there is lots of
limestone in the area and a cheap supply from construction sites.

we also have those wire chain link cages full of broken rock along
riverbanks to stop erosion. they make good launch sites.

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Sand or pea gravel. Sand is probably the friendliest non-slip medium
you can find - soft enough not to scratch the bejeebus out of kevlar and
carbon boats, and easy on feet trying to get in and out of the boat.
Ideally, you might even have two 'steepnesses' - one for canoes and
other floating launch boats, and the other for seal launching from the
shore. Great to see someone considering something other than a 2'high
dock:-)

Toney Lowery wrote:
Hi all I'm a park planner for the Parks Dept of Columbia, MO. The city
is in the process of developing a 110 acre park that includes a 10
acre lake. We're designing in several kayak/boating features. One is a
"kayak lesson" area, basically a submerged concrete pad for the
instructor to stand in the water next to the student.

Another feature we want to include though is a put-in for
non-motorized boats. The put-in will not be accessible by vehicles so
all boats using it will be carried in. We're talking kayaks, canoes
and small jon boats.

So...

What make a good put-in? As of right now we're thinking a simple
concrete ramp approx. 8-10 feet wide, extending 3-4 below the
waterline with a "rubber surface" that extends to the waterline. The
water level in the lake is remarkably stable and wave action doesn't
appear to be a major factor.

Any critiques, hints, ideas comments would be welcome.

Thanks,
Toney Lowery
Senior Park Planner
Columbia Parks and Recreation www.GoColumbiaMo.com
573 874-7537

Sand and gravel migrate both down into the river/lake and into the boat.
I'll take grass any day, and it is self-healing.

Padeen


"Marsh Jones" wrote in message
...
Sand or pea gravel. Sand is probably the friendliest non-slip medium
you can find - soft enough not to scratch the bejeebus out of kevlar and
carbon boats, and easy on feet trying to get in and out of the boat.
Ideally, you might even have two 'steepnesses' - one for canoes and
other floating launch boats, and the other for seal launching from the
shore. Great to see someone considering something other than a 2'high
dock:-)

"padeen" ) writes:
Sand and gravel migrate both down into the river/lake and into the boat.
I'll take grass any day, and it is self-healing.

grass is nice but it wears out fast. it could be planted in sand. the
query was about a public park training facility.

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for a wet entry I don't think anything beats sand.
for a dry entry I'd go with a floating dock with little clearance,
you should be able to slide your hips out of the boat onto the dock.

ideally a boat should never contact anything but water. the proper way to
enter a canoe or kayak is with the boat afloat parallel to the shore. you
need enough depth of water at the shorline to do it. that requires a
steeper gradient than has been suggested in other responses posted here.

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Maybe that depends on whether you mostly paddle flat water. My kayak always
followed me faithfully slithering along the ground across farmer's fields or
climbing cliffs to get out of unexpectedly high water in narrow canyons.
Also there's hardly anything more fun than water reentry sliding off a high
rock. Once my kayak and I with friends slid through the snow down the face
of a large earthen dam before an unusual CA winter trip. Paddling in snow is
best left to easterners desperate for a winter trip. In CA and OR we paddle
"warm" coastal rivers in the winter. That is NO ice there. Just high,
somewhat cooler, water.

John Adams

"William R. Watt" wrote in message
...
for a wet entry I don't think anything beats sand.
for a dry entry I'd go with a floating dock with little clearance,
you should be able to slide your hips out of the boat onto the dock.

ideally a boat should never contact anything but water. the proper way to
enter a canoe or kayak is with the boat afloat parallel to the shore. you
need enough depth of water at the shorline to do it. that requires a
steeper gradient than has been suggested in other responses posted here.

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network
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"William R. Watt" wrote in message

the proper way to
enter a canoe or kayak is with the boat afloat parallel to the shore.

I'll have to remember that the next time I'm launching into 4 feet of surf,
or onto a fast moving whitewater river.

Geoff

"Toney Lowery" wrote in message
om

Hi all I'm a park planner for the Parks Dept of Columbia, MO. The city
is in the process of developing a 110 acre park that includes a 10
acre lake. We're designing in several kayak/boating features. One is a
"kayak lesson" area, basically a submerged concrete pad for the
instructor to stand in the water next to the student.

Another feature we want to include though is a put-in for
non-motorized boats. The put-in will not be accessible by vehicles so
all boats using it will be carried in. We're talking kayaks, canoes
and small jon boats.

welcome.

How refreshing - someone who asks rather than assumes - As someone who
works with disabled canoeists in the UK we have many difficulties in
access. We have many more problems getting people to/from and into
canoes than we have teaching and coaching. May I respectfully request
that you make contact with people working in this sector when planning/
designing - I am sure the input will be worthwhile for all abilities.

Frank Healy



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After an hour and a half in my kayak I'm usually terribly handicapped; have
to crawl from my boat and up the beach to the shuttle car. Grass is much
easier on the knees than gravel.
Padeen


How refreshing - someone who asks rather than assumes - As someone who
works with disabled canoeists in the UK we have many difficulties in
access. We have many more problems getting people to/from and into
canoes than we have teaching and coaching. May I respectfully request
that you make contact with people working in this sector when planning/
designing - I am sure the input will be worthwhile for all abilities.

Frank Healy