Yearly launch fees for kayaks/canoes and other small craft are fairly standard in N California in city or county controlled waters.
At this lake, we have the option of a daily use fee of $5 or a yearly permit with a sticker for the yak and a card to put in your vehicle for $30.
Our neighbor county, Sonoma, has a yearly card to get into their county parks. They have given up on trying to charge a launch fee for yakers. I think that they still charge a fee or the bigger boats with power to use their ramps.
Those, who control our lakes/rivers and streams work 24/7/365 coming up with ways to restrict or to ban us from accessing those waters.
Under the guise of flood control, our local River has gone from several places to launch a kayak to two older basic launch sites, where yakers are often treated like undesireables. I don't care to launch a yak in the midst of jet skiers and guys seeing how fast their big boats can go.
These anti human restrictions are supposedly to protect the green stuff planted in the river banks. How much green stuff grows in an area that is tidal and has salt water coming in twice a day?
Johnny Miller, the pro golfer, kindly donated land for a park and part of the plan was to have a kayak launch on our river. They have the launch, but it is over a half of a mile from the few parking slots, 7 slots, I believe. The last 150 yards is an unpaved path, which becomes basically impassable and unuseable even by foot during the rainy season. The younger folk with light and small yaks use the site, but the rest of us are basically unable to use it.
When those in power are asked about launch sites for yaks when the multi million $ flood control project is over, we get a glassy eyed stare from them.
HamptonT wrote:
Grampa Spey wrote:
We are constantly being harassed by those who hate humans, blocking the roads and ramps to get to the water to launch our yaks. Your system would avoid most of these attempts.
One of the places we yak is a city owned lake, and we pay a yearly fee to launch our yaks. The best fishing and use of a non Hobie is on the east side about 2 miles from the launch site. Last summer/fall my wife would drop me off on the east side where is a rest area with tables and porta potties. I would wheel my FH 12 down through the barricade made with big rocks, launch, fish and come back when she drove back.
You have to pay a yearly fee to launch a boat??? Is this the same as a boat licence/sticker or is it in addition to that? I never heard of such nonsense. I've seen lakes with boat ramps that require payment to use, but a person with a kayak or canoe can put their boat in just about any place. The cost is in the ramp and dock installation and maintenance. Therefore, those people with big boats on trailers should contribute. Not you....