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gpz1991
17-05-2013, 10:18 AM
I have been reading all the posts about the issues with cars parking in trailer bays, I am based in Melbourne on the Mornington Pennisular, we pay for all our boat launching facilities via either yearly pass or per use to both the private and council owned ramps. Most of our ramps can get very busy and all the ramps I use have large over flow parking. My question to you boys and girls in QLD is would you pay to launch if you where provided parking and good ramp facilities? The cost to us is $ 120 per year this gives me access to good ramps at 2 locations and other facilities at 3 other locations with good ramps but limitations to avalible parking or between $ 12-20 depending on the location per use (24 hr)

If this is not unreasonable this may be worth your time to put to your local authorities?

Just throwing it out there, I love the idea of free facilities but would prefer to pay a reasonable yearly fee to have good ramps and parking and not get fines

tropicrows
17-05-2013, 10:40 AM
gpz,

We had the same thing in Adelaide, some ramps were leased by the council and run as a business by private operators, other had boom gates with a swipe card or money slot. All the ramps had pontoons, wash down areas and some had cleaning areas with bins etc.

When I moved to QLD the first thing I noticed was the greater number of ramps compared to down south, they were free but the facilities were very basic. I joined a boat club up here just so I had secure parking, 98% chance of getting a park even on the busiest days and did not have to put up with some of the morons you get at the ramps. However it's not cheap ($260/yr approx). The last 12 months I didn't use my boat much so it cost me $43 roughly each trip, if I had used my boat more often it would have been good value.

So to answer your question, paying to launch my boat at a ramp I don't have a problem with. As long as the facilities are up the scratch, has secure parking and the cost is fair. How much would I pay ?????...$10 ea trip.

Trader1
17-05-2013, 10:50 AM
GPZ1991,
The ramps are not worth paying for. There are no cleaning tables like in other states. The Wellington Point boat ramp which is nearest to me has no pontoon. No protection from easterly winds and there is a big hole at the end of the ramp (southern side) when launching at low tide. The channel is also too shallow for a low tide launch/Retrieve. If a pontoon was available and a harbour rock wall built around it and the ramp fixed then I would pay.

Mrs Ronnie H
17-05-2013, 11:54 AM
MMMMMmmm
Would I pay. With the current state of the local ramp at Beachmere they should be paying me to use it. The pontoon has become a fishermans paradise and little hope of using it on weekends because of the fishing rods ,deck chairs and crab pots that hang off it. In the centre of both ramps used to be a pretty good sand bank but now it has become covered in mangroves and you cannot pull in anymore. There is sanded on the other side of left ramp which you can use at high tide. Low tide you are walking in 2 foot of mud.

We do have toilets and a wash down table but the availability of decent launching and retrieving facilities is very very poor.
Perhaps if the launching and retrieving areas were upgraded then I would pay but until then I would say NO to user pays.


The Private ramp here many years ago used to charge $2 to launch --advntage was you had secure parking I suppose. That was stopped with new owners.
Mrs H

fishing111
17-05-2013, 12:35 PM
You nail an important point for me Mrs H in regard to people fishing off pontoons and all there associated gear. I don't mind people using the pontoons but most don't have a clue that boats need a good amount of pontoon to line up for docking, especially with a bit of wind. It shits me to tears when some just sit there like complete tools with there rods in the water even though you've told them your about to dock. If they want to use the pontoons they should show some common sense and bloody manners. Pontoons give me the absolute shits for this standout reason.

Spaniard_King
17-05-2013, 02:02 PM
You nail an important point for me Mrs H in regard to people fishing off pontoons and all there associated gear. I don't mind people using the pontoons but most don't have a clue that boats need a good amount of pontoon to line up for docking, especially with a bit of wind. It shits me to tears when some just sit there like complete tools with there rods in the water even though you've told them your about to dock. If they want to use the pontoons they should show some common sense and bloody manners. Pontoons give me the absolute shits for this standout reason.

Mate., I just charge in and pull up at the pontoon... some times they get the shits I just stare at them and ask do you recon they put the pontoon there for them or me!!

tropicrows
17-05-2013, 02:49 PM
Garry I like your style.

wirlybird
17-05-2013, 02:59 PM
Hmmm paying for council facilities twice sounds like a crap idea since our rates pay for it already.......

if that happens ill run for council myself and fire all the morons that come to me with stupid ideas like that.

if you have an issue with your ramp take it up with council and vote for the other bloke if you don’t get your way

if you want to use a private boat ramp join a boat club or a sailing club or buy a water front block.

sorry for the animated response but it seems like a no brainer to me

gpz1991
17-05-2013, 05:58 PM
Interesting group of posts

Our facilities vary from

private, 4 x 2 lane and 2 x 4 lane ramps and parking for a few hundred boats and trailers with pontoons and jetty facilities for each.

Council (Mornington Penisular)
$120 per year
2 locations with 2-4 lane ramps cleaning tables, pontoons or jetty with reasonable amount of room say 10 boat

1 location with 2 lanes and pontoon but limited parking

1 location with 2 lanes jetty limited parking

1 location 2 lanes beach pull up

3 of the 5 locations all tide launch and retrieve and the private one

2 can be a bit sandy at low tides

Was curious as hope to moving to SEQ next year with a 6 m boat and wanted to know what was available

stevemid
17-05-2013, 06:52 PM
gpz
Good info and great proposition. Not a simple straight forward issue; lots of legitimate competing demands for scarce public access to expensive foreshore. Great opportunity for those successfully fighting for the parking spaces (at Wello?) to present a financial solution to Council, or for an entrepreneur to make a grand proposal to upgrade/lease all public ramps and manage under -used private ones and create a membership/ fee structure for boaties to launch and retrieve. C'mon, if we pay 60-100K for the boat surely a couple K per year for excellent facilities would be do-able

On a mooring in Sydney

Steve

Gon Fishun
17-05-2013, 08:17 PM
gpz
Good info and great proposition. Not a simple straight forward issue; lots of legitimate competing demands for scarce public access to expensive foreshore. Great opportunity for those successfully fighting for the parking spaces (at Wello?) to present a financial solution to Council, or for an entrepreneur to make a grand proposal to upgrade/lease all public ramps and manage under -used private ones and create a membership/ fee structure for boaties to launch and retrieve. C'mon, if we pay 60-100K for the boat surely a couple K per year for excellent facilities would be do-able

On a mooring in Sydney

Steve

Hold the phone Steve. A lot of us out here have $1000 - $40000 boats and stretched finances already.

gpz1991
18-05-2013, 09:11 AM
Hold the phone Steve. A lot of us out here have $1000 - $40000 boats and stretched finances already.

Most of the guys I know have boats worth less that $35000,
With the $120 per year that I pay and the fact that I fish at least once per month even during winter I think the cost of about $8 per trip is worth the facilities, during summer these ramps can get very busy at times, so most of us launch before dawn, all ramps are well lit as are the rigging stations and car parks with no risk of getting a parking ticket