Boat Ramp
Use the buoyancy of your boat to lessen weight when winching up. I watched this guy park his tow vehicle 10’ from the waterline and then he really struggled to winch up. Boater started winching boat mid-trailer, so he had to keep stopping and taking breaks to catch his breath as he winched 5,500 pounds 1/2 or more the trailer length…plus risked an old strap breaking. It slows down the ramp action, too.
Does this ramp gate only work Saturday and Sunday? On the weekends, this gate is manned by a SPPW employee and gate works, so people have to pay. But, Monday through Friday, the ramp is free. So, why not just open both sides during the week? (Imagine buying a FOB for hundreds of dollars to use ramp during the week, and it’s actually free. 🤦♂️) People stop at the open gate and wonder if they can go through or not.
Yesterday, boat comes in hot to the dock, transom heavy, bleeding saltwater. Don’t forget your boat’s drain plug!
Today…a 3-man 💩 show…two guys directing a driver…first, the driver had difficulty placing the boat/trailer into correct position on ramp. Then, they let boat slide off too shallow with a huge grinding sound as engine and/or transom hit concrete. Last, the driver floors it (not sure why) while leaving, the trailer goes up the rocks and axle breaks off trailer. I docked at Waterfront Marina and managed to get them to at least move the old Grady to Watefront Marina’s dock so the boat traffic could clear up. (What a fiasco! I’ll bet trailer is still there.)
Houston…we have a problem! 🤦♂️
A few weeks ago, I discussed bringing “Boat Ramp Rules” to Mayor Tapp. These rules should be posted at the ramp to educate weekend warriors and old salts, alike. I kinda dropped the ball on this, but yesterday’s experience and others’ comments made me realize lack of ramp courtesy and ramp etiquette were still not being addressed. These rules seemed straight forward. Any tweaks? Any suggestions? (My post from yesterday had two situations at once: one guy jumping the line and one guy parking in the way of everyone, for example.)
Classic “F-everyone” move. This was some kind of rental or sales transaction, where guys dump these two jet skis in the water and depart. Meanwhile, I’m circling in my boat for 20-30 minutes. The guy in blue hat keeps telling me “They’re coming.” Finally, I called SPPD. After I told him, five guys come running down to ramp and all three jet skis take off. Wait…it gets better…as I dock, another guy, that arrived five minutes before jet skis left, trys to dump in two jet skis…wearing a Phillies shirt, he tells me I “should be courteous.” I said, I’ve been circling almost 30 minutes, and you just pulled up. He said, “I’ll only take a few minutes!” I said, “So will I!” Wait…it gets better…SPPD arrives on scene…the officer explains he doesn’t have a FOB to get through ramp gate. So, I used my FOB to let SPPD into the boat ramp. The officer explained they have no jurisdiction over disputes with boats in the water. We need some rules posted and some level of enforcement. SPPD needs FOBs, too.
Came down to drop my boat in at Rt. 52 boat ramp, and here’s a homeless male peeing right along the road in plain sight. Come on Somers Point! This is not the image you want. Bathrooms (port-o-john) are needed at the boat ramp!
Parked right in front of the sign designating this spot for “trailers.” You can’t see this, but SPPD was on location writing them parking summonses.
Traffic tie up as boat owner struggles to buy a day pass. In the meantime, everyone waits and everything stops. There was a guy already at ramp waiting for me to pull my boat so he could put in, another boat was circling to dock his boat and I was stuck behind this boater and a car. This stupid gate holds everybody up at a busy boat ramp. There’s got to be a better way.
Today. Two flat tires on trailer’s passenger side. Not quite sure why owner stopped at gate exit to make repairs. Owner eventually backed up to allow others to exit ramp area. (Note: you can’t use FOB to open incoming side unless your vehicle is on the entrance side and on the pressure plate.)
SP Mayor Tapp was at boat ramp on Sat. morning. We discussed boat ramp progress and a boat ramp “rules” sign. Offer suggestions so I can follow-up with him. 👍
If someone can interpret this financial doc, please do. I asked for boat ramp fee records for 2024.
These OPRA’d docs I obtained show NO CLEATS were installed in February 2023, as someone claimed. Case closed.
Another unsigned document. Could this be the new sections replaced, yesterday?
Again, I might be wrong, but I had heard someone damaged the gate’s kiosk. I believe this $4,272 bill is for Somers Point taxpayers. I told SP officials this gate was a horrible idea. Think about how many ramp passes have to be sold just to pay for this repair. 🤦♂️
I don’t know for sure, but this bill may be the pass FOBs. Meanwhile, the gate has been open for everyone, those that paid and those that did not pay. That’s a great deal for those that didn’t buy a pass or a FOB! 🎉
Somers Point sent me docs, today. It’s interesting or strange I was sent unsigned forms.
Sometime this afternoon, a section of dock was replaced and cleats were added. I am glad to see these repairs were finally made. No doubt, this FB page and pressure from citizens helped get this done. I will be posting OPRA docs once I receive them…After the first deadline expired, Somers Point advised me they needed an extension on my two week old OPRA request for repair and work orders for this dock. I also requested income generated from fees going back to Jan. 1st, 2024.
Pictures taken this morning (June 1st, 2024), still show missing cleats on dock’s left side. Per a discussion this AM, why aren’t a few cleats from the right side moved to the left side? I’m pretty certain the left side is used far more often.
For those putting in/taking out (especially dead low tide) the red paint marks end of concrete boat ramp.
Note: This info was passed onto me this morning by a fisher that said he personally conducted the depth check. I cannot verify this mark as 100% accurate since I did not check with a stick, myself.
Saturday, June 1st shows an upgrade to gate machine at Rt. 52/9th St. boat ramp. There is a clearly marked area for FOB users, now. I used it this morning with no issues. (Somers Point is still deploying a Public Works employee at the boat ramp gate to ensure everyone gets in/out without problem.)
As moderator, if a post appears misleading, partisan or lacks purpose, it’ll be removed. Post facts w/details. The goal is user awareness and to promote the health of Somers Point’s 2 boat ramps. Accountability falls where it falls.
Between Saturday and Sunday, the boat ramp dock lost ANOTHER cleat. There’s only two cleats on far end, left side. That means bring extra rope if you’re a single launcher. I made Somers Point Public Works aware of this issue on Sunday, May 25th. (I’m told it will get reported it to their boss.) This lack of cleats was reported to the Rec. Comm. Chairmen OVER ONE YEAR ago. And yes, cash (user fees) have been collected from ramp users. A “Boat Ramp Trust Fund” was just created this month by council. Repairs should be made, right???? (Click on both pics….)
May 26th, 2024…SP Public Works was manning the Rt. 52 boat ramp gate. An employee was there to assist and hand out the ramp’s new instruction flyers. Yesterday, there were big lines at the gate. I was told people were forcing the gate up when it didn’t work or outta frustration. Bottom line, don’t get upset or frustrated at SPPW because this is not their nightmare, high-tech, money-raising brainchild. When SP public works was in charge, boaters had quick and unfettered access to the water.
IMPORTANT INFO: This morning, I wanted to try out my FOB at the gate. I waived it around all over both machines, nothing. Then a gentleman from Somers Point Public Works walked over and explained the FOB sensor area was in the area I circled in RED. He waived my black FOB (up against machine) around for about 5-10 seconds, next to instructions area and gate opened up, but not right away. We talked about how FOB sensor area should be clearly marked. I was told the ParkMobile people were going to put a little sign on the machine.
Sorry for the folds, but these are the official handouts from Somers Point, regarding both boat ramps.
Cleats are necessary for tying up your boat/watercraft. You need at least two cleats (fore & aft). Since 2022, this floating dock has been missing multiple cleats. ( And we all love the cleat that turns.) I personally walked SP’s Rec. Comm. president (Mr. Shallcross) down this dock in 2022 and pointed out all these deficiencies to him. As of 2024, no action has been taken. A third boating season is starting. These are just the facts, folks. Boating is recreation and plays a valuable role in the Somers Point economy. Why not use tennis court money to fix these problems? Can’t pull monies from SP or Rec. general fund??? Afterall, boat ramp fees will be used for general purposes. It should work both ways.
It’s May 10th, 2024. Gates are up. They’ve been up. Anyone buy a month (MAY) of use? It seems like if you did, you wasted your money because I observed people just driving in and out without paying. So, are gates broken, or is SP not charging, yet?
1 Seagarden Drive
Linwood, NJ
08221
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