STEEP boat ramps around St. Mary's/point lookout

zz4gta · #1 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008

I'll be splashing my boat at the end of this month and wanted to know if there were any boat ramps close to Point Lookout that I could use to get a fixed 4' keel in w/ about 1.5' of trailer under it. The best we've found it either on the Naval base (military ID req'd) or at Point lookout park which is a maybe at high tide.

The point look out is a maybe b/c it looks like the ramp stops before the entire boat will be wet. We measured about 7' deep at where we thought the back of the trailer/boat would be.

Anyone know of other places to launch such a boat? I'd really like to avoid a crane/lift for $100 each time I wanted to sail it as I don't have bottom paint on it yet.

Thanks.

Waugh · #2 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008

I'm not sure how other people do it, but we used a cable attached to our trailer to launch our Cal 25 (4' draft also). We just popped the trailer off, let it all slide into the water and pulled the trailer back out with the cable.

JohnRPollard · #3 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008

zz,

Not Pt. Lookout, but a bit north of there on the Patuxent there is a pretty good ramp under the Rt. 2/4 bridge at Solomons Island. We used to launch our Melges 24 there sometimes (it had a retractable keel, however), so it might handle your boat.

zz4gta · #4 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waugh

I'm not sure how other people do it, but we used a cable attached to our trailer to launch our Cal 25 (4' draft also). We just popped the trailer off, let it all slide into the water and pulled the trailer back out with the cable.

I've heard about people doing that. Do you detach the trailer on flat land, hook up cable (take out the slack) and then push the trailer down the ramp by hand? Using the tow vehicle to slow the descent? What happens if the trailer wheels go off the end of the ramp before the boat floats? Does that mean I'll need to back the trailer into the mud, and try to pull boat and trailer up onto the ramp when hauling out?

Waugh · #5 (**permalink**) 05-14-2008

Given this was our first time launching our boat and that we could have done it completely wrong. We backed the trailer down into the water as far as we could with the truck, attached the cable to the trailer and truck, then raised the trailer until it popped off of the ball and slid down the ramp. The boat just floated right off the trailer and they hauled the trailer out with the truck. I'm not entirely sure about the hauling out part because I was the one on the boat when it went in.

As far as hauling out, I have no idea. I'm not looking forward to doing that.