How do you find a good ramp in a new area?

[Garry and Victoria]

We may be on the path to owning a Ranger 25. I haven't launched a boat in many years and none this large. (We're selling a 47 ft. ketch.) We're hoping to take some trips to new areas mostly in Florida and nearby states.

How would we locate good ramps for launching an R25? I've seen some that are definitely too shallow or have a big drop-off. It would be great if there were some kind of ramp rating website. I did find one but it has only recently started and had ratings for very few ramps (ramprater.com). It does have locations and details and even aerial views from google maps.

Any other ideas?

Maybe we could all add ramp ratings on ramprater.com to help each other out.

 

[JamesTXSD]

Hi Garry,

Jim B. here... yep, from the TSBB. There is quite a bit of cross-over between here and the C-Brats site, thus my presence here. I've had good luck getting local information on the C-Brats (more boats sold over the years, so more participation, but this forum is also great)... nice to hear from folks who are launching boats like yours. With our travels, we have frequently said, "Hey, that place looks good," and not had that local info. It really hasn't been an issue. Stand by the ramp, watch someone else launch a boat or ask them about the ramp. If you get a tug, there will be PLENTY of people who want to visit with you. 😉

Good luck selling the sailboat. Having the towability, comfort (really nice to have an inside steering station), and convenience of one of the Ranger Tugs should suit you well.

Keep us posted.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

 

[RProffer]

Have you checked out ActiveCaptain.com ? It has Microsoft Virtual Earth satellite maps, street maps, and NOAA charts all in one application. It has markers for marinas, anchorages, boat ramps, city docks and other items of interest such as restaurants, taverns, repair facilities, marine stores, etc. Information for the markers are updated and rated by the users. Membership is free. Mobile versions can be obtained inexpensively for Palm and Windows Mobile. It is really a neat site. And did I mention it is free? I think ActiveCaptain.com is a must have for anyone cruising outside their normal cruising grounds. Check it out.

 

[Bruce Moore]

ActiveCaptain is outstanding. It includes a wealth of local knowledge added by members, who accumulate points for their contributions. Accumulated points earn premiums and discounts. It's also available for the iPhone and iPad - the information is integrated into the Charts & Tides application by Navimatics. Basically, you get a redundant chart plotter, complete with built in cruising guide, for $20.

Cheers,

Bruce

 

[commander bill]

From the "school of hard knocks" I can say that ramp selection is critical for the 2wd/R25 combination. On the Tennessee Rive we have an approx 6 foot annual winter drawdown which allows you to inspect the ramps. Many of the ramps here are unsat for my truck. Also, after drawdown all are unsat.

By the way I intend to bring LENABELL to Crystal River sometime next year. I remember a ramp & dock behind the Days Inn. Is that dock OK and does it belong to the motel?

 

[wefings]

Garry , I think there is an i phone Active Captain app.
Marc

 

[walldog]

Latest from Active Captain, Jeff reports that the Droid App is still being developed. Not sure of when it will be done.

 

[wefings]

I guess the token Blackberry holdouts will be SOL.............
Marc

 

[RProffer]

You can always run Active Captain on your laptop if you have wireless internet. There are also a couple of computer apps that integrate with Active Captain, but they are a bit pricey.

 

[ActiveCaptain]

A couple of follow ups:

Blackberry - no one asks for it any more. There was a developer working on an app for it but they moved their product to Android.

Android - there are 3 products. I have screen shots for 2 and it's working pretty well. They're telling me release in the next few months.

PC/Mac - low price chartplotter product coming out soon with full integration (Linux version as well). This one I'm using myself and is working really well. It's close. It'll be a wonderful product for an inexpensive netbook or Windows slate device.

iPhone/iPad - multiple new products coming. Some I'm using already. One especially is nice if you love raster charts.

Web site - major new capabilities coming. You'll be able to upload, archive, and share routes. Activating a route will give you the option of analysis against the marker database to provide a "trip tik" of hazards, low fuel prices, specials, restricted bridges, etc. The web site will eventually be able to move the routes to other chartplotters. Obviously we'll work closely with the products that support us to synchronize your routes into their products too. We're also working on an affiliation capability (find other Tugnuts), friend support (show me where my friends are), and "destination" markers that show when you zoom out (background info about an area and special events to let you know *why* to cruise to an area). Lots coming.

Others - other PC developers and especially other manufacturers are working on integration too. Use, updates, reviews, etc are way, way up. International use is up 5 times last year at this time. We're swamped.

We've decided to cut our cruising and stay somewhere for 5+ months because we're too busy with it all right now - we want to finish and release some of these capabilities.

And always, we love feedback. All of these ideas came from discussions with many thousands of users and on threads of forums like this.