Not all docks are created equal. Just as there is a multitude of outdoor activities that one can enjoy at a lake, river, marsh, or other waterfront, there is a plethora of equipment options to help you enjoy those activities.
Rowing docks are docks especially designed for rowing, sculling, crewing, or paddling. Oftentimes, rowing centers are built on lakes and rivers and managed by universities, rowing clubs, or government agencies (local municipalities, parks, etc.).
We often receive phone calls asking, “What is low profile or freeboard for rowing docks?”
Those not familiar with rowing, sailing, and other aquatic sports, often ask, “What is a low profile dock?” or “What is freeboard?” This is a very important quality of an aluminum floating dock for rowing centers and a vital consideration when designing a rowing center.
Imagine boarding or exiting a boat or a boat’s cockpit. The larger the height differential between the rowing dock and the boat, the more difficult it is to get in and out of a boat. Factor in a poorly-designed floating dock that is unstable, as well as a boat floating on choppy water. Moving from dock to boat becomes increasingly difficult, especially when the rower is squeezing into a narrow racing shell with other rowers also moving about. Rowing is best enjoyed without falling in!
Owners and managers of rowing centers, as well as rowing and paddling clubs, want heavy-duty aluminum-frame floating rowing docks at their facility. Rowing docks are designed for long-term performance with the rower in mind.
BoardSafe’s floating rowing docks can be found at numerous rowing centers around the United States. The BoardSafe rowing docks are made in America and designed for commercial and residential applications.
In the fall of 2015, BoardSafe Docks installed a new ADA fishing pier and adaptive / ADA kayak launch at Leaser Lake in Kempton, PA. The floating docks and applications were designed and constructed by BoardSafe Docks, completing an ADA and adaptive park area that already included paved nature trails and ADA picnic tables.
On Sunday, May 22, 2016, a group of 12 adaptive paddlers and 30 volunteers, including 6 ACC instructors, enjoyed their first adaptive paddling event.
The Leaser Lake Heritage Foundation coordinated the parking, food, and programming, while Team River Runner handled the adaptive boating program. This was the first event of its kind since the unveiling and trial run on the adaptive kayak boat launch in November. Paddlers were taught water safety, the proper way to enter and exit a boat, and the basics of paddling.
Here at BoardSafe, we’ve taken great pride in developing what we think is the best ADA adaptive kayak boat launch on the market, with the help of adaptive paddlers, The Center for Independent Living, and other users and experts. We also used the best practices of canoeing and kayaking for people with disabilities. Check out our photos! read more
The ADA Kayak and Boat Launch consists of an accessible gangway, floating dock, and other ADA features that assist an adaptive rower or adaptive paddler to enter the cockpit of a kayak, canoe, or other watercraft. What is ADA? The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) prohibits…
When Kempton Lions Club member Tom Kerr was seeking a project for the year, he leveraged his other civic involvement to identify needs in the community. The Kempton Lions Club is a rural club in the rolling hills of eastern Pennsylvania. Kerr, a Kempton area resident, also sits on the Leaser Lake Heritage Foundation board and was heavily involved in Leaser Lake environmental issues and outdoor activities.
In the video below, BoardSafe explains the features of its adaptive kayak boat launch that provide access to those with disabilities, handicaps, and other mobility limitations. The launch is ideally engineered and built for kayaks, canoes, and other boats.
The ADA-compliant adaptive kayak boat launch was engineered based on existing adaptive paddling applications, as well as innovations generated by a group of adaptive kayakers and paddlers. read more
At BoardSafe Docks, we believe we have designed and built the best ADA adaptive boat launch available on the market. That’s not coming from us — it’s coming from the adaptive kayakers and para-rowers. After all, they are the experts, and they are also the ones who designed it. read more
