University of Central Florida Still Enjoying BoardSafe Kayak Launch
It’s been over five years since the students at the University of Central Florida received a BoardSafe Adaptive Kayak Launch. Students and park visitors enjoy the accessible launch system on UCF’s campus at the Lake Claire Recreational Area. Using the launch is free for university students. It appears that the universal access launch system is used and enjoyed more now than when it was installed over five years ago.
With the popularity of kayaking and canoeing continuing to grow, and more people prioritizing health and fitness, kayaking offers a low-impact, full-body workout that is both enjoyable and engaging.
Kayaking statistics
Key statistics show a growing interest in recreational kayaking and paddling activities across the United States. According to Statista, the number of Americans who went kayaking in 2023 was almost 20 million, with flatwater kayaking being the most popular, accounting for close to 75% of kayakers who went out at least once last year.
The Outdoor Foundation's 2021 Outdoor Participation Report states that kayaking is the fastest-growing water sport, with a 32% increase in participation over the past five years. The same report indicates that among first-time participants in outdoor activities, 17% selected kayaking as their preferred activity. Recreational kayaks are now more lightweight, durable, and easy to maneuver, making the sport more accessible for beginners. Everyone knows getting in and out of a kayak can be difficult, making launch sites that invest in BoardSafe’s Adaptive Kayak, Canoe, and Boat Launch a popular locale for all paddlers wishing to access the water.
The launch at UCF’s Lake Claire Recreational Area looks as good today as it did when it was installed in 2019. BoardSafe is often asked how our launch holds up against the elements like the hot Florida sun, hurricanes, and tropical storms.
Designed for durability
We at BoardSafe pride ourselves on the engineering behind our launch. The aluminum-welded floating dock system offers a structural design and features that make it durable and maintenance-free.
Anyone who spends time on the water—be it a lake, river, bay, or ocean—knows that no two water access sites are the same and that water levels vary. Nor do they ever remain “smooth as glass.” When unusual occurrences occur, such as storms or strong wakes from other boats, docks can be in danger of severe damage. It only makes sense that BoardSafe’s floating dock system has been designed for these scenarios and will move with fluctuations in water level, wind, and weather. BoardSafe Docks offers the safest solution.
BoardSafe floating docks and launches have proven themselves through downstream currents, as well as the rise and fall of rivers due to droughts, flooding, and other common fluctuations, and have even survived hurricane forces such as Category 2 Hurricane Sally in 2020 and Category 4 Hurricane Ian in 2022.
BoardSafe’s specialty services
Part of BoardSafe’s specialty services is to evaluate the use of your docks, foot traffic, marina traffic, and the placement of the docking system on land. BoardSafe can design a floating dock system to meet your usage requirements by running calculations based on dock size, usage, and water levels at 100-foot flood stage and mean low water to maximize the location and placement of the foundation, stability of the dock, length and location of the gangway, and the size, number, and placement of flotation components.
Here are some links that showcase the installation and use of BoardSafe floating docks and launches in bays, marshes, and harbors:
- Cooper River Park, NJ, Installs Gangway and Rowing Dock
- ADA Accessible Kayak Boat Launch Installed at 5 Rivers State Park in Alabama
- Lovejoy Wharf in Boston, MA, Enjoys Renaissance
- BoardSafe Kayak Launch Survives Hurricane Sally
For more information on how we can help you design your water access point for safety and inclusion, contact us at BoardSafeDocks.com or 610-899-0286.
SOBA Gears Up for Annual Symposium
The 2023 States Organization for Boating Access (SOBA) is completing its preparation for its annual Education & Training Symposium running August 28–31, 2023, in Tacoma, Washington.
BoardSafe Docks will serve as the Symposium’s Platinum Sponsor for the second year, continuing our mission to provide education and advocacy for safe and accessible non-motorized boating access. BoardSafe designs and manufactures the most structurally sound and durable water access products on today’s market, with inclusive features designed for the widest range of paddling abilities.
Co-hosting this year’s symposium will be the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, Washington Recreation and Conservation Office, and the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife.
State boating officials, boating organizations, engineers, manufacturers, and design experts from all over the U.S., who are interested in learning more about improving access sites for safer and more accessible boating, will want to attend this event. The venue will allow attendees to exchange ideas, share information, and discuss solutions to common problems related to motorized and non-motorized boating access.
Accessible Boating Projects Happening in Seattle
Symposium attendees may consider attending a local presentation with Stephen Levengood, Senior Capital Projects Coordinator, and Moshe Hecht, Senior Project Funds and Agreement Coordinator, both with Seattle Parks and Recreation. They’ll highlight details of two noteworthy public boating access projects for the City of Seattle on Lake Washington.
Planned improvements for Seattle’s South Leschi Marina include providing accessibility to boaters with disabilities and offering an additional 53 boat tie-ups for transient mooring and guest boaters for up to 72 hours.
“South Leschi Transient Moorage will be the only public transient moorage along the 20 miles of Seattle shoreline on Lake Washington and will fill a need that exists,” said Levengood.
Improvements Planned at South Leschi Marina
- Adding transient moorage and guest boating tie-ups for 53 additional boats will provide access to the Leschi community and local parks, and the ability to access the City of Seattle
- Creating accessible pathways from the parking lot to the ADA-compliant gangways and new floating docks
- Removing an ineffective breakwater and contaminated creosote timbers, replacing them with a wave attenuator to improve the existing marina's protection
- Improving the pump-out amenities for boaters
These improvements will bring positive ecological benefits and benefit the local economy.
Redevelopment of Stan Sayres Boat Launch
The second accessibility project they’ll be discussing is the redevelopment of the Stan Sayres Memorial Park Boat Launch. This project will provide safer and more accessible access at the launch site by replacing the aged concrete boat ramps, extending and improving existing fixed piers that are not functional to boaters, and adding new gangways and floating dock sections to extend the launch area.
Stan S. Sayres Memorial Park, located on Lake Washington, is a popular public boat ramp on the second-largest lake in Washington State. The launch site is referred to as "Sayres Pits" because of its association with Seattle's annual Seafair Hydroplane Races. The races are the city’s largest draw to the lake and have a significant impact on Seattle’s economy. In addition to the Seafair races, the launch site was used by nearly 4,000 motorized boats last year, which necessitates its urgent attention.
The replacement of, and improvements to, the boat launch ramp will provide greatly-needed queuing space and make the boat launch more accessible for public boating. Two of the existing 4 launch sites are currently in disrepair and closed down at the very popular and busy launch site. “These improvements will serve everyone throughout the city due to its location. The ability to provide equitable access to serve everyone, especially those who live nearby or wish to trailer their boats and put them in and out the same day, and offer improved and safer access to all boaters, is our goal,” said Hecht. The boat ramps are primarily designed for motorized boats; however, it’s a popular launch site for non-motorized vessels such as kayaks and canoes. As they renovate, they’ll be removing old creosote-contaminated materials, which will offer an ecological benefit to the fish and wildlife in and around the lake. The proposal was subject to review by local, state, and federal regulatory agencies and tribal authorities. Grant funds were used to supplement part of the project's costs. This is a complex project with many involved stakeholders.
Non-Motorized Boating Access Topics
The latest data from the Outdoor Foundation specific to kayaking, canoeing, and stand-up paddle boarding found a record number of 37.9 million Americans engaged in paddle sports during 2020, with 2.5 million new paddlers enjoying American waterways.
The growth in kayaking, kayak fishing, and other paddlesports, has paddlers seeking launch sites to access the water, but too many access sites exclude paddlers with disabilities and mobility limitations. BoardSafe Docks has designed a launch system to allow users to enter and exit the water safely and easily. Through partnerships with adaptive paddling groups, government agencies, communities, park systems, and recreation stakeholders, we manufacture an Adaptive Kayak Launch that’s inclusive and accessible for all.
Tom Warchol of BoardSafe Docks said, “Attendees will learn how accessible launch systems add value to communities by offering close-to-home recreation and connecting paddlers to the outdoors. Accessible and adaptive access products for fishing and paddling enhance economic growth in terms of jobs and revenue, promote tourism, support community equity plans, and improve quality of life by offering therapeutic, social, inclusive, and community connections to all users.”
Those attending the symposium can expect to learn about planning, permitting, engineering, manufacturing, ecological impact, economic impact, and grant funding for boating access projects like these and others. We hope you’ll consider joining us for some education—and fun!
Information about the symposium is available here: Welcome to Washington - SOBA 2023.
Register here: SOBA Education & Training Symposium, and BoardSafe’s team will be there to greet you in Tacoma!
BoardSafe Manufactures Marinas, Rowing Centers, Adaptive Launches, Gangways and Bridges
Since 2009, BoardSafe Docks has designed, manufactured, and installed high-quality floating docks, aluminum gangways, pedestrian bridges, adaptive kayak launches, and other marine access products.
Their projects cover a variety of locations including urban projects found in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Jacksonville, Chicago, Manhattan, and Boston Harbor. They have also undertaken numerous rural projects on lakes, rivers, streams, and coastal environments. Regardless of the setting, BoardSafe’s innovative process to understand clients’ needs and configure their standardized products into a custom solution for each client is a winning formula.
Please watch the following video that highlights how BoardSafe Docks exceeds the expectations of its diverse clientele:
BoardSafe’s experience in construction and manufacturing gives them unparalleled expertise and innovative solutions to address the dynamic conditions of tides, currents, and other water fluctuations ranging from severe flooding to drought conditions. This has made BoardSafe the trusted expert for park directors, civil engineers, landscape architects, and other professionals who desire only the best-engineered and highest-quality aluminum floating docks and launch systems for their rowing centers, marinas, and water access points.
BoardSafe is the trusted expert for Division I rowing programs, regatta centers, and iconic clubs like those along Boathouse Row in Philadelphia.
In fact, BoardSafe’s desire to maximize each user’s ability led to the creation of their adaptive kayak launch products and accessories. They also work with state and local park systems, municipalities, and community groups interested in universal access to their waterfront. BoardSafe also works for numerous smaller venues and community groups.
In 2012, a group of adaptive paddlers partnered with BoardSafe to make a lake accessible for adaptive paddlers. From this collaboration, BoardSafe created numerous adaptive product innovations to empower paddlers to transition safely and easily in and out of their vessels.
Since then, BoardSafe continues to champion adaptive accessibility for waterfronts across the USA. This commitment to education and advocacy has made BoardSafe a leading voice in aquatic recreation accessibility, as well as the manufacturing source for the best-performing and highest-quality launch systems available. With BoardSafe’s expertise in engineering and manufacturing, they were able to expand into aluminum pedestrian bridges to meet growing customer demand.
BoardSafe’s recipe for success is simple—it is all about their process. First, they assess their clients’ individual objectives and evaluate the site conditions for the desired use. This is where BoardSafe Docks’ experience plays a vital role in evaluating the unique physical conditions located at each site. Second, BoardSafe proposes design and engineering solutions to address the requirements of each site and ultimately achieve each client’s project goals. And finally, systematic processes during product manufacturing ensure quality, long-term durability, and performance. BoardSafe’s standardized products are customized into unique configurations to meet and exceed performance expectations.
Simply put, BoardSafe products are designed to meet the requirements of civil engineers, structural engineers, architects, and landscape architects, as well as the wishes of competitive rowers and adaptive paddlers.
BSD understands what investing in this type of recreation means for communities and how they can empower individuals. If you share this vision, call us to discuss your project.
BoardSafe Gangway Will Connect People with Floating Dock in Scituate, MA
Located 20 miles southwest of Boston, the historic town of Scituate on Cape Cod Bay is one of the most picturesque harbors in New England. Scituate Harbor Marina has one of the most convenient locations in Scituate Harbor. They are the closest public marina in the harbor to ocean access. They are the only marina that can accommodate vessels up to 80 feet LOA. They have ample vehicle parking with secure access to our docks.
BoardSafe designed, built, and installed a 5' x 80’ gangway for the marina. This gangway connects the land with a floating dock.
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