Boat Launch Ramp Tips

Launch Ramps are a common fixture in harbors and vital to trailered boaters for access to the water. Ramps can be a huge frustration to those who have difficultly backing a trailer and even more so to the next guy in line. Operation of launch ramps depends on the ability of users and encouraging adequate preparation prior to nearing the ramp. There are many incidents every year at the launch ramp that could have been avoided with proper preparation. Rushing at the launch seems to increase as a function of the number of boats in line. Users get in a hurry. The drain plugs don’t get put in, the boat rolls off the trailer or a hitch comes loose and the whole works goes down the ramp. The instant one of these events occurs, everyone loses the use of the ramp for hours. This is a set of guidelines designed to help boaters at the ramp:

Pre-Launching Preparations

• Register your boat and pay for the launch.


• Prepare your boat for launching away from the ramp as a courtesy to others and to prevent rushing during the launch.


• Ensure that there has been no damage to the boat caused by the trip to the harbor.


• Raise the lower unit or outboard so that it will not hit bottom during launching.


• Remove trailer tie-downs and make sure that the winch is properly attached to the bow eye and locked in position.


• Put the drain plug in securely.


• Connect the fuel tank, check fluid levels and safety equipment.


• Disconnect the trailer light plug to prevent shorting of electrical system or burning out a bulb.


• Attach a line to the bow and the stern of the boat so that the boat cannot drift away after launching and it can be easily maneuvered at the courtesy float.


• Visually inspect the launch ramp for hazards such as a steep drop off, slippery areas and sharp objects.


• When everything has been double checked, proceed slowly to the ramp remembering that your boat is just resting on the trailer and attached only at the bow.


• The ideal situation is to have one person in the boat and one observer at the water's edge to help guide the driver of the tow vehicle.

Launching

• Drive to the ramp and observe the directional signage.


• Back the boat and trailer down the appropriate ramp.


• Keep the rear wheels of the tow vehicle out of the water. This will generally keep the exhaust pipes out of the water. If the exhaust pipes become immersed in the water, the engine may stall.


• Set the parking brake and ensure the transmission is in park.


• Lower the motor and prepare to start the engine (after running blowers and checking for fuel leaks).


• Start the boat motor and make sure that water is passing through the engine cooling system.


• Release the winch and disconnect the winch line from the bow when the boat operator is ready.


• At this point, the boat should launch with a light shove or by backing off the trailer under power.


• Return the towing vehicle and trailer to the parking lot as soon as the boat is launched so the next person in line may proceed.


• Finish any final loading of your boat at the transient mooring float, away from the launch ramp so that others may continue to use it.

Retrieval

• The steps for removing your boat from the water are basically the reverse of those taken to launch it.


• Keep in mind that the following conditions may have changed since you launched your boat:


• Change in wind direction and/or speed.


• Change in current and/or tide.


• Increase in boating traffic.


• Visibility.


• Unload the boat away from the launch ramp.


• Maneuver the boat carefully to the submerged trailer, and raise the lower unit of the engine.


• Winch the boat onto the trailer and secure it.


• Drive the trailer with the boat aboard carefully out of the ramp to the washdown area for cleanup, reloading, and an equipment safety check.


• Remove the drain plug to allow water to drain from the bilge.

Practice backing up your boat and trailer until you are proficient. A busy public boat launch ramp is NOT the place to learn how to back a boat trailer! Avoid conducting routine maintenance at your launch ramp. There is a higher chance of water pollution and the next boater in line may not appreciate you for it.

Tags: Boat Launch

Development Benefits Supported by Improved Port and Harbor Infrastructure

Support and development of ports and harbors contributes substantially to the successful economic development of the host community. The Final Report of the Alaska Commission on Rural Governance and Empowerment states that a lack of basic infrastructure limits the economic development of many rural communities. The Denali Commission addresses transportation infrastructure as a rural Alaska challenge on its web page. Harbors and ports reduce dependence on air transportation and provide many economic benefits.

These references and many others support the need for basic community infrastructure that includes adequate ports and harbors. Why are these facilities important to rural communities? Waterfront access and vessel support facilitates serve a wide variety of industries and user groups. Subsistence gathering, personal use fisheries, commercial fishing, sport fishing, guided outfitting, transportation, shipping, seafood processing, oil industry support and many governmental activities are dependent on safe waterfront access.

There is the obvious connection of fishing to waterfront access. Fishing can be broadly categorized as falling into three areas within Alaska. These are subsistence/personal use fishing, commercial fishing and guided/sport fishing. Rural Alaska also has a unique component of fishermen that often utilize fish for commercial and subsistence use on the same fishing trip. Public harbors in Alaska can greatly facilitate subsistence and personal use fisheries. Many fishermen utilize public harbors for access to salmon and halibut. Support of subsistence and personal use fishing is a key component of any rural community development plan.

Commercial fishing and fish processing provides jobs and economic benefits to many coastal Alaska communities. Resent declines in the world seafood market have highlighted the importance of commercial fishing in the state. Commercial fishing activities include hatchery operations, processing, producing custom “value added” products, fishing vessel operations, employment and tax income to the government.

Sport and charter boat fishing also constitutes a major economic benefit derived from harbor development. Alaska Sea Grant sponsored a survey that in part attributes $34.1 million in expenditures of “new” money to the Kenai Peninsula region. It is also worth noting that typical nonresident fishermen outspend residents in pursuit of the same fish stocks. Guided sport fishing represents a major growth area within the state and could be utilized as a potential new business for many coastal communities

Water based transportation is a key component of many rural community economies. Good docks and harbors offer alternatives to expensive air transportation in road less areas. Heating fuel shipments can be shipped for much less money by barge. A community that has an adequate fuel dock can transfer and store fuel much more safely than by air. These facilities are also much more safer for the environment. Barges routinely handle shipments of building materials, prefabricated housing and food supplies in Alaska.

Port and harbor development is an important component in any community development plan. Waterfront facilities should not be studied in isolation, but rather as part of the greater community and region. Local ports and harbors can do a better job to clearly define their role within the community.

Tags: Port Harbor Infrastructure Development

Pollution Reporting and Oil Spill Response

If you come across or personally experience an oil or fuel spill, there are several important things you should do to report it and possibly minimize the amount of product released into the environment. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act prohibits the discharge of any oil product into the water that causes a film or discoloration of the surface of the water or causes a sludge or emulsion beneath the surface of the water.


Call the Coast Guard on VHF channel 16 or call the National Response Center (NRC) at 1-800-424-8802 to report a spill. Federal law requires the person in charge of a vessel who witnesses or sees a spill to report the spill to the NRC immediately. The Coast Guard and other oil spill response organizations can’t be everywhere or see all that might be occurring on the waterfront. Boaters are an excellent set of additional eyes that can help report oil spills and other hazardous waste incidents. Failure to report may result in the assessment of a civil penalty and/or criminal sanctions.

In the event you have an oil spill, take action to stop the source of the spill. It may be a loose cap or broken filter. Once the source is controlled, contain the spilled product. Blocking scuppers, building dikes or throwing down adsorbent pads can accomplish spill containment. Some fuel on the surface of the water can be picked up with adsorbent pads. Use a gaff or boathook to move the pads around. Avoid using detergents or soaps to cleanup a fuel spill. Once you catch your breath, contact your harbor and the Coast Guard. Properly dispose of all materials used to control the spill. Most boaters are not fined for reporting small spills, as long as they take immediate action to clean it up. The Coast Guard is more interested insuring the problem is resolved correctly and that adequate resources are in place to handle the oil spill.

Tags: Pollution Reporting Oil Spill Response

Safe Fueling of Boats

Fuel and petroleum can cause major problems for wildlife and the marine environment. Federal and State law is very strict concerning the discharge of oil or fuel into the water. The penalties and cleanup costs can be severe.

It is a very good idea to have an idea of how much fuel your boat carries and burns through normal use. This information will help you to anticipate when to stop filling.

Consider installing an air-fuel separator or whistle on your vessel’s fuel tank vent line. Both devices will help provide a warning when the boat is nearly full. Most fuel docks routinely provide an adsorbent pad to place around the fueling nozzle while it is being used. If the fuel dock doesn’t provide a pad for your use, encourage them to do so and make sure you have your own on hand. Never use soap or detergent on inadvertent fuel spills; they only sink the fuel into the water column were it will have prolonged contact with wildlife. It is much better to let it evaporate.

Portable tanks should be filled at upland facilities or at least out of the boat. Spills are much easier to cleanup onshore and away from the water. It is also safer to fill portable fuel tanks that are placed on the ground. This helps reduce the buildup of static electricity and the chance of causing a spark.

Before Fueling

• Stop all engines and auxiliaries.


• Shut off all electricity, open flames, and heat sources.


• Check bilges for fuel vapors.


• Extinguish all smoking materials.


• Close access fittings and openings that could allow fuel vapors to enter the boat’s enclosed spaces.


• Remove all personnel from the boat except the person handling the fueling hose.

During Fueling

• Maintain nozzle contact with fill pipe.


• Fuel filling nozzle must be attended at all times.


• Wipe up spills immediately.


• Avoid overfilling.


• Marine fuel nozzles may not automatically shut-off like an automotive fuel nozzle does.


• Air trapped in fill lines, blowback and fuel tank sloshing due to boat wakes can cause fuel to be spilled.

After Fueling and Before Starting Engine

• Inspect bilges for leakage or fuel odors.


• Ventilate until odors are removed.

Tags: Safety Boating Fueling

Hazardous Waste Management in Harbors

Harbor operators have made great strides in cleaning up their facilities and raising the awareness of users concerning pollution. Unfortunately many harbor customers are still unaware of their impact to the environment caused by the improper disposal of chemicals or incorrect maintenance procedures. Dispose of used motor oil, antifreeze, contaminated fuels, fishing nets and lines, batteries, and packaging only in specially designated containers. If specific containers for hazardous substances are not found, don’t dump these materials until you consult with your harbor staff. Routine activities like engine oil changes, hull cleaning, painting and fueling can introduce harmful chemicals into the environment if they are not properly conducted.


Across the United States, marinas and harbors have begun to use what are called Best Management Practices (BMP), which are actions that can be used to prevent or reduce the level of pollutants discharged into the soil, air and water. Pollution in a harbor comes from the many different products like diesel fuel, bottom paint, solvents and ethylene glycol that collectively find their way into our water.

The most current version of Alaska's BMPs can be viewed at the Alaska Coastal Management Program.

Used Oil is the most prevalent waste product that is routinely handled and disposed of in marinas. The line between used oil being a useful product and a hazardous waste is a fine one. How the oil is handled will determine whether the product is disposed of freely or if you or the harbor are required to pay for disposal of it as a hazardous waste. Used oil must be protected from contamination with other substances. This includes gasoline, antifreeze, water and solvents.

Contaminated fuel or water is a common problem in harbors and can be difficult to deal with properly. Oily bilge water that can’t be readily treated on-shore is often pumped overboard. There are several solutions for dealing with this problem.

Prevention is by far the easiest method of handling contaminated fuel or water. Fuel vents on vessels should be designed to not allow rainwater to enter the fuel tank. The same can be said of fuel caps. Keeping fuel tanks nearly full reduces condensation of water and also improves vessel stability. There is also value in the proper labeling of fuel, hydraulic and water tanks. Diesel fuel has been pumped into water tanks and gasoline pumped into diesel tanks. This creates a terrible mess to clean up long after the mistake occurs.

Oily bilges can be prevented in several ways as well. Proper maintenance and replacement of filters, tight connections and adequate surveillance will prevent many leaks into the bilge. Treatment options on a boat include placement of adsorbent socks, crankcase vent filters and active bilge pump filter systems.

Fishing Line, Fishing Nets and Plastics - Used gillnet and fishing line poses a number of problems. These materials do not break down readily in the environment. Nets are bulky and don’t compress well when buried in a landfill. Discarded gillnets and fishing lines are a serious hazard to wildlife like sea otters that can become entrapped in the net or shorebirds that become entangles in fishing lines.

Liquid and Aerosol Paints – Harbors and boaters should be especially interested in anti-fouling bottom paint that used on vessels in their boat yards. Anti-fouling paints by their very design are toxic and meant to suppress the growth of marine organisms. Paint runoff, overspray and chips can build up in the environment and cause potentially large cleanup bills. Technology is providing improvements to bottom paints and there are now products on the market that limit adhesive of marine growth to hulls rather attempting to poison them. The most common biocide agent in use at this time is copper.

Liquid and Aerosol Paint Best Management Practices

• Use anti-fouling paints containing the minimum amount of toxin necessary for the expected conditions.
  
• Avoid the use of soft ablative paints and use water based paints where possible
• Minimize the use of spray-painting equipment on vessels. Use brushes and rollers whenever possible.
• Tarp or shroud vessels to avoid overspray or runoff of paint unto the ground or into the harbor.
• Use a designated area to mix paints, solvents and reducers.
• Purchase only enough paint to complete the job.
• Allow empty paint cans to dry out completely prior to disposal.

Tags: BMP Environment Boating Clean Marinas Harbors

2006 Alaska Science & Engineering Fair

2006 Alaska Science and Engineering Fair (ASEF) will be hosted by East High School at 4025 East Northern Lights Boulevard on March 10th to 12th in Anchorage, Alaska..

Alaskan students in Kindergarten through 12th grade may enter a science, engineering, computer science, or mathematics project in the Alaska Science and Engineering Fair. It is not necessary to win at a local fair in order to enter the Alaska Science and Engineering Fair. All Alaskan students in grades K-12 are welcome.

The Alaska Science and Engineering Fair will be
March 10 -12, 2006 in Anchorage, Alaska.
March 10: Registration
March 11: Display judging
March 12: Awards ceremony

The Alaska Science & Engineering Fair is an Intel-affiliated Science Fair. To find out more about Intel Science Fairs, see the ISEF website.

The Alaska Science & Engineering Fair Awards Ceremony is on March 12, 2006 at the East High School Auditorium. A PowerPoint presentation describing ASEF 2006 can be viewed here: [PDF]

Tags: Alaska Science Engineering Fair ASEF ISEF

Valdez and Plaquemines Parish Travelift Project

I have been working with a very dedicated group of people in Plaquemines Parish Louisiana to help with the recovery of commercial fishing vessels that were blown ashore by Hurricane Katrina. Fishing families were hard hit by this disaster, not only to the vessels represent their largest personal asset, losing a family fishing vessel puts them out of business and unable to make a living.

The City of Valdez donated a surplus 60-ton Marine Travelift to Plaquemines Parish for use in Empire, Louisiana. A group was formed in Alaska called Alaska Fishing Industry Relief Mission (AFIRM) who have stepped up to donate (up to $20,000) the required funds to ship the lift from Alaska to Louisiana.

Last week, in snowy Alaska weather, a 60-ton Marine Travel Lift, a mechanical harness device to move vessels from shore to sea, was donated by the City of Valdez, Alaska to aid Gulf of Mexico fishing industry relief efforts was prepared for transportation. Technician Dennis Sargent of Marine Travelift was on hand in Valdez to supervise the dismantling of the Travelift. The lift was packed onto a flatbed trailer to travel by barge and road. It is expected to leave Valdez by the end of January, en route to Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, where an estimated 3,000 commercial fishing boats were washed ashore during Hurricane Katrina.

The Alaska Fishing Industry Relief Mission (AFIRM) and the City of Valdez thank Marine Travelift Corporation of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, for the donation of the technician's work. Northwest Airlines donated the airfare to fly Sargent to Alaska and to Louisiana for reassembly when it arrives in February. North Star Terminal and Stevedore Company generously provided the crane and heavy equipment for the dismantling. AFIRM will cover any additional travel, lodging, labor and transportation costs to ensure that the City of Valdez will not incur incidental costs as a result of its generous donation.

AFIRM is a 100% volunteer, 501 (c) (3) qualified non profit organization of the Alaska seafood industry. It was organized by Senator Lisa Murkowski and members of the industry to help the Gulf of Mexico fishing industry in the wake last Fall's hurricanes. AFIRM is seeking donations from fishermen, processors, and other fishing industry participants that recognize the importance of a healthy and unified domestic U.S. seafood industry. For more information see the AFIRM website at www.akgulfhelp.org

Valdez and Plaquemines Parish Travelift Project

Tags: Plaquemines Valdez Katrina Travelift

Northwest Alaska Circumnavigation Expedition

During the winter of 2004 the “Iditarod National Millennium Trail Freight Sled Expedition (IMTFSE)” traveled 900 miles by snowmobile from Nenana, Alaska to Nome , Alaska . Initially, the mission was to celebrate the trail with the communities along the way by talking to people and gathering interviews from elders about the trail and its integral historic and present-day importance as an arterial access to their communities.

As expedition participants learned of the many snowmobile deaths and accidents along the trail, it became apparent that the message of trail safety should become a primary focus of their overall mission. Most of these accidents could have been prevented with a basic understanding of backcountry safety, equipment and skills. In response to an obvious need, the group provided over 25 presentations in 17 schools along the trail. Presentations (focusing primarily on school age children) expanded from the originally intended Iditarod Trail information to include more safety oriented topics such as clothing, helmets, survival gear, mechanical advantage rescue systems, GPS units, and satellite phones. Two native expedition team members also spoke about the devastation alcohol abuse in the outdoors has wreaked upon their families and their village. One member’s mother perished in the cold on her own front porch while another member spoke of searching for a man between villages who was found frozen on his snowmobile wearing only a light jacket. Sharing stories and backcountry knowledge inspired both team members and community members alike.


The overwhelming positive response to the IMTFSE’s safety presentations has motivated IMTFSE’s lead guide Mike Buck along with Lisa Wax and Kyle Rennie to organize another more extensive program for 2006, the Northwestern Alaska Circumnavigation Expedition (N.A.C.E.). N.A.C.E. will promote backcountry safety in 23 villages across 2000 miles.

Mike's 25 years of classroom teaching experience combined with Mike, Lisa and Kyle's extensive backcountry experience will enable this year’s snowmobile expedition to become a village-wide educational event. With the support of the Alaska State Trac Grant program, the Valdez Snowmachine Club and other sponsors Team N.A.C.E. hopes to reduce primarily, but not necessarily only, snowmobile related injuries and deaths in Alaska.

Northwest Alaska Circumnavigation Expedition

Tags: snowmobile snowmachine arctic safety alaska

Northern Harbors & Small Ports: Operation and Maintenance

Harbormasters at small ports, especially in northern regions, will find this book invaluable in the day-to-day operation and long-term maintenance of their harbors. The chief difference for northern harbors is the need for more robust structures built to withstand the severe climate. Topics include maintenance planning, repair and maintenance techniques, conducting inspections, creating a resource library, construction materials, harbor and port structures, effect of the environment on materials and structures, hazardous materials, utilities, harbor economics, and safety.

Small craft harbors and marinas in Alaska are typically designed to moor vessels that are less than 100 feet in length. Harbors represent a major investment in infrastructure that has been provided in large part by the State of Alaska, with local communities providing management and operational support of the facilities. Harbors range from having very limited dock space to more than a thousand mooring slips. Harbor staffing levels are generally representative of the facility size, and normally include employees that are responsible for business management, maintenance, and operation of the harbor. Maintenance and operation of northern harbor facilities require the use of unique and challenging solutions by harbor employees, especially in our climate of chronic deferred maintenance and limited budgets.

This book is meant to assist people already on the docks performing the tasks, and includes several examples of programs already place here in Valdez, Alaska. Structures in Alaska are little different from those in place in the Pacific Northwest. The chief difference in Alaska construction standards is the need for more robust structures built to withstand our severe climate. As a friend of mine once said, “If it will work here, it will work anywhere.”

Published by Alaska Sea Grant College Program at UAF

Tags: harbor port maintenance alaska