6th Ave Boat Ramp
Melbourne Beach Boat Ramp
The Melbourne Beach boat ramp has always been used for small boats kayaks and paddle boards. The water depth at the ramp is only about 12-16” therefore only allowing small boats (20’ in length or less) access to the Indian River Lagoon. At the boat ramp there is a seawall on the North and South sides. This seawall is in disrepair and in need of replacement in the near future. Because of this the town has installed coquina boulders in front of the seawall on the south side of the property to prevent the wall from failing.
So for everyone to understand the concern in launching boats at this ramp we are giving a small tutorial of the methods required to launch a boat and then load your family or other passengers onto the boat.
1. First the trailer is backed down the ramp into the water until the boat can float off into the Indian River Lagoon.
2. Next the driver of the boat will need to back up waiting for the driver of the vehicle and trailer to park.
3. Now the other passengers will need to board the boat. This was a little easier before the coquina rock was installed. The driver of the boat would nose in to the wall on the south side as the passengers would step onto the boat. Then the driver of the boat would reverse to head out for a nice day on the water.
4. Once coming back the boat driver would nose in to let off the passengers and vehicle driver to get the vehicle and trailer to be backed down the ramp.
5. The boat would then be loaded on the trailer.
Now this procedure is very different than any other boat ramp in this county and state. Typically a boat ramp has a dock that once the boat is put in the water the boat driver can tie up the boat on the dock to allow passengers to safely load the boat. Then as soon as people are loaded the boat heads out for a day on the water.
Since the rocks have been added the method of loading people on the boat cannot be completed without damaging the boat and risking an accident trying to get on the boat. The only way to access the boat is to walk out into the water and climb on the boat. This is also risky because the boat ramp is often slippery because of algae growth due to the concrete ramp being underwater in some locations.
The safest and most common method to load people on a boat at a a boat ramp is by the use of a small loading dock. We recommend adding a 4’ wide x 30’ long loading dock on the south side of the ramp to assist with launching a boat and loading people on to the boat in a safe manner.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN A PETITION IN SUPPORT OF THE DOCK.