Launch Sites - Puget Sound

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Old Dog

New member
Although I'm not unfamiliar with much of Puget Sound, as a new C-Ranger owner, I am struggling a bit with locating good places to launch. I will frequently be by myself and since it is a bit of a drive to get north from Vancouver, WA, I'll generally want to be out for several days. That, to me, means that I need a floating dock next to the ramp to be able to comfortably get a R-25 on and off the trailer and reasonably secure long-term parking for the truck.

There are excellent facilities in Olympia which I've been using as we tune up the boat but I'm interested in starting much farther north. There is a lot of information available but it's geared towards much smaller fishing boats and not always exactly reliable. I've done some searching on this site but not successfully.

I'd really like a choice somewhere near Seattle (preferably south, of course to avoid a little traffic) and a couple places far enough north to give reasonably quick access to the San Juan and Gulf Islands. I've located what look like good spots near Vancouver, BC, but would welcome a thought on that too.

Want to share your personal favorites?
 
Squalicum Harbor in Bellingham would be the best launch for going into the San Juans. Very good ramps with side docks and good parking.

Going south from there would be Washington Park, in the Skyline area of Anacortes. The only problem there is on low tides the water depth is a little skinny, so check the tide tables first.

I will let someone else talk about Everett and south of that, as I have never launched there.
 
You might want to look into lauching facilities on the West Side of the Sound.
A. Kitsap Pensinsula (Gig Harbor, Poulsbo, Kingston, Keyport)
B. Olympic Pensinsula (Port Townsend, Port Ludlow, Sequim)
You might, at certain times, save lots of road time and aggravation, but the downside is the additional boat time to get to the San Juans, and the cruise is through relatively "big" water where you are exposed to a lot of wind and chop. With a displacement boat like the Ranger, however, it shouldn't slow you down as much from your normal speed, compared to a planing boat. Furthermore, the West Side is a pleasant cruising destination in its own right.
Bartman.
 
Des Moines is good - it is a sling, with lots of parking. I have not used it but I recently had a chance to scope it out. They told me $25 in/out for a 25' boat. Eddie Vine Ramp at Shilshole in Seattle is good, although parking is a bit limited and not necessarily the most secure, but then I really don't know anywhere that is really secure. They have an extra per night charge for parking at Eddie Vine too. Everett is absolute first class in every way. I think the parking area may be gated off at night in Everett. I don't remember if they charge extra for parking, I think they might. We used Skyline in Anacortes, it too is a sling, and parking is inside a yard that is locked at night. It was pretty expensive however. Squalicum Harbor in Bellingham is likewise first class. Parking is not gated but it is well lit and probably well patrolled, and I would not hesitate to leave my tow vehicle there (we frequently have). $5 launch fee, no extra charge for parking.
 
I don't think you can beat Everett's boat launch. It's huge with many ramps, extensive parking, and nice facilities. including relatively reasonably price gas and diesel at the marina next door. And, it's only $5 a day. On Lake Washington you have Coulon Park at the south end and a little further north in Bellevue, the SE 40th St boat lauch just off I-405 and Coal Creek Pkwy. This last ramp just has one in and one out ramp with floating pier in the middle . It is often used by boat dealers to test drive their boats.
 
All of the above are good ideas. I've used some of them. For quick access to
San Juans Cap Sante in Anacortes is good. Close to stores and restuarants.
It is sling only. I think they have a new sling this year and I don't know the price, last year it was 20.00 each way. That is a lot but if your alone as I some times have been worth it to me. But don't forget Bellingham has an
Anthonies.
:smiled john :smiled
 
Thanks all of you that have responded to my question.

Delighted to know that there is a good launch in Bellingham. Chartered sailboats out of there for a few years and even lived in Bellingham for one year but never noticed a launch ramp. All a function of what you need, I guess. Thanks David for being the first to mention it and John for mentioning the Anthonies. Actually, there are severak good places to eat at Squalicum Harbor.

Bartman, I do like the west side of the sound. Have spent a lot of time in Gig Harbor, Port Orchard, Poulsbo, etc. Not many launch ramps that I'm aware of, however.

Will definitely try Everett some time. Thanks Pat and dotnmarty. I do remember looking at it once before I had a trailerable boat and being impressed. I'm not sure where Skyline in Annacortes is but Annacortes is not that big. We did our test ride in the R-25 in Lake Washington out of Coulon Park. Nice place. I think that's where the C-Ranger factory tests all their boats.

John, thanks for commenting about Cap Sante. I've been in there a lot and have watched their sling in operation but somehow had the impression that they weren't handling boat of this size. Will have to check to see if the new sling takes care of that. Of course, the next question is, where do you place the sling on a R-25? Wonder if anyone knows or is it an issue? It is with larger boats.

Anyway - thanks all. Lots of good ideas and I will definitely check them out.
 
Just a note but some (many, most??) of the sling launches are designed to handle boats that are generally smaller and lighter than the 25' Ranger Tug. For example the Edmonds launcher is rated for "Up to 6,500 pounds dry weight (7200 lbs total max)". Don't know about the other slings mentioned but be sure to check in advance. You might be required to use ramps in some places. OR you might be required to use the more expensive travel life in some places - for example Edmonds has a larger travel life but it operates on different hours than the sling launcher and costs more.

Also, at a few places, the launch ramps and adjacent parking are not well designed for long trailers and trucks. For example, the boat ramp at Shilshole has a really short parking lot. I can launch my 22 there with my F-250 and get things parked jsut fine as long as the lot isn't near full. When it is, parking is impossible in many places as the lane to parking is not wide enough to back the trailer in (I can drop it and push it in with the hitch on the front of the truck but that takes time on a busy day...).

Anyway, I'd check out some of the places in advance of towing there with a plan to launch on a specific day. A little advance planning might save you a bad day.
 
I agree with Roger here about parking at Eddie Vine at Shilshole - but I have found most of the time, as amazing as it seems, the parking lot is usually not full. The key is being able to pull the tow vehicle into an empty spot on the water side so you can straighten out before starting to back into the space on the road side. It can test your backing / jockeying skills though. The absolute worst place for narrow lanes though is Washington Park in Anacortes - maybe it would seem less bad now I have a little more experience, but I definitely have had my problems there...
 
I too live in Vancouver and my preferences, south to north: 1) Olympia 2) Port Orchard (right across from police station and well lit) 3) Shilshole 4) Port Townsend 5) Everett 6) Squalicum. All allow long term parking(I think Squalicum is 5 days) and have the contiguous dock(loading float) that you and I need.
 
Again - thanks for the input. Good points by both Roger and Pat. Sling limitations could be a problem because the R-25 is heavy when fully loaded. I'm not absolutely sure yet how heavy but will eventually get it weighed and find out for sure.

Small places are just not a lot a fun in big vehicles pulling big trailers.
 
Pete, you and I must have been typing at the same time. Thanks - it's just too bad that Port Orchard is so difficult to get to these days (on the road - darn bridges). Nice facilities.
 
Dear Fellow C-brats:

My wife and I were both raised in Seattle and most of our relatives still live in that area. I envy you your boating waterways, but not your hassles at finding places to launch!

My wife and I have lived the past 19 years in Rochester, NY (western NY). We have wonderful waterways here too, but there are greatly under used.

I launched 5 times this past weekend at Golden Hill SP (on L. Ontario, half-way between Buffalo and Rochester) and only saw one other boat (except some silhouettes on the horizon) the entire weekend. Golden Hill has protected commercial-grade double ramp with docks on both sides and parking for 40 or more trucks and trailers. I had the whole place to myself, except for fishermen wetting their lines from the docks and rocks!

This weekend I plan to put into the Erie Canal (for the first time this season; it was just reopened this week). We have two ramps to choose from, both ca. 12 miles from our cottage on L. Ontario. We can expect to find no one at either of these ramps, either launching or parked. And we could well have the canal completely to ourselves while on the water.

Of course, none of this is quite the same as getting out on Puget Sound!

Happy boating,
Wayne
 
I like Kingston, seems like there is always room, and the ramp is pretty steep. I feel like security is pretty good there. I would really like Oak Harbor as the launch is free and parking for a few days is also free, and I think security is pretty good. On the downside the ramp is very shallow. It would require you to have two people or at least hip waders as you would end up with your trucks rear wheels in the water. I like it, but sue has to drive the truck while I man the boat.
 
Again thanks for the tips. lloyds, I think I'll pass on Oak Harbor. Lots of places wading to put the boat in and out of the water is just fine but Puget Sound isn't one of them.

Wayne - we spent about 25 years in Rochester, NY, and were there when we started boating. Will agree with you that there are marvelous places to boat. Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes are great. The canal is interesting - once. Really liked some of the Finger Lakes which we sailed regularly in a West Wight Potter 19. Canandaiqua Lake is beautiful with water so clean it's drinkable. However, as you know, we can boat much of the year here and in upstate NY the season is darn short. I'm actually saddened by the fact that you have the waters to yourself. Good indicator of how bad conditions are for the big companies in Rochester (Kodak, Xerox, GM). Years ago there were concerns about Seattle (remember - "Last one out, turn out the lights"), but now that is starting to seem appropriate for upstate New York. Anyway - thanks for jogging the old memories.
 
I will just repeat what others have said, in the north end of the sound everett is a great launch and close to my house. nevr really had a problem leaving my truck there and you can tie up for the night, must pay, at the ramp on the outer floats. there is also a free pump out there. if yu are getting in the water late and dont want to take off right away its a nice place to stay the night. edmonds will not or will launch trailers with bunks depending on you is working that day and they charge extra for bunks.

Up north near the islands I would use cornet bay or skyline. When i called last week it was $25 both ways for the sling. Not sure what weight rating it is. I would not use twin bridges ramp under the highway for your boat except at high tide and on the slack. the tide can really rip thur there, not to mention the wind. ok for a 22 thu.
 
Old Dog
There is a ramp at Redondo just south of Des Moines It has a foating dock and a temp (summer months) breakwater. Fair amont of parking. Then there is Point Defiance, Very good ramp good parking. It is right next to the Tacoma/ Vashone ferry. In West Seattle there is Don Armini Ramp another very goo ramp. It is straight across Elliot bay from downtown Seattle
 
Spike-Tell me about the Don Armini ramp. I have been over there at Alki a couple of times. It looked great and the view of Seattle was great but there was no one else there but me and a Coast Guard rigid inflatable. Did I hit it on an off day or what?
 
Marty
Don Armini is open all year around. You must have hit it on a off day. Can get very hectic in the summer when they open the inner bay for salmon, or now with the short but intence shrimping season. But in addition to the parking lot you can park on the street. 4 launch/ retrive lanes with 2 docks. watch the 2 outter lanes though, you run out of ramp sooner, but still very do-able in all but the lowest tides
 
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