Outdoors with Larry DiDonato - Complaints Mount Over New Boat Ramp in Catskill

CATSKILL - Village of Catskill officials erected this cautionary sign warning boaters of issues with the shallow incline of the newly constructed boat ramp at Dutchman's Landing in the Village of Catskill. 

If you are a boater accessing the Hudson River using the new ramp at Dutchman’s Landing, you’ve likely experienced problems. To say the new ramp installed last fall leaves a lot to be desired is an understatement. It’s been described as, “a big mess,” and “simply horrible” by those who need to launch their boat there on a regular basis. Firstly, the ramp is way too short. The two center ramps have about a 6-inch ridge between them, making one ramp substantially higher than the other. I’m told the slabs were poured, then pushed with heavy equipment into place. It was then they realized the ramps were placed at different heights and slopes. The hasty remedy was a cement patch down the center crack causing the hump you see today. When the concrete portion of the ramp terminates, rip-rap, (stone boulders used to stop erosion), prevent boats from coming off trailers. 

 The ramp has been characterized by some as “unsafe and unusable at dead low tide.” 

I can attest to that statement. I only had to launch my 18-foot center console there twice this year and had difficulty on both occasions. The first time was at mid to high tide and the boat came off the trailer okay. But while the boat was back at what used to be far enough away from the old ramp, when I put the outboard in reverse, the propeller immediately struck the rip-rap, causing damage to the prop. The second time I launched there it was worse. It was at a lower tide but not dead low. I backed the trailer as far back as possible into the water and my boat got hung up on the rip-rap. I was alone and was incredulous that the boat was not floating off the trailer after backing all the way down the ramp. I had to move the boat sideways, back, and forward, pushing and pulling it using lines and lots of back breaking shoves to finally get it off the trailer.

 Some have pointed out that the right, and right center ramps have a drop off if you go too far back. That’s a real risk of damage to trailers and vessels. A major concern expressed is for those who launch their boat at high tide, then go out for the day. If they return at low tide, they may not be able to haul their boat out of the water. 

 One boater trying to launch a boat reported they had to back down the ramp so far, the tailpipe/exhaust of their truck was submerged, yet still had serious problems launching the 22-foot bowrider. Even though he drove back as far as possible, he had great difficulty getting the boat off the trailer. 

 The ramp should be able to accommodate boats at lengths up to around twenty-seven feet or so, but many are having problems with vessels of a much shorter length.  

Why isn’t the Catskill ramp designed and constructed more like the state launch in Athens? Its large poured concrete extends well into the Murderer Kill at an angle that makes boat launching safe and easy.       

 Delaware Engineering D.P.C. of Albany, was contracted by the Village of Catskill to design the ramp and Flach Industries of Selkirk installed it. I spoke to Village of Catskill President, Joe Kozlowski and learned he is acutely aware of complaints with the construction of the new boat ramp at Dutchman’s Landing. The village erected a sign warning users of the ramp of its shallow nature. It reads, “CAUTION: Shallow incline area, Launching your boat is at your own risk”

 In response to those complaints, the Village President along with Village Trustee, Natasha Law, and Village of Catskill Attorney, Wayne Thompson, met with Matthew Davis of Delaware Engineering at the boat ramp on July 10th to assess problems with the ramp’s design and construction. They conducted GPS mapping of depths of the ramp and rip-rap at various points down all the way down to the terminus of the floating dock. Village Attorney, Wayne Thompson went above and beyond, (or should I say below and beyond the water line), wading in the river to get accurate depths at tide using Delaware’s RTK GPS unit to collect precise resolution elevation datapoints. When asked about any plans to correct the large ridge between the two center ramps, Matt Davis of Delaware Engineering replied they are considering cutting the concrete and installing rock fill to somewhat even out the transition between the two structures. Something needs to be done since an inexperienced boat trailer operator could easily straddle the two different height ramps potentially causing problems for trailers and hulls. Regarding the abrupt drop-off at the end of the concrete ramp, Matt theorized some type of extension of the ramp to alleviate that issue may be in order. 

But their main concern is the height of the rip-rap below the ramp all the way out to the end of the docks. Consensus was the excess rip-rap installed by Flach Industries needs to be removed as soon as possible. It appears much needs to be done to correct or reconstruct Catskill’s only public boat launch.   

 The good news is the Village of Catskill is on task. Its commendable they addressed age old problems with the old ramp by constructing a new one. Though it’s unfortunate the design and construction of the current ramp are inadequate and possibly worse than the one it replaced. The village is seeking to immediately address the issue of the excess rip-rap during this summer’s boating season to alleviate what it considers to be the most serious issues facing boaters. Near term relief can then be followed by developing more comprehensive, long-term options to address the new ramp’s many shortfalls. 

 I was informed grants in the amount of $150,000.00 were used to offset the cost of construction of the current ramp. Given the passage of the $4.2 billion State Environmental Bond Act, in addition to other grant funding source’s emphasis on flood resilience, access, and shoreline enhancement, especially in the Hudson River Estuary, more opportunities for funding may be a likely option.   

 Look for part two and continuing updates of this story in future columns. Stay tuned for more on this important issue. 

Happy Hunting, Fishing, and Trapping until next time!

Remember to report poaching violations by calling 1-844-DEC-ECOS.