Launch permits or boat registration in your state.

[clemency]

I agree with having a parking fee. It might be a better source of income for the state and also be more fare to the public. Why should boaters have to bare the load when other users pay nothing?

Not a fan of parking fees. Usually don't carry cash and if I do it is probably in the wrong denominations. And I don't particularly like electronic payments either. Plus, boat ramps are only one piece of the access puzzle and as a paddler I don't actually need one; all I need is access to a place I can get a boat on the water.

A (sort of) parallel from NH. In NH we have something called a "hike safe card", which is voluntary and bought from Fish and Game with proceeds going to a search and rescue fund. If I were hiking (or paddling or any other outdoor activity) in NH and required SAR, a hike safe card would guarantee I did not have to pay for said SAR. I get the same guarantee by buying a hunting or fishing license, or an OHV, snowmobile, or boat registration. If I don't have any of those things and the state decides I was "unprepared" they can bill me for SAR. I think its a pretty good system, and it is pretty well publicized here because we get a lot of clueless folks wandering around in the Whites.

A hike safe card is $25. If I didn't have a fishing license I'd go with a hike safe card instead.

 

[tketcham]

Not a fan of parking fees. Usually don't carry cash and if I do it is probably in the wrong denominations. And I don't particularly like electronic payments either. Plus, boat ramps are only one piece of the access puzzle and as a paddler I don't actually need one; all I need is access to a place I can get a boat on the water.

You really can't isolate parking from a boat ramp. Parking areas cost money to build and maintain so even human-powered boaters that don't need a ramp should be willing to help pay for parking. Having to pay each time you park, like a city parking meter, isn't viable but having an annual access permit seems very reasonable, especially if you can buy one at local convenience stores.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Why should boaters have to bare the load when other users pay nothing?

Well, don't ya know? People who own boats are rich.

 

[Gamma1214]

In NH we have something called a "hike safe card", which is voluntary and bought from Fish and Game with proceeds going to a search and rescue fund. If I were hiking (or paddling or any other outdoor activity) in NH and required SAR, a hike safe card would guarantee I did not have to pay for said SAR. I get the same guarantee by buying a hunting or fishing license, or an OHV, snowmobile, or boat registration. If I don't have any of those things and the state decides I was "unprepared" they can bill me for SAR.

That's a great idea. Even if they offered that insurance as an add-on to the hunting / fishing licenses, I'd buy it at $25 or less.

To whomever came up with that idea: well done (at least, IMO)

 

[yknpdlr]

Yeah, but as I understand it, even with the "hike safe card", if you are negligent or careless in the accepted standards of "hiking safe", there is no guarantee that you will be completely let off the hook from any billing or legal consequences. (who is the judge?)

I have often wondered about such a policy for NY. Every week, forest ranger reports come out on people who have done stupid things and need to be rescued, or recovered. Major high profile events may sometimes involve hundreds of SAR volunteers, both trained and untrained, requiring their own expenses and support by public funds. Plus, helicopter overfly support in many larger cases. Helicopter SAR with thermal search would run many tens of thousands of dollars, all charged to the tax payers.

 

[clemency]

Yeah, but as I understand it, even with the "hike safe card", if you are negligent or careless in the accepted standards of "hiking safe", there is no guarantee that you will be completely let off the hook from any billing or legal consequences. (who is the judge?)

Agreed that there are always exceptions. The verbiage in the statutes is if you do something "recklessly or intentionally", even with a hike safe card or the various other things, you can be held liable. To me the verbiage implies that you know better but do something stupid anyhow, as opposed to "negligence", which is the verbiage in the hike safe statute itself.

Hike Safe Card: https://www.hikesafe.com/
Relevant statute: https://www.gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/xviii/206/206-26-bb.htm
Exceptions: https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/xii/153-a/153-a-24.htm