Launch Ramps

Wanderlust tied to the dock at the Marina Lake ramp immediately after launch.

The area hosts a number of public launch ramps of various capacities and we investigated six of them for this guide. Four are located inside the state park and two more are on the south shore. Of these, three are suitable for power boats but only two are worthy of serious consideration for a sailboat.

The only ramp on the southern shore of the bay itself is the Chestnut Street Boat Launch, located next to the imposing red brick Water Department buildings west of the downtown waterfront. The launch offers adequate parking for several dozen vehicles and a wide, level, and obstruction-free area in which to maneuver your boat to the ramp. The lack of a proper rigging area makes this launch best suited for power boats that can simply dunk and go. The ramp docks are generously wide but fairly short. The most serious drawback of this launch is the very narrow basin created by the stone breakwater, which allows for a relatively small area in which to turn your boat. Again, this is not a big issue for smaller power boats, but sailors would be advised to use either the ramp at Lampe Marina or the West Pier ramp in the state park.

On the lakeshore side of the peninsula east of downtown is a large municipal launch ramp inside the Lampe Marina basin. This is probably the best all-around launch facility in the area. Its only drawback is that it exits into Lake Erie itself, rather than the bay and is not convenient to either an anchorage or transient dock. The adjoining Lampe marina does not offer transient slips, but there is a fuel dock and pumpout available. Of particular interest to the trailer sailor, the Lampe Marina Campground is right next door, offering you a convenient place to turn your boat into a travel trailer for a day or two and tour the inland attractions by car. The parking lot is level and absolutely huge, with plenty of room to rig and maneuver. Four wide ramps and three long and solid docks make launching here a breeze.

On Presque Isle, the state park advertises four launch ramps, however the Vista and Lagoon facilities can only generously be described as ramps at all and are really only suitable for canoes and kayaks. A small two-lane ramp at the Niagara Launch, just past the ranger station, could be used for small, shallow draft craft or pontoon boats.

The West Pier launch ramp, past the marina on little Marina Lake is by far the most suitable in the park for a cruising-sized vessel. Ironically, the marina and launch ramp are located on West Fisher Drive and not on Marina Drive. The facility features four wide lanes and three solid and extremely long ramps. The only drawback for sailors is the small parking area adjacent to the ramp, which provides a very limited set-up area in which to rig a sailboat. Additional parking is available for your trailer in an adjoining lot, but tree branches make it impossible to drive to or from this area with your mast up. While rigging, be prepared to get your mast and stays out of the way quickly as you may have no choice but to have them hanging over the road while you set up. Of course, for our power boat friends who just unstrap, dunk, and go, the launch facilities here are flawless.

Even with a sailboat, once you overcome the rigging issues, launching is a pleasure, as the lanes are wide and the docks are stable and long. The ramp is located in a small harbor off the main bay called Marina Lake, which provides by far the best anchorage in the area. If you arrive late in the day, you can launch your boat and be at anchor within minutes. The launch area has public rest rooms with running water and, as an added bonus, you can tie up to the outboard side of the launch ramp docks to use the facilities without blocking the ramps.

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