Lake Deer Boat Ramp Re-Opens Today

Polk County’s Lake Deer Boat Ramp located on 33^rd Street NW in Winter Haven re-opens to the public today, less than two weeks after being closed August 2 for repairs.  The ramp on 33^rd Street (Lat/Lon Coordinates: 280130/814549) is one of two ramps on the 123-acre Lake Deer.

Bracelet linkage in the old style ramp was worn beyond repair and replaced with a new pre-stress slab ramp, fabricated off-site and installed by a contractor.  (Photo on left shows same style ramp being installed at Saddle Creek Park in 2006.)

In the 1980s, ramps were built in Polk County using concrete slabs held together by bands of steel to form a bracelet which sufficed at the time for remote locations with a smaller boat population.  As the popularity of boating expanded and the size of boats and horsepower of motors increased, boat ramps began to fatigue – not only with natural wear but a new process of loading boats called “power loading.” Power loading destroys boat ramps. It is a process of jetting the boat onto to a trailer when leaving the water by opening the boat motor full throttle, pushing the boat onto the trailer versus cranking the boat onto the trailer with a cable hoist. Power loading is easy for the boater because the operator doesn’t have to get into the water and tediously crank the boat onto the trailer. The problem with this process is turbulence, created by the propellers when the motor is full throttled, washes out all the sand and material from under the boat ramp area leaving a void under the ramp causing it to eventually cave in.  There is actually a County Ordinance (ORD #93-37) that prohibits power loading on Polk County’s ramps but unfortunately not enough enforcement.

Presently Polk County is installing longer boat ramps to diminish the voids created by power loading and to make launching possible when waters recede to low levels.  State permitting laws mandate how long ramps may be.  While a cost savings, fabrication of a “push-in-place” ramp by Parks and Natural Resources in-house crews is limited to 35 feet and can take up to three months before the ramp is properly cured and installed.  

Under normal circumstances, contractors can install a ramp in only one week; and because of the process used, ramps can be 45 feet long which allows boaters to launch in drought conditions and provides more resilience to the voids caused by power loading.

Boating registration fees collected by the State and returned to the County through the Florida Boating Improvement Program, to be used exclusively for adding and improving boating access, funded installation of the new ramp.

For more information on Polk County’s boating facilities, contact James Kummer at (863) 499-2613 or jameskummer@polk-county.net.       

 

FRIENDS OF THE PARKS FOUNDATION is a private, non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization staffed solely by volunteers to promote and support parks, trails, lakes and environmental lands to ensure recreational opportunities for future generations.  Recently, a dedicated fund for public lakes access was created.  To learn more contact:  Marian Ryan, (863) 293-6961 or marianryan@gmail.com.

Become a FRIEND to our parks:  www.friendsoftheparks.net