Private Boat Club

[jetskipro550]

My parents are thinking about joining a private boat club Boat Club and need some input. There are some great features but also some draw backs. The largest draw back in my opinion is the lack of docks. I don't like the idea of having to beach the boat to drop someone off or pick them up. We normally go late evenings during the week and early mornings on the weekends. Since most of the people that launch at the public ramp aren't into getting up early or going late we can usually get really good water. However, another concern is that most people at this club are competition boat owners and may be the type of crowd that would go during those early/late times. We are looking into visiting the club in the next few weeks and checking out the stretch of river to give us a better idea of what it's like.

Public launch:

Pros:

Close to home (5 minutes away)

3 lanes wide

docks

Cons

Small stretch of river (1/2 mile in each direction)

Can be very busy

Have to deal with some idiots

Private Club

Pros

Private secure launch

Twice as much riding area (about 1 mile in each direction is what they claim)

The stretch of river can only be accessed by jet boat/ski as it's really shallow on each end so it's mainly only club members on that area

Membership is restricted to 75 families

Cons

Only 1 narrow lane boat ramp

NO docks so if we wanted to pick up people we would have to beach it (this really bothers me)

No idea how busy (or not busy) this stretch of river gets

Difficult to have friends "drop by" for a pull as it's private

So given the list of pros/cons would you be interested in this private club or would you stick it out at the public launch/stretch of river?

[MalibuNation]

JSP, can you take the private place "for a test run" to see if their claims are true and how crowded it really is. What about distance and cost? So non-members can't come sans a boat if they claim they are coming to visit you? At the private place can you anchor the boat off shore and wade in ... can be a pita for some and not so fun during cold weather. Can you have a little dingy ... can be a pita too?

Edited May 18, 2009 by MalibuNation

[99response]

Where I boat we don't have a dock but lots of nice river (4+ miles). You don't have to "beach" the boat, you simply pull up close to shore and the person who parked the trailer wades out until they are knee deep or so and hops in the bow, never touch the bottom or beach the boat. We just make sure to load all the people and gear into the boat and then launch.

You could also look into putting a keel gaurd on the hull and beach away, espeically if it is a nice soft bank.

[Chef23]

When I was growing up we always beached boats in soft sand. There are boats still on the lake that were beached 3-5 hours a day on the weekends and you can see some wear on the bow but nothing that was ever critical. I prefer not to do it now but I don't think it is the end of the world to nose in to pick someone up then pull right away.

[jetskipro550]

JSP, can you take the private place "for a test run" to see if their claims are true and how crowded it really is. What about distance and cost? So non-members can't come sans a boat if they claim they are coming to visit you? At the private place can you anchor the boat off shore and wade in ... can be a pita for some and not so fun during cold weather. Can you have a little dingy ... can be a pita t

oo?

Yeah, I think they are trying to get a guest pass or tour of some sorts to see if exactly what the stretch of water is like (depth and length). It's also about 5 minutes from their house and has an annual membership cost of $500. Near shore there are some places where it's possible to anchor I am sure.

Where I boat we don't have a dock but lots of nice river (4+ miles). You don't have to "beach" the boat, you simply pull up close to shore and the person who parked the trailer wades out until they are knee deep or so and hops in the bow, never touch the bottom or beach the boat. We just make sure to load all the people and gear into the boat and then launch.

You could also look into putting a keel gaurd on the hull and beach away, espeically if it is a nice soft bank.

The place where we would be picking people up/dropping off is a nice sand beach with a gradual slope. It would be real easy to swing the back around and get someone on/off. It's something that can be worked around, but it's nice for guests (when using the public launch) to just pick up and drop off at the courtesy docks so the don't have to wade through the water. This would just have to change our ways of organizing things bit...and yeah it's going to suck early/late season to have to get wet to get the trailer.

[txwakejunkie]

If the water is worth the membership and you feel like you will spend alot of time there. Ask if you can build a small dock for loading/unloading in trade for membership fees of the same value? WIN/WIN

[Chia]

with a membership, you would have the option of going to the public, early and late, or going to the private during busy times at the public. Sounds like a great idea.

[DONTW8]

Are you sure you cannot access that part of the Willamette River ?

I knew a gal from Salem who told me thay skied a stretch where they had to negotiate some shallow water.

Not many boats so it was worth it. They used a public launch.

What are the fees for the private club ? If low then that changes the equation.

Specifically where is the stretch of Willamette that the club is located on ?

[jetskipro550]

Are you sure you cannot access that part of the Willamette River ?

I knew a gal from Salem who told me thay skied a stretch where they had to negotiate some shallow water.

Not many boats so it was worth it. They used a public launch.

What are the fees for the private club ? If low then that changes the equation.

Specifically where is the stretch of Willamette that the club is located on ?

I used to be able to access it by jet ski, but only jet skis and jet boats can get to it from either direction. There is a 2+ mile stretch between the public ramp and this place that is really shallow (less then 1 ft sometimes). Way back when, they used to dredge the really shallow sections and my dad remembers skiing through there as a kid. They haven't dredged in 15+ years. It's south west of downtown Salem and the public boat launch.

[obski]

Interesting concept for a unique stretch of river. Essentially a private area on a public waterway. Just wait until some group decides that this would be the perfect area to make into a no-wake zone as a haven for kayaker, etc. They are in the process of doing just that for the Holgate Channel by Ross Island. There are already regulations that passed directed directly at wakeboarding for the Upper Willamette between Newberg and West Linn. Don't think it couldn't happen in other areas.