Town mulls kayak launch for Rhinecliff
The boat launch was not designed for the smaller craft, and using the dock is said to be difficult.
RHINEBECK, N.Y. » The town is reviewing a proposal to create a kayak launch at Rhinecliff Landing along the Hudson River.
Kayak enthusiast Norman Magnusson told the Town Board last week that the existing boat launch was not designed for kayaks, and launching from the site’s dock is difficult.
“Some younger, stronger people can get in their kayaks standing on the dock and sort of slide in that way,” Magnusson said. “But for people like me, and almost everybody, it’s impossible. So you put in on the [boat] incline, and that scrapes up your boat, and it’s just not a very good way to do it.”
The cost of a kayak launch, which could be placed and removed seasonally, has been estimated at $5,000.
“It’s made out of hard thermal plastic,” Magnusson said. “There’s notches. You can pull yourself in with your paddle once you get partway in . ... It would make the Rhinecliff boat launch area a lot more accessible to kayaks.”
Magnusson said kayak launches are designed to secure the craft without knocking the user off-balance.
“Athens and Coxsackie (in Greene County) have the exact one that I propose purchasing,” he said. “[They] are the most intuitive and easiest to use . ...
“It’s really, really easy to install, and ... if it turns out you want to do other things there, like a water taxi from Kingston ... it’s really easy to take it off and reinstall it in a new spot,” Magnusson said.
Information about how many kayakers use Rhinecliff Landing as a launch spot was not available, but Magnusson said the activity is growing in popularity.
“This past summer, it really exploded around here,” he said. “I was really impressed with how many cars had kayaks on the top.”
The Town Board plans to review the proposal further when it meets on Monday, Feb. 22.