Shoreham Launch Sites

[enzo200500]

So, working from the East, in Southwick.

Lady Bee Marina.
This is inside the harbour, so you will need to use the lock gates.
I never use it, and its about £20 to pay!
Parking is free next to the ramp, but very busy all the time.

Not good for long trailers as there are buildings directly opposite the ramp entrance!






Kingston Beach ramp, righ next to the Shoreham Lifeboat Station and Lighthouse.

This ramp is accessed straight off the A259 Coast Road.
Free Parking.
2mtr height barrier to enter car park. Put there to stop the Pikey hutches moving in!
This faces the harbour entrance, so straight out to sea from here.

Height barrier...



Large car park, free to!...



The wooden ramp.
Still in good useable condition, despite the council signs!
The blocks at the top are to stop vehicles using the ramp, after one ran off the end a few years back...



At low tide, the end of the ramp does sit about a foot above the sand level. But easy if you have launch wheels.
Sand is easy to walk on and well compacted...



Not too far from the car park to the ramp. It's where the yellow diamond is. You can just about get a sib around that bollard with launch wheels. Or two people can easily lift over the wooden barriers!

[enzo200500]

Further West now along to Ropetackle.
This used to have loads of free parking right next to the ramp years back, but then the flats were built there.
My launch ramp is by that blue boat over the river on the left of this picture.

They did completely rebuild the ramp though...



Its not normally this messy, it's this artic blast recently...



The ramp leads down to shingle and mud. So pretty good for most of the tide in a sib with launch wheels.

Parking now is limited to 2 hours and there are not many bays...



Nice for dropping a boat in the water, but parking is rubbish sadly.

Just over the River Adur from Ropetackle is my preferred launch site. Next to the Adur Canoe Club.

Loads of free parking, but a 2mtr height barrier due to the Pikeys again!...



The car park I use with a trailer on the back of my van. The ramp is through the locked yellow gate. I pay £80 a year for the access, but can launch my Honwave at any state of the tide from the trailer on the van!...



I literally drive my 2.3 tonne Ford Transit Connect right down to the waters edge with the trailer from here. There is compacted shingle at the top, and mud/gravel and rocks lower down.

I drive right down under the Norfolk Bridge to the right...





Thats my Honwave T40 just launched and waiting to go the other side of the Norfolk Bridge. You can see the gravel is easy to drive on, even front wheel drive vans!
The tide was still on the drop too!...



Looking up from,where the boat was towards the ramp. It was a beautiful morning, too nice for working...



The yellow barrier is high enough to roll a sib underneath and launch. May not clear on a trailer though...

Any questions, just shout....

[Paul]

Brilliant post there Enzo and thanks for taking the time and trouble to post the photos along with the detailed information
Like you say maybe trailered sibs may not pass beneath the barriers however the majority have got launch wheels fitted anyhow so happy days
Loving the fact we're gonna expand our launching sites and venues to get together this coming year
Great stuff mate

[enzo200500]

It's good to have the information in one area to help others Paul!

[Martin]

Wow
That's a whole load of info, thankyou very much for sharing.

If we could build up a library of launch sites as detailed as this post.. we'll be on a winner.

Very in depth,again - thankyou for taking the time and trouble documenting this post.

Martin