Re: PowerLoading
Allow me to shed some light, from first hand experience, regarding ramp issues.
My father was a Wildlife Biologist/District Supervisor for the Michigan DNR for 36 years. His District was basically Mid Michigan-South and East from Clare.
Part of his responsibility was the design, environmental impact study, building, maintenance and repair of waterway controls (gates, culverts, etc.) and boat ramps.
I witnessed, as a youngster and teenager, those projects. That was in the late 1970's. As a teenager, I worked, as a laborer, on some of the crews.
By far, the most damage done to boat ramps was done by the following elements-IN ORDER.
1. Ice. (Buckling causing huge obstacles.)
2. Currents.
3. Run off (including floods).
4. Wave/wake action on unprotected ramps.
5. Low water launching (ruts and holes created by stuck vehicles).
The ramps we built and repaired were pretty much constructed in the same way.
1. A coffer dam was built to allow pumping of the area unless a low water condition allowed construction.
2. An underlayment of gravel was laid.
3. Concrete was poured down to the average waterlevel line. Some were gravel down to the waterline.
4. 12' X 18" (rebar reinforced) concrete slabs were laid down, below the waterline and hooked together with protruding rebar hooks.
5. Some ramps had crushed rip rap dumped at the end. A lot depended on the area conditions.
I would never say that powerloading does not contribute, in some cases, to ramp detioration but it is not the only cause, by any stretch.
