Operations & Maintenance Program Guidelines for Recreational Boating Facilities SOBA’s completely revised and updated Operations & Maintenance Manual (O&M) is now available for purchase. The manual will no longer be sold in print format and will be sold as a CD in PDF format. The cost will be $30 for members and $55 for nonmembers. The O&M Manual is an excellent hands-on guide to help the user establish procedures for the successful operation and maintenance of boating facilities. It includes clearly written, easily understood, updated detailed information for the general maintenance worker, as well as for the administrator with total program responsibility. Its new edition includes information on project file management; risk assessment and management; site design and review procedures; operational staff considerations; staff training needs; equipment and funding requirements; importance of public outreach; methods of site accounting; power loading; ADA review; stormwater issues; mud and debris; signage; recommendations for emergency preparedness and importance of environmental management efforts. The Handbook addresses maintenance program elements, categories and scheduling. Additionally, it presents guidelines for selecting, placing and replacing signs at public boating facilities. Example forms include; a standard facility maintenance record form; a general site inspection checklist; a user comment card; an operations/maintenance cooperative agreement form; an adopt-an-access program agreement form; a waiver of liability form; a sample list of tools, supplies and safety equipment ;general maintenance standards ; preparing for storms and damage assessment process Click here to order. Design Handbook For Recreational Boating & Fishing Facilities The Design Handbook provides information on design and construction of boating and fishing facilities, breakwaters and certain marina components. It should be used as a project reference and is designed as a learning tool for those new to the field of boating and fishing access development. It is also invaluable to the public/private sector as a resource of detailed project information and ideas. This Handbook helps to identify where boating access is needed; provides information on how to locate and acquire access sites; presents examples of proper design and construction of boating facilities; establishes basic operation and maintenance requirements; recommends various considerations for barrier-free access and provides information about federal funding sources for boating and fishing access programs. It also includes sample forms for evaluating existing sites and facilities for adaptation to barrier-free use; provides a sample checklist for proposed public access acquisition and development and includes drawings of boat launching site designs from various state projects. Design Handbook Table of Contents Click here to order. Construction Techniques for Recreational Boating Access Facilities (DVD) The newest of SOBA's how-to publications, this DVD visually demonstrates today's best-methods used in construction of boat ramps. Either as a stand-alone tool or if used in conjunction with the SOBA Design Handbook, it provides critical, up-to-date and easy to use information about building a safe and effective boat ramp. It includes footage taken during the actual construction and pushing of boat ramps. Specifics topics covered include: • Grooves and Tools • Overviews on placing grooves into the concrete • Aging time required before pushing a slab • Push timbers • Positioning of push equipment • Sizes of a push slab • Base and base preparation • Items to consider when constructing a ramp • Preparing for a concrete pour For more information about the DVD, boat ramp construction or boating access in general, please email info@sobaus.org. Click here to order. Boating Access Inventory One of SOBA's priority strategic initiatives is to complete an assessment of current and future needs regarding boating and fishing access. To make progress on this important priority, SOBA has begun by creating this inventory of existing needs assessments, strategic plans and state boat ramp inventories that have already been done by other groups and agencies. Below, please find results of this important information gathering exercise: Inventory of boating access needs assessments, strategic plans and existing list of access points. It summarizes the number states that have completed a boating access needs assessments, strategic plans and existing list of access points and where you can obtain copies of the completed reports. The inventory is the first report of its kind, documenting and summarizing what already exists at the state level. SOBA's intent and expectation is to use this information to design and deliver a truly nationwide needs assessment that builds from what the states are already doing. SOBA also hopes to use this information to provide tools and services to its member states to help them complete needs assessments, strategic boating access plans, and inventories of boating access points based the experience that already exists within the membership. Click here to view. Boating Access Promotion Media Package The following is SOBA's Boating Access Promotion Media Package and all the materials necessary to support SOBA in its effort to update and maintain an online database of publicly funded boat launching facilities. In the document you'll also find great ideas and tools for you to use in announcing your latest accomplishments to those who'd really like to know, especially elected officials responsible for securing funding for your project and potential guests of your newly constructed or renovated boat launching facility. The Boating Access Promotion Media Package includes: • BOATING ACCESS SITE COMPLETION FORM • PUBLICIZING YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS • SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE • SPREAD THE WORD • SAMPLE LETTER TO ELECTED OFFICIALS SOBA Promotes Boating Access at Federal Level When a State notifies SOBA of the completion of a newly constructed or renovated boat launching facility, SOBA will: • Send a letter to the federal senators and representatives from the district in which the boat launching facility is located alerting them of its completion. SOBA will include for elected officials' use a template of a press release regarding the new launch site and the Wallop-Breaux Aquatic Resources Trust Fund. • Distribute a national press release to the daily trade press. • Provide information to the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) to update the access database. ASSOCIATION OF MARINA INDUSTRIES (AMI) AMI is a strategic working partner of SOBA, and is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated exclusively to the marina industry. Today, AMI is responsible for the International Marina Institute (IMI), including the internationally acclaimed Certified Marina Manager (CMM) program and small topic-specific conferences, plus the annual International Marina & Boatyard Conference (IMBC). AMI’s 800+ members have access to discounted services, timely industry publications, and legislative support and updates. AMI was formed when the Marina Operators Association of America (MOAA) and the International Marina Institute (IMI) merged in 2005. Today, AMI represents a diverse membership of over 800 marinas, boatyards, yacht clubs, and public/private moorage basins across the United States and around the world. These companies provide slip space for over 240,000 recreational watercraft and employ over 13,000 marine tradesmen and women. Click here to link directly to AMI's resources and publications. NASBLA: A Guide for Multiple Use Waterway Management A Guide for Multiple Use Waterway Management is but one tool for resource managers, planners, regulators and other waterway stakeholders and professionals who are trying to make sense of an evolving body of information about multiple use waterway issues and conflicts and site-appropriate ways for coming to terms with them. This body of information, which grounds the analysis and presentations within the Guide, is made up of research reports, management plans, process summaries, academic and governmental studies, conference and workshop proceedings, meeting minutes, media articles, and Internet-based sites produced or maintained by public, private and non-profit agencies and organizations. But the "making sense" part of this project would not have been as rich and multi-layered if it had not been for the active engagement and guidance of individuals and organizational representatives in formal and informal project input and feedback opportunities in 2002 and 2003. They helped to shape this edition by sharing their real-life professional experiences and their varying and valuable perspectives on waterway and multiple use issues and management priorities and approaches. The National Water Safety Congress (NWSC) and the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) thank all of the boating and water safety specialists, waterway managers and planners, academic and government researchers, and other professionals representing recreational, commercial, industrial, environmental and military arenas and interests for providing a wealth of expertise, insights and reference materials. Click here to download guide National Park Service Sponsored by the National Park Service Rivers & Trails Program in 2004, this guide provides design guidance for developing canoe and kayak launches. Case examples, designs, and photos of launch sites are included. NPS-Launch Guide