.

.

Sounds like the yakkers were pretty rude and inconsiderate to me...

Bummer....

Sincerely,

Jim

I don't drive down the boat launch unless there is no one else around. By no one else I mean usually it's early morning, snowing and no one in sight.
The whole idea of a boat launch is to "launch", not set up.
Rig it in the parking lot, wheel it down. If there's a place to lock the wheels, then do that.
If you don't mind carrying them on the kayak, do that. Otherwise, walk them back to your vehicle.
One thing I can't stand is when a boater backs down the ramp, THEN starts unloading everything from the vehicle into the boat. Again, things that should be handled in the parking lot before hand.

It's okay to judge.  Some people use the I was there first mentality.  Unless of course they were there second and have to wait.  Then they may understand their rude ways. 

Kayakers probably thought, wrongly, that they were defending their right to use the ramp. It's pretty simple really- it's a shared facility, you try to figure out a way to take as little time as possible, whether you're in a power boat, kayak, or SUP. After a bit of practice, you begin to take pride in an orderly process, which is quick.

For those who fish out of Santa Cruz, there's no need to compete with power boats at the main launch ramp. There are good launching points on the other side of the harbor specifically designed for hand launching small boats and kayaks. Very easy, and you can usually find free parking on nearby streets.

One other issue with kayakers and SUPers:

Try not to linger in or close to the harbor entrance. Power boaters usually want to give you a wide berth, but that area can be a bottleneck. They want to transit through pretty quickly so that they are not caught by a sneaker wave there in the jaws. It's best to transit through there quickly.

Tight lines!

It's pretty simple really- it's a shared facility, you try to figure out a way to take as little time as possible, whether you're in a power boat, kayak, or SUP. After a bit of practice, you begin to take pride in an orderly process, which is quick.

Tight lines!

With my boats I was 100% ready to pull away from the ramp before I backed down it,  with my yak, pretty much the same, rig in the lot, wheel it down, pull it out to the end of the dock and ty it off (get it out of the way) while taking the wheels back to the truck. Some ramps are wide enough that a yak can use the edge and be out of everyone's way.

This kind of preparation earns respect and good karma, what you saw earns nothing except ill feelings

In and out like a robbery I say, proper etiquette.....

Not a proud moment, but I lost it at a boat ramp last year. Just lost it. I chartered a snorkel and dive trip out of Kona. We went to put the boat in and some local is teaching his kid how to load their boat on the trailer. Ok, cool no problem there and we wait about 10 minutes, the kid does it. Then the guy makes his kid back up and do it again. Dafuq?  Another 15 minutes and I'm looking at the captain like WTF bro I'm not paying you for this. I'm paying for time in the water.

Then it happened. Been waiting at the ramp for half an hour, guy finally pulls his boat and trailer out and some guy who had pulled up 5 minutes earlier into the harbor pulls in and ties off, hops out and starts walking to get his trailer. I looked at my captain, who just shrugged, and then I confronted the guy who line jumped us. Told him he was getting back in his boat and moving it so we could launch. He told me to get out of his way. I took a step closer and told him to get back in the boat and move it. He backed off and said "ok man, a little aloha would be nice". Fuck you and your aloha asshole. There is a ramp etiquette and you knew you were in the wrong. Just because I hired the biggest pussy in the harbor doesn't mean I'm going to put up with your shit.

So yeah. Follow the goddamn golden rule. Get in get out and stay out of the way.

In and out like a robbery I say, proper etiquette.....

That pretty much describes, the robbery part, the launch/landing at OC.

I have no issue with confrontation and will assert my right to use a facility as it was intended.

So, if I come down to launch at a ramp whether by kayak, or power boat, I will look at the situation and gauge if someone is having issues, or just being inconsiderate. 

If they are clearly having issue, or if asked so, I will generally help them get underway, or back off the water, whichever they are attempting.

If they are clearly just being dicks, and hogging the launch I will be more than happy to to join them and cock block them and crowd their immediate space.  I will even waive in or out the next guy in line and help them get through the launch smoothly all the while making sure "Dick" and his entourage is bothered by doing so.  We've even pulled down several vehicles and parked right in front of "Dick's" vehicle, so they had to wait until we were off the ramp before he could go anywhere. 

Same goes for those launching in the dark in a multi lane ramp with their damn headlights on aimed up the ramp, while backing down.  It totally blinds the next guy over.  So, I just stand there with a high intensity flashlight aimed at the "Dick" with his lights on.  Or, pull down and aim my high beams at them until they turn off their lights. 

Never have had any of these "Dicks" attempt something stupid with me as they well know that they have been in the wrong, and there are so many others around that support my decision to highlight their piss poor ramp etiquette.

Now that I am pretty much kayak only, and haven't moved my powerboat in over 5 years, I rig up my kayak in the parking lot out of the way and cart it down to the water.  If I can grass launch, I will do that first otherwise use the ramp quickly.  If grass isn't an option and the ramp is busy I will will chat with boats next in line and make quick friends with them so I can zip down the ramp and get my yak floating and then help them get their boat backed down and into the water smoothly.  It's all good in the end. 

Amen to quick entry and exit. Have it all in the boat or yak before moving to the ramp then make it fast when others are waiting. This also applies to a spot like SWN where there is a 10 minute loading limit to get one's yak and gear out of vehicle and vehicle out of load zone. I've seen kayakers vehicles there for what seems like hours futzing around getting ready and upon re-parking on top of the hill park take up several of the few spaces available there by not parking diagonally.

Not a proud moment, but I lost it at a boat ramp last year. Just lost it. I chartered a snorkel and dive trip out of Kona. We went to put the boat in and some local is teaching his kid how to load their boat on the trailer. Ok, cool no problem there and we wait about 10 minutes, the kid does it. Then the guy makes his kid back up and do it again. Dafuq?  Another 15 minutes and I'm looking at the captain like WTF bro I'm not paying you for this. I'm paying for time in the water.

Then it happened. Been waiting at the ramp for half an hour, guy finally pulls his boat and trailer out and some guy who had pulled up 5 minutes earlier into the harbor pulls in and ties off, hops out and starts walking to get his trailer. I looked at my captain, who just shrugged, and then I confronted the guy who line jumped us. Told him he was getting back in his boat and moving it so we could launch. He told me to get out of his way. I took a step closer and told him to get back in the boat and move it. He backed off and said "ok man, a little aloha would be nice". Fuck you and your aloha asshole. There is a ramp etiquette and you knew you were in the wrong. Just because I hired the biggest pussy in the harbor doesn't mean I'm going to put up with your shit.

So yeah. Follow the goddamn golden rule. Get in get out and stay out of the way.

^^^this
That's my bro! Don't take no shit from ignorant clowns.