Southeast/ Long Beach : Closure of Launch Ramp Is Bad News for Boaters

Impatient boaters destined for Long Beach’s outer harbor may have doomed themselves to an even longer wait.

Golden Shore Launch Ramp, the nearest ramp to the popular marine playground, is scheduled to close this month, city officials say, because launch customers repeatedly violated a 5 m.p.h. speed limit along a corridor that leads to the Queen Mary, where the speed limit increases to 35 m.p.h.

City officials have issued a closure notice to Hoverworld USA! manager Miles Flewitt.

Flewitt, who opened the ramp six months ago at the mouth of the Los Angeles River, hopes to win a reprieve for the facility. He says customers who rent small powerboats and other recreational watercraft from the company must promise not to speed, adding that he cannot police boaters when they hit the water.

“We’ve tried to be really stern to [customers] as far as the speeding,” said Flewitt.

Marine patrol officers have issued more than 40 speeding citations in the area since Flewitt began operating the rental company.

The ramp closure would mean the end of a successful business for Flewitt. From a mobile office next to the ramp, he has rented motorboats to a growing number of water-sport enthusiasts. He also charges customers to park near the ramp and launch their vehicles.

Some city officials were skeptical of the operation from the beginning, recalling two deaths and numerous recreation-related injuries in the area that prompted them to lower speed limits eight years ago. Officials also expressed concern over the area’s water quality.

As a result of the closure, boaters hoping to make their way to the outer harbor will have to leave from boat ramps in Alamitos Bay, adding at least several minutes to the trip.

City officials are planning to open another launch for recreational watercraft near Golden Shore Launch Ramp while keeping the speed limit in place. The ramp slated for closure eventually will be turned into wetlands, officials say.