CHAPTER 1-INTRODUCTION This report provides information on the number and type of registered and non-registered pleasure boats owned by residents of the Puget Sound area. The relationship of boat ownership to population and the distribution of boats are given by three study area divisions: North, Central, and West as shown in figure 2. These divisions are further subdivided into 19 subareas for a detailed breakdown of facility demand, (See figure 2.) A comprehensive inventory of saltwater boating facilities, including marinas and launching ramps, is discussed along with figures showing the location of State shore and marine parks, public beaches, salmon fishing areas, and shoreline suitable for development of marine facilities. Facilities located on Lake Washington and the Lake Washington Ship Canal connecting the lake to Puget Sound are also noted. The current demand is presented for moorages, boating services, boat launching ramps, marine oriented parks, and harbors of refuge. Data relating to pleasure boat characteristics, seasonal use and damages caused by debris and other hazards are given. Projections of boat ownership and future demand for moorages and launching ramps are shown for 1980, 2000, and 2020. automobile, boat and airplane to supplement and update data from available studies and records. During the course of the reconnaissance many marina operators were interviewed regarding the size and quality of their facilities, types of boats handled, and present and past patterns of boating use. In addition, the entire shoreline of Puget Sound and adjacent waters was examined to locate sites suitable for marine facility development. Shoreline areas appearing feasible for development were noted after considering approach depths, dredging requirements, land access, parking area, and beach material composition. Questionnaire Survey To obtain an accurate measurement of boat facility demand, a questionnaire survey was undertaken. Interviews with marina attendants and other studies indicated that approximately 95 percent of the total pleasure boat facility demand was from United States Coast Guard registered or documented craft owned by Puget Sound area residents. Therefore, the Coast Guard register was considered to be a reliable base from which to make the survey. Random sampling was undertaken, proportionate to the number of registered craft in each of the 19 subareas. The 19 subareas were selected on the basis of population concentrations, observed boating patterns, and other related factors. Sixteen hundred questionnaires were mailed, with seventy percent of the questionnaires returned. Over 700 were determined to be usable for data processing. Data from the questionnaire were expanded to obtain facility demand figures for all registered boats. A random sample telephone interview of non-respondents indicated no distinct pattern of non response; therefore, the returned questionnaires were assumed to be representative of the total sample (See Appendix). The results of the study were determined as 10 percent ranges within which the absolute answer is known to fall with a stated degree of certainty. The mid-point of this range has been quoted in the data which follows. The data is assumed to have a 95 percent "confidence level." Projections Pleasure boat ownership projections for the years 1980, 2000, and 2020 were correlated with the economic study of Puget Sound and Adjacent Waters made by Consulting Services Corporation for the Puget Sound Task Force and with other pleasure boating studies and national trends (See Appendix). The projections were related to forecasted population growth for each division of the study area. For the purpose of this study the existing percentage distribution of pleasure craft by location and type of boat was assumed to hold constant for the projection period. Moorage and launching ramp facility demand relationships were also assumed to grow concurrently with pleasure boat ownership. Berweer drcouver island in British Columbia and te canard of the united States lie nearly 2,500 soudre les of amoer andcocked saltwater forming Ruger Sound Sman of Georgia, Hood Canal, and the These waters lie in a de Fuca 0.200 square miles of forest and mounTE with O maior and 12 minor rivers flowing * te snow-cocoed peaks of the Cascade and Dimac Mourners through forests and fertile farmcrus to dood ver de tas on saltwater. The mounTOE Swoner beaches mer or waterways combined with a bounty of proand sheltered inlets along aov ogricuturo and and abundant year-round MINE S.CD provide a setting which is attractive to both business and recreation. The deep water of the Struan de Fuca and the connecting deep chanmes of Puget Sound Strait of Georgia, and Hood Canal are outstanding natural assets for the development of wonerbome commerce. The controlling depth in the Star of Juan de Fuca is 200 feet while Puget Sound has depths of over 900 feet. Climate The proximity of the Puget Sound area to the Pacific Ocean, combined with mountain barriers to the east and west, generally produces cool summers and mid, rainy winters. More than 70 percent of the annual precipitation falls within the six-month period from October through March. Mean annual precipitation at sea level varies from over 90 inches at Neah Bay, located near the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, to less than 17 inches in the Dungeness-Sequim "rain shadow," northeast of the Olympic Mountains. Along Puget Sound the mean annual precipitation ranges from 30 to 50 inches. Mean annual temperatures, adjacent to the saltwater body are around 50° F at most stations. Moderate to dense sea fog is common in the Strait of Juan de Fuca in late summer and fail. Wind Conditions The prevailing winds in the Puget Sound area are the northwest during summer and southeast durne winter. However, because of topography, winds the area may vary greatly in intensity and 11 mds are generally light to moderate durtomme probing boaters to cruise long distances Penge wote during winter, due to sudden high cooters tend to confine their saltwater to wares near their home moorage or hant wind speeds are from 4 to the area. In the Strait of Juan de Fuca winds-tend to be higher than on the more protected inland waters with speeds of 16 to 31 m.p.h. reached over 25 percent of the time (See Figure 3). Along the Strait of Juan de Fuca estimated highest tides are in the 11 to 12 foot range and estimated lowest tides are in the minus 31⁄2 to minus 4 foot range. In Hood Canal and at Olympia, on Puget Sound, the estimated highest tides vary between 15 and 18 feet while estimated lowest tides reach a minus 42 feet. Elevations refer to mean lower low water. Wave Conditions Due to the sheltered nature of Puget Sound, waves do not generally exceed 6 feet in height. However, in the Strait of Juan de Fuca waves can exceed 15 feet during severe storms. Wave heights of these magnitudes normally occur only during winter. Summer wave heights are much less although they can occa. sionally become a hazard to pleasure craft in the more unprotected fetches. Parks and Public Beaches Many fine state shore and marine parks and public beaches accessible to the Puget Sound pleasure boater are shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6. Marine parks are normally located in areas having some degree of proection from wind and waves, and are particularly uited for all forms of water activities including skin and scuba diving, fishing, and swimming. Comfort as well as picnic facilities are provided at all of the parks. Many of the parks also provide camping space for the boaters. Detailed information on facilities at each park can be obtained from the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. RECREATIONAL ENVIRONMENT NORTH DIVISION Figure 4 FOREWORD This study of pleasure boating on Puget Sound and Adjacent Waters was undertaken by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation in cooperation with the Washington State Department of Commerce and Economic Development and the Parks and Recreation Commission. Information was obtained on the number of pleasure boats in the 12-county study area and on the existing use and projections made for future demand for boating facilities. The pleasure boating needs determined by the study and defined in this report will be used in interagency water resource studies being made under the aegis of the Pacific Northwest River Basins Commission. These include the Comprehensive Water Resource Study of Puget Sound and Adjacent Waters and the Columbia-North Pacific Study. An evaluation of available data on small boating was supplemented by field investigations including boat and air reconnaissance and a questionnaire survey made of Puget Sound area boat owners having craft registered with the United States Coast Guard. The survey measured pleasure boating demand for moorages, launching ramps, and other marine facilities in each of 19 subareas. In addition, data were obtained on boat characteristics, fuel consumption and damage to craft from debris and other causes. Projections to 1980, 2000, and 2020 of boat ownership and marine facility demand were correlated with an economic study of Puget Sound and Adjacent Waters completed by the Consulting Services Corporation for the Puget Sound Task Force in January 1968, and with other pleasure boating studies and national boating trends. This report can provide planners and other interested parties with a basis for determining local demand for moorages, launching ramps, marine oriented camping and picnicking facilities, harbors of refuge, and other facilities of importance to the pleasure boater. For further information on this study address inquiries to: Seattle District Corps of Engineers 1519 Alaskan Way South Seattle, Washington 98134 Pacific Northwest Region Bureau of Outdoor Recreation 407 U. S. Court House For copies of this report write: Pleasure Boating Study Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission P. O. Box 1128 Olympia, Washington 98501 |