Ramping up for big boats

These days the yachts are getting bigger and fancier — and that means serious boat owners need a little more room to get the luxury yachts in and out of the water.

That’s where the newest adjustment to the Newport Dunes comes in.

In June, the Dunes finished a $500,000 renovation of the resort’s aging 50-year-old boat launch ramp, said Dunes Vice President and General Manager Andrew Theodorou.

“Over the 50 years, it deteriorated to the point that it did need to have some pretty extensive work done on it,” Theodorou said.

The end of the ramp dropped off rapidly and wasn’t usable. The original ramp was designed for boats between 18 and 24 feet long, Wade Kerley the dunes’ director of marine facilities, said.

“These days you get these offshore boats that can be up to 45 feet in length,” Kerley said.

In the renovation, the ramp’s seven launch lanes were rebuilt with durable material that provides more traction.

The end of the ramp was extended 100 feet, and the ramp can now accommodate larger boats, Kerley said.

“It’s very busy, our customers love it,” Theodorou said.

The boat launch is one of three in Orange County and the only public one on Newport Harbor. Especially in the summer, the boat launch gets a lot of traffic, Theodorou said.

About 10% of the launch’s customers keep their boats stored at the Dunes, Kerley said.

Because launching a boat can sometimes be difficult, the Dunes offers a service with professionals to help boaters do whatever they need to get the boat safely in and out of the water.

“It looks much easier than it is if you’re a novice. If you haven’t done it before, the first time is the hardest,” Kerley said.

The boat ramp is open to launching all day, every day of the year. Saturdays and Sundays are the busiest and you can’t make a reservation for the ramp. It costs $15 to use the launch ramp, Monday through Thursday, and $20, Friday through Sunday, and on holidays.