Abandoned Boat Policy Updates:
Contact Information Update:
Option 1:
Anyone with a boat stored on the boat rack may attach a sticker or tag to their boats with contact information including Name, Phone number, and Email Address. Contact information affixed directly to a boat can be limited to just an email address for privacy purposes.
Option 2:
Boat Rack users may submit their name and email address and optionally their phone number using this form: https://wkf.ms/49BpoEa
Timeline Update:
The abandoned boat removal timeline has been extended to removals beginning on June 1st, 2024. Starting on March 31, 2024, any boat that is being considered for removal will be marked with a sticker notifying the boat owner that the boat is being considered for removal.
All abandoned boats removed beginning June 1, 2024 will be held by Friends of the Riverfront until August 31st, 2024 where boat users may contact Friends of the Riverfront to pick up their boats from storage. Due to limited storage space to hold abandoned boats, after August 31, 2024, all unclaimed boats after that date will be considered property of Friends of the Riverfront.
Boat Racks along the Three Rivers Water Trail
Beginning immediately, all boats stored on the Three Rivers Water Trail Boat Racks will be required to have a waterproof sticker and/or tag with contact information including: Email Address and optionally name and phone number. Contact information can also be submitted online using this form: https://wkf.ms/49BpoEa.
The boat racks along the Three Rivers Water Trail are in high demand and we want to ensure boats are stored properly and are being used. Starting June 1st, 2024, we will begin an abandoned boat removal process.
What is the abandoned boat removal process beginning on June 1st?
Starting on June 1st, 2024, Friends of the Riverfront will be removing abandoned boats from boat rack locations along the Three Rivers Water Trail. All boats that do not have name and contact information affixed to the boat, stored on the racks may be considered abandoned and removed. Beginning March 31st, 2024, any boats that are being considered for removal will be affixed with a sticker letting boat owners know their boat may be removed beginning at the June 1st removal date. If your boat is removed, you may claim and retrieve your boat from Friends of the Riverfront by August 31st, 2024. All boats that have not been claimed by August 31st, 2024 will become property of Friends of the Riverfront.
The locations of the boat racks that will undergo an Abandoned Boat Removal Process are the highest use boat racks:
-Lawrenceville Water Trail Launch Boat Rack
-2x Millvale Water Trail Launch Boat Racks
-Southside Riverfront Park Boat Racks
-Westhall Water Trail Launch Boat Rack
Boat racks are located at many of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail Water Launch sites and are currently free and open to the public for short term boat storage. You can find a list of all boat rack storage locations on the print or digital version of the Three Rivers Water Trail Map, linked here.
We understand that many Water Trail users store boats on the boat racks long term and use their boat regularly on the Water Trail. We are currently beginning the process of creating a management protocol so that boat racks can be utilized by those who need them fairly and equitably as well as considering the needs of existing boat rack users.
We are open to hearing your feedback! Please reach out to us if you have questions, ideas or concerns here.
What is the abandoned boat removal process?
The first step we are taking to ensure that boat racks are being actively utilized is to remove clearly abandoned boats from the racks. Beginning June 1st, 2024 all boats on the racks must have a waterproof tag and/or sticker with name, phone number, and email address, identifying the owner of the boat. If we cannot identify the owner of a boat with contact information located somewhere on the boat, we will consider the boats abandoned and remove them from the rack beginning on this date.
Do I need to put a waterproof tag or sticker on my boat with my contact information? What happens if I don’t?
As of March 31st, 2024, all boats stored on Three Rivers Water Trail Launch boat racks, will be required to have a sticker or tag with contact information including at least an email address, or optionally name, phone number, and email address. Alternatively, boat rack users can submit their contact information online using this form: https://wkf.ms/49BpoEa.
This ensures that we can reach out to boat owners if there is an issue with the boat rack storage (for example improperly locked to the rack) or if we are planning to remove abandoned boats. If you do not put this type of identification on your boat by March 31st, 2024, your boat risks being tagged for removal from the rack if it appears to be abandoned and then stored with Friends of the Riverfront. Friends of the Riverfront will begin removing boats on June 1, 2024 and hold boats until August 31, 2024. All unclaimed boats after that date will be considered property of Friends of the Riverfront.
There are two ways to identify your boat:
Option 1:
Anyone with a boat stored on the boat rack may attach a sticker or tag to their boats with contact information including Name, Phone number, and Email Address. Contact information affixed directly to a boat can be limited to just an email address for privacy purposes.
Option 2:
Boat Rack users may submit their name and email address and optionally their phone number using this form:
Who can I contact to learn more about boat racks?
Please contact us at friends@friendsoftheriverfront.org or submit general feedback through this form.
