St Kilda boat ramp needs upgrading, fisherman says, after car slides into water

A NORTHERN suburbs fisherman is calling for the St Kilda boat ramp to be upgraded after his car was written off when it slid into the water while winching out his boat.

Colin Bartlett is calling on Salisbury Council to upgrade the St Kilda boat ramp after his car slipped into the water. Picture: AAP/Morgan Sette

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A NORTHERN suburbs fisherman is calling for the St Kilda boat ramp to be upgraded after his car was written off when it slid into the water while winching out his boat.

Colin Bartlett, 61, of Salisbury North, wanted the Salisbury Council to refurbish and regularly sandblast the ramp.

The long-time fisherman’s 2007 Ford Falcon was pulled into the water on November 8 when he was winching his boat up after a day of fishing.
“My neighbour, Bill, was on the pontoon holding the boat steady so I could put it on the trailer and all of a sudden the car slid down the ramp while I was winching it on,” Mr Bartlett said.
“It took us about an hour and half just to get it out of the water.
“I wasn’t hurt, but the car was a complete write-off,” he said.

Colin Bartlett's car is seen submerged in water. Source: Supplied

Colin Bartlett's car is seen submerged in water. Source: Supplied

Mr Bartlett said more cars had been dragged into the water.
“There are photos down in the St Kilda kiosk of all the cars that have gone into the drink because of the boat ramp.”

“I have been using this ramp for over 25 years and it never improves.”

Insurance covered the bulk of the claim, but Mr Bartlett said he had still been left almost $1000 out of pocket.

But in a letter to Mr Bartlett, the council’s insurer, the Local Government Association Mutual Liability Scheme, said it regularly cleaned the ramp and was not liable for damages.

“It is readily accepted that boat ramps are slippery,” the letter read.

“Given your incident occurred at low tide, we would suggest that you have been required to utilise the lower part of the ramp, which is often the most slippery section because it remains underwater the majority of the time.

“In our view, maintenance of the boat ramp is appropriate.

“We consider it would be virtually impossible for the council to ensure the boat ramp was free of algae at all times.”

A man associated with the St Kilda kiosk, who did not want to be named, said he’d seen people “on the odd occasion” put their vehicles or boats in the water for a variety of reasons.

“You should come down here and watch, it can be better than TV,” he said.

“I’ve seen somebody reverse his whole ute underwater.”