Boat Ramp MCP Server

Give your AI assistant live access to 40,000+ US boat ramps, lake and river water levels, tides and launch conditions. Free, public, no API key — works with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code and any MCP client that supports remote servers.

Server URL

https://www.boatlaunchmap.com/mcp

Transport: Streamable HTTP · Auth: none · Rate limit: 60 requests/minute per IP

Connect it

Claude (claude.ai and Claude Desktop)

Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector. Name it “BoatLaunchMap” and paste the server URL above.

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http boatlaunchmap https://www.boatlaunchmap.com/mcp

ChatGPT

Settings → Apps & Connectors → Advanced → enable Developer mode, then Create → paste the server URL, authentication “No authentication”.

Cursor

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "boatlaunchmap": { "url": "https://www.boatlaunchmap.com/mcp" }
  }
}

VS Code (GitHub Copilot)

Add to .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "boatlaunchmap": { "type": "http", "url": "https://www.boatlaunchmap.com/mcp" }
  }
}

Clients that only support stdio

npx -y mcp-remote https://www.boatlaunchmap.com/mcp

Tools

find_boat_ramps_near

Boat ramps near a place name, address or coordinates, sorted by distance, with ratings, access type and directions.

Try: “Find public boat ramps within 10 miles of Lake Lanier, GA”

search_boat_ramps

Search by state, city/county, waterbody (lake, river, bay) or ramp name.

Try: “What are the best-reviewed boat launches on Lake Travis?”

get_boat_ramp

Full details for one ramp: address, hours, phone, lanes, docks, parking, restrooms, fees, ADA, source agency.

Try: “Does the Wappoo Cut boat landing have parking and restrooms?”

get_launch_conditions

Go / caution / avoid verdict right now from NWS advisories, daylight, USGS levels and NOAA tides.

Try: “Is it a good time to launch at Mansfield Dam Park this afternoon?”

get_water_level

Latest USGS gage height or lake elevation, streamflow and water temperature for ~900 lakes and rivers.

Try: “What's the water level on the Potomac River right now?”

Every result includes a link to the ramp’s BoatLaunchMap page with maps, photos, reviews and live conditions. Water levels are only reported from a USGS gauge on the water itself — see the water level directory for coverage.

Example request

curl -s https://www.boatlaunchmap.com/mcp \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -H 'Accept: application/json, text/event-stream' \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call",
       "params":{"name":"find_boat_ramps_near",
                 "arguments":{"location":"Charleston, SC","limit":3}}}'

FAQ

What is the BoatLaunchMap MCP server?

It is a free Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that lets AI assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and VS Code Copilot look up US boat ramps, live water levels, tides and boating advisories from BoatLaunchMap in real time.

Do I need an API key?

No. The server is public and read-only. Requests are rate-limited to 60 per minute per IP address to keep it fast for everyone.

Where does the data come from?

Ramp records are compiled from 28+ state fish & wildlife agencies, federal recreation.gov (RIDB) and OpenStreetMap. Live readings come from USGS (water levels), NOAA CO-OPS (tides) and the National Weather Service (advisories). Every ramp result names its source agency.

Which transport does it use?

Streamable HTTP at https://www.boatlaunchmap.com/mcp. It is stateless, so it works with any MCP client that supports remote HTTP servers.

Can I use the data in my own app?

Yes. For bulk use, download the full dataset as GeoJSON (CC BY 4.0) from the BoatLaunchMap data page instead of calling the MCP server in a loop.

Need bulk data instead? Download the open boat ramp dataset (GeoJSON, CC BY 4.0). Building a website? Embed the free boat ramp widget.