Boat Ramps — Sebastian, Florida

Sebastian has two public boat ramps run by the city, both on the Indian River Drive waterfront. According to the City of Sebastian, the Yacht Club is one of two boat ramp facilities provided by the City of Sebastian; the other is the Main Street Boat Ramp, which the city places at the intersection of Main Street and Indian River Drive, just east of U.S. Highway 1. Both launch directly into the Indian River Lagoon, the stretch of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway that runs past downtown Sebastian.

Beyond the city limits, Indian River County operates boat launches that Sebastian boaters use on other waters. Dale Wimbrow Park and Donald MacDonald Park sit on the Saint Sebastian River along Roseland Road, Wabasso Causeway Park has a ramp on CR 510 south of the city, and Florida State Parks lists a boat ramp at Sebastian Inlet State Park on the barrier island. Together these give Sebastian three distinct kinds of launch: open lagoon water downtown, a sheltered river to the west, and the inlet to the east.

The city ramps are the closest of these to the Sebastian riverfront businesses and parks. The City of Sebastian Parks and Recreation Department lists landscape maintenance at its two boat ramps alongside 17 parks and the Indian River Drive Riverfront walkway, so the ramps are treated as part of the same waterfront park system as Riverview Park and Main Street Park.

The Main Street ramp is part of Main Street Park, listed by the City of Sebastian at 1300 Indian River Drive. The city states that the facility provides a boat ramp, with trailer parking readily available and restroom facilities, and describes the ramp area as providing access in and out of the water at the center of the Sebastian Waterfront District. The city page frames it as a launch for boaters heading to the Indian River, Sebastian Inlet and the Atlantic beyond, which the city says lie a short ride directly across the Intracoastal from the park.

The Main Street site is not only a launch. The city notes that the Main Street Docks and Boat Ramp also has a fishing pier for those not going out on the water. Across Indian River Drive, Heritage Circle is a small park area across the street from the Sebastian Chamber of Commerce with views of the Indian River and information on Sebastian history and the Hardee Oak.

The ramp has been reworked over the years through the Sebastian Community Redevelopment Agency. The CRA project list includes a Main Street to Indian River Drive street realignment, boat ramp repair, and boat and car parking, and separately lists information boards at Riverview Park and at the Main Street Boat Ramp Park. The CRA page does not date each of those projects, so the timing of the ramp repair is not stated here.

The second city launch is the Yacht Club ramp at 820 Indian River Drive, just north of Riverview Park. The City of Sebastian describes it as a dual concrete ramp that provides access into and out of the Indian River (Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway), and as giving quick access across the waterway to Sebastian Inlet and the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Parking is split across Indian River Drive. The city lists handicapped parking for trucks and trailers on site and states that significant trailer parking is available just across the street, at the city parking area in Riverview Park, the riverfront park at 600 U.S. Highway 1 on the corner of C.R. 512 and Sebastian Boulevard. On the water side, the Yacht Club ramp also has a fishing pier, boat dock areas and a restroom facility.

The name comes from the small Yacht Club building on the same site, which the city rents out for meetings and events. According to the city rental page, the Sebastian Yacht Club building has a capacity of 50 people. The CRA project list also records improvements to the Yacht Club and construction of the Yacht Club finger pier, along with lighting, restroom upgrades and power outlets at neighboring Riverview Park.

Two Indian River County parks on Roseland Road give Sebastian boaters a launch on the Saint Sebastian River rather than the lagoon. Dale Wimbrow Park, at 11805 Roseland Road, is described by the county as lying along the Saint Sebastian River near Sebastian and Roseland. The county lists a boat launch that is 7 feet deep at the end of the ramp, 8 boat trailer parking spaces, fishing access, picnic pavilions and restrooms, with hours of 7:30am to sunset daily.

Upstream, Donald MacDonald Park and Campground at 12315 Roseland Road also lies on the Saint Sebastian River in northern Indian River County. The county lists a boat launch, an observation boardwalk, 13 boat trailer parking spaces and a campground with 26 primitive sites and 5 sites with electricity. The county campground rules state that the boat ramp is closed at sunset.

For paddlers, the county Sebastian Canoe Launch at 9800 Canoe Launch Cove sits on the South Prong of the Saint Sebastian River. It is a canoe and kayak launch rather than a trailer ramp, with 8 parking spaces and a dock; the county describes a three to four hour paddle north from it toward Donald MacDonald Park, Dale Wimbrow Park or the Indian River Lagoon.

South of the city, Wabasso Causeway Park sits at 3105 Wabasso Beach Road (CR 510) where the causeway crosses the Indian River Lagoon. Indian River County describes four lobes along the causeway, with the boat ramp on the south-east lobe and a depth of 6 feet at the end of the ramp. The same lobe has the restrooms, and the park lists 9 pavilions, 9 grills and 14 picnic tables, with hours of 7am to sunset.

On the barrier island, Florida State Parks lists a boat ramp among the amenities of Sebastian Inlet State Park, alongside a campground for RVs and tent campers and two museums, the McLarty Treasure Museum and the Sebastian Fishing Museum. Florida State Parks also reported that effective Nov. 12, 2025, the South Ranger Station at Sebastian Inlet State Park moved to standard park hours of 8 a.m. to sunset, while the North Ranger Station continues to operate 24 hours a day.

Responsibility depends on the ramp. The two downtown ramps belong to the City of Sebastian and are maintained by its Parks and Recreation Department, which also handles rentals of the Yacht Club building, the Community Center and Riverview Park. Dale Wimbrow Park, Donald MacDonald Park, the Sebastian Canoe Launch and Wabasso Causeway Park are Indian River County parks, and Sebastian Inlet State Park is run by Florida State Parks.

Indian River County posts the same core rules at its Sebastian area launch parks. At Dale Wimbrow Park the county lists no pets (County Ordinance 205.03.22), no alcohol (County Ordinance 205.03.26), no open fires, no camping and no overnight parking (County Ordinance 205.03.19), and Wabasso Causeway Park carries the same no-pets and no-alcohol rules. Donald MacDonald Park is the exception for overnight stays because it is a campground, but its boat ramp still closes at sunset.

The city ramps also sit inside the Sebastian riverfront event district. Riverview Park, across Indian River Drive from the Yacht Club ramp and its overflow trailer lot, hosts the Clam Bake Festival, the 4th of July Freedom Festival and Shrimpfest, according to the City of Sebastian along with the seasonal Rhythm on the River Concert Series. The CRA lists continued financial support for riverfront events including Clam Bake, Shrimpfest, the Concerts in the Park Series and the Fine Art Festival.