Portland, Victoria, Australia – July 23, 2014 – Where there are lots of tuna, there are lots of fisherman. Congestion at Portland Harbour’s boat ramp had become a serious problem. The harbour was unable to handle the sheer quantity of boaters seeking access to the bay. The opening of a new four lane boat ramp is expected to double the Harbour’s launching capacity and ease much of the facility’s traffic congestion.
The project was carried out as part of a large civil undertaking that involved reclaiming part of the harbour and constructing new access roads and car parking facilities. In December 2013, Bellingham Marine was contracted by the local council, to oversee the waterside portion of the project Bellingham Marine’s design for the boat launch called for an innovative hinged system engineered to accommodate the safe launch and retrieval of boats regardless of tidal conditions at the site. Bellingham Marine provided and installed over 250 lineal meters of pontoons for the project.
Before the construction of the boat launch there were extensive wait times for boat owners trying to get their boats in the water. By mid-morning the harbour was overcrowded with cars and boats. Boaters were arriving as early as 3:00am to avoid traffic and extended wait times.
Dr. Napthine, Premier and member for South West Coast, told Fishing Boating World, “Overall this Portland Harbour upgrade provides state of the art facilities to support new tourism opportunities from recreational fishing charters, eco-tourism to cruise ships. It is already having a positive impact on the community and I trust this will continue to grow with further developments planned for this popular foreshore area in the future.” Portland’s local tuna industry is a massive contributor to the local economy. It is estimated that up to 90% of the nation’s recreational blue fin tuna are caught in Portland Bay.
As the world’s leading marina design-build construction company, Bellingham Marine specializes in floating dock, floating platform and floating wave attenuation systems for marinas worldwide. The company also produces dry storage systems for the upland storage of boats.
New Bern, NC – July 28, 2014 – A complete overhaul to the Bridge Pointe Marina in New Bern, North Carolina has given the marina a new lease on life. The recently renovated marina has new docks, upgraded utilities and amenities, and an improved overall layout.
The marina’s new docks reflect the latest in timber dock technology. The docks were designed and manufactured by world renowned marina builder Bellingham Marine. An IPE hardwood deck framed by southern yellow pine walers highlights the attention to detail that was placed on the new facility.
“A marina’s docks play a big part of a boater’s overall impression of a facility,” said marina manager, Jesse Schmucker. “We wanted the docks at Bridge Pointe marina to echo our commitment to quality and to providing our boaters with a first class experience.”
The marina has capacity for 125 vessels with access to cable television, free wireless internet, metered power and fresh water. Finger piers range from 33’ to 70’ in length with side-tie moorage available for boats up to 150’ in length. The marina’s deep water basin and location at the confluence of the Trent and Neuse Rivers make it a great location for local and visiting boaters.
Aside from the waterside improvements, the marina also redesigned and renovated their boater’s lounge area. The new building includes showers, restrooms, laundry, and a comfortable air conditioned sitting area. Charcoal grills are also available.
As the world’s leading marina design-build construction company, Bellingham Marine specializes in floating dock, floating platform and floating wave attenuation systems for marinas worldwide. The company also produces dry storage systems for the upland storage of boats.
Naples, FL – July 03, 2014 – After more than a year of paying rent in neighboring marinas, the slips owners at Olde Naples Seaport in Naples, Florida were finally allowed to return their boats to their slips. In November 2012, the boats were relocated to allow for a massive overhaul of the existing facility. The docks were removed in December; slip owners had expected to be back in their slips by June.
Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a short term inconvenience ended up being much more. By July of 2013, it was clear to the marina that the dock manufacturer was not going to be able to meet its contractual obligation. No docks had been delivered and the manufacturer ended up pulling out of its contract leaving the marina with an empty basin.
The marina contacted Bellingham Marine. Bellingham Marine supplied the needed docks for the project, delivering the last of them in November. Boats started moving back into the marina in January 2014 as sections were completed. The last boat returned in March.
The unfortunate part of the story is the financial burden that was borne by the slip owners. Olde Naples Seaport was one of the first dockominium projects in the U.S. As a dockominium, slips are purchased by their owners and all improvements to the facility are funded by the slip owners. Added to this in the case at Olde Naples Seaport, was the added expense of paying for moorage at another marina for over a year.
The new docks sit in the same footprint as the original ones but feature higher freeboard, longer mainwalk modules, single piece fingers and larger utility raceways. The marina has 30 slips, with an average slip size of 60’ and capacity for boats up to 120’. The docks feature 24” freeboard, stainless steel weldments, and Azek composite trim on the tops of the walers. A 10 year inspection warranty was also included by Bellingham.
As the world’s leading marina design-build construction company, Bellingham Marine specializes in floating dock, floating platform and floating wave attenuation systems for marinas worldwide. The company also produces dry storage systems for the upland storage of boats.
The Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron (RMYS) is one of the mainstays of Melbourne boating with a vibrant 140-year history. History has a way of repeating itself. Case in point: in 1879 the St Kilda Sailing Club (as it was then called) had a few dozen members and a bank balance of £17 (the currency of the time). The club submitted plans to the town council to build a club shed. St Kilda residents opposed the project and quashed the application, but club leaders persisted and were rewarded in 1885 when the Lands Minister provided a ‘free grant site’ for the shed. It was built at a cost of £120. The project took nine years.
Fast forward 125 years to 2nd February 2014. On a hot summer day in Melbourne, RMYS welcomed the public to its all-new 250-pen marina. The festive occasion attracted more than 300 celebrants, many of whom plunged into the water in the 40°C heat. The new marina features floating concrete pontoons by Bellingham Marine Australia and accommodates boats from 10m to 23m. New gangway, utilities, fire protection and pump-outs were included. The harbour’s wave protection was enhanced by extensive improvements to the breakwater and the addition of a new wave attenuator, also from Bellingham Marine Australia. Service pedestals and Keco pump-outs were provided by M-Tech. Just as happened more than a century earlier, the project took nine years.
RMYS is a familiar landmark on Port Phillip, a large protected body of water on a scale with San Francisco Bay. Convenient to the city’s CBD, RMYS was the venue for the 1956 Olympic sailing competition and is known for its busy race programme.
Time for an upgrade
RMYS leaders recognised in the late 1990s that the existing marina with its fixed timber docks and swing moorings was outmoded and becoming a liability. Melbourne has several yacht clubs that compete for members and the marina was inadequate by comparison. Seeing that a new marina was essential to the club’s financial viability, the members formed a new entity called St Kilda Safe Harbour Ltd in 2003 to prepare the way for a new facility. The work was funded by $5,000 pledges from 140 members. The first applications for permits and approvals were filed in 2005. As the applications worked their way through the approval process, Parks Victoria launched the St Kilda Safe Harbour Concept Plan to redevelop the harbour and breakwater. The RMYS application was subsumed into that process and RMYS and Parks Victoria worked together on researching, planning and eventually phasing the construction.
Planning Challenges
The complexity of the planning and approval process had exploded since the club built its first shed. “No one can appreciate how long and complicated the process of building a structure on water can be until they’ve done it,” said RMYS general manager, Rod Austin. “This is a politically sensitive area and we had to satisfy 11 separate community interest groups, meet with them and resolve their concerns. It took a long time. We depended on our volunteers to attend the meetings and win over the public, and they did a magnificent job. Once the work began, there were no problems, only compliments. Because of our people’s community relations skills, our project is done. There are several other projects on Port Phillip, some of which started before ours did, that are still waiting for approval.”
Pontoons and breakwater
RMYS hired the engineering firm GHD to be lead engineer and lead contractor for the project. The club reviewed tenders from several pontoon manufacturers with differing pontoon systems and eventually opted for a floating concrete system from Bellingham Marine Australia. The 140m wave attenuator was also sourced from Bellingham Marine Australia due to its proven performance and durability. Fitzgerald Constructions was the contractor for the improvements to the breakwater. The project included an extension to the south end of the breakwater and a new spur, or groyne, at the north end. Construction presented unique challenges. Because the breakwater is far from the shoreline, the massive rocks had to be accumulated on the beach then loaded onto ‘Moxy’ trucks. The trucks were then loaded onto barges and moved across the harbour to the breakwater. The rocks were placed in exact locations determined by GPS coordinates,after which the trucks had to motor backwards to the barge and return to shore for another load. The operation took nine months and 2,000 truckloads of rock.
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Marina del Rey, CA – June 25, 2014 – Considered one of Los Angeles’ favorite kept secrets; Burton Chace Park is tucked away in Marina del Rey near Los Angeles, California. Surrounded on three sides by water, the park offers spectacular views of the surrounding area and transient moorage for visiting boaters.
In 2012, the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors, which oversees the public park, was approved for a $1.3 million National Boating Infrastructure Grant to fund an improvement project. The Project would include a major renovation of the park’s marina and related infrastructure. It is reported that the county provided an additional $4.5 million to complete the project.
In 2013, the project went out to bid; it was awarded to Bellingham Marine. Bellingham’s scope of work included removal and disposal of the existing dock system, manufacture and installation of the new docks, and upgrades to the utility systems.
The renovation included reconfiguring the layout of the marina to gain an additional 300 feet of side-tie space and nine slips. The new layout also provides better integration with the non-motorized watercraft storage and launch dock planned for the adjacent facility.
Chace Park’s 35 existing slips were removed and replaced with 44 concrete floating slips. In addition, over 700 linear feet of side-tie space was installed. Two of the new side-tie docks are dedicated to overnight transient moorage – one measures 300’ and the other 138’. A third dock, that’s 147’ long, provides 4-hour berthing and a fourth serves as a water bus landing. Utility repairs and upgrades for the new docks included water, fire suppression, power and sewer.
“After being closed eight months for construction, we were thrilled to reopen the park’s guest docks in May,” said Carol Baker, chief of the Department of Beaches and Harbors community and marketing services division that includes boating and recreation services. “The mega yacht dock has garnered outstanding reviews, and weekend guests have been happy to see that the four-hour docks are separated from the overnight slips, making for more peaceful stays. The free sewage pump out station on the four-hour dock is another, popular new convenience.”
As the world’s leading marina design-build construction company, Bellingham Marine specializes in floating dock, floating platform and floating wave attenuation systems for marinas worldwide. The company also produces dry storage systems for the upland storage of boats.