Complete renovation includes new docks — and a whole lot more. CHANNEL ISLANDS HARBOR — Ahead of schedule and nearing completion, Channel Islands Harbor Marina is getting ready to open new slips in the last phase of the complete renovation of the aging marina. “We are glad it is done,” stated an elated Brian Dunn, president of Vintage Marina Partners, operators of Channel Islands Harbor Marina. “We’ve had a few setbacks on the way, but we will have completed the waterside part of the renovation — all the docks systems — in March. That’s 15 months from the beginning of construction.”
The more-than-40-year-old marina was formerly showing its age, with listing and weatherbeaten wooden docks, unstable gangways and crumbling concrete. Its new aluminum ramps, contemporary entry gates and Unifloat concrete docks are a testament to modern technology. Cash and Associates and Bellingham Marine have provided design and construction support for the renovation.
The $15 million-plus project, which had been scheduled to take up to two years to complete, will be finished this month. Some shoreside improvements are still to be completed — including refurbishing the marina office, restrooms and showers.
Dunn stated that marina construction would have begun sooner if it hadn’t been for delays caused by two local environmental groups with concerns about noise levels affecting nesting birds in the area near construction.
“We hired a full-time biologist to help with bird and noise level monitoring,” Dunn explained. “This added about $100,000 to the cost of the development.
“We even used a mesh sound curtain to help reduce noise further, by about 20 decibels, during pile driving,” Dunn added. He also said that the sound curtain was a custom design, as he knew of no one else who had used this before.
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MAGAZINE: The Log
ISSUE: March 2008
Recent marina projects with floating buildings demonstrate the evolution of the engineering used to design and build them. While small, lightweight harbormaster offices are often seen at the end of docks to greet visitors, today’s floating buildings encompass significantly greater area, weight and windage, and can be used for anything under the sun.
The Boathouse at Loyola Marymount
One of the largest is the Loyola Marymount University (LMU) Boathouse located in Marina del Rey, California. The 15.2m by 22.9m (50 ft. by 75 ft.) float was designed and built by Bellingham Marine in 2000 and supports a large wood frame boat house used for the university’s rowing activities. The LMU Boathouse has a bathroom inside, a good idea if one is about to step into a rowing shell. A waste tank was embedded inside the core of a float module, and sewage is pumped to land as the tank is filled.
Bellingham’s Manager of Project Development for the Southwest Division, Eric Noegel, has been involved in several projects with floating buildings. “The key criteria are strength and stiffness,” said Noegel. “Just as any building on land requires a stable foundation, a float under a building must act as one piece as a wave passes underneath. The float under the LMU Boathouse does just that.”
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MAGAZINE: Marina World
ISSUE: March/April 2008
Situated along the spectacular coastline of Quepos, Costa Rica with direct access to some of the world’s best sport fishing, development of Costa Rica’s newest premier destination and world class marina is underway. Marina Pez Vela scheduled to open late 2008, is the vision of sport fishing enthusiast and Costa Rica local Harold Lovelady. Harold and colleague John Kane have teamed up with world renowned marina contractor Bellingham Marine to deliver a state-of-the art modern marina. The new marina will open up thousands of miles of ocean to anglers and trans-oceanic travelers and is positioned to be the region’s premier destination marina.
Quepos has long been regarded as a fishing haven; however, access to the region’s fishing grounds is nearly impossible. Boating facilities and services in the region are extremely limited. Marina Pez Vela will provide a safe haven and fully staffed maintenance facility for boaters. “We are confident Marina Pez Vela will satisfy the tremendous demand for marina services in the region, which have gone largely unmet until now and will provide access to Costa Rica’s tranquil, rich waters and stunning coastline,” commented John Kane, partner in the project.
The 300-slip marina will feature extra wide modern concrete floating docks to allow easy access by golf carts, safe loading of passengers and equipment, and secure moorage. The first phase of construction includes 100-slips accommodating yachts up to 200 feet in length. Slip side services include telephone, cable, high speed internet, fresh water and electrical hook ups. High speed fuel pumps, septic pump-out and dockside concierge services will also be available on site. The marina will be built with an emphasis toward environmental protection and will meet full American and Costa Rican building codes and standards
Marina Pez Vela is slated to be a world class waterfront development. Upon completion, the development will include a full service 300-slip marina, a drystack for boats up to 40 feet, maintenance facilities with a 200-ton travel lift, an upscale boutique hotel, residential units, restaurants, upscale shopping and a retail center including tackle shop, marine supplies, deli and grocery store.
As the world’s leading marina design/build construction company, Bellingham Marine produces Unifloat saltwater systems, Unideck freshwater systems and Unistack dry storage systems for marinas worldwide.
Bellingham Marine, P.O. Box 8, Bellingham, WA 98227; ph. 360-676-2800, fax. 360-734-2417, email. bmi@bellingham-marine.com
Marina Pez Vela, Quepos Costa Rica, ph. 011 506 777 4141, www,marinapezvela.com; press inquiries: Diana@marinapezvela.com
Unifloat, Unideck and Unistack are registered trademarks of Bellingham Marine.
Marina tenants are back in their slips and the community of Coronado, in southern California, is enjoying over $9 million in improvements to their waterfront. A major objective of the improvement project was to ensure safe public access at the marina. “The old docks had exceeded their life – there were flotation problems and cases where docks were turning over,” said Jim Benson, city engineer. Improvements included replacement of two of the marina’s three main docks with modern concrete floating docks.
No slips were lost during the renovation and a new design layout created a better mix of slips. The new marina has 66 slips accommodating boats 25 – 100 feet in length. “It’s difficult to keep the number of slips unchanged when doing a rebuild,” said Eric Noegel, Manager of Project Development for Bellingham Marine. “New regulations and trends toward larger boats often mean a reduction in the number of slips; we were fortunate at Glorietta Bay to be able to deliver a slip mix that reflected a shift toward larger slips without losing any numbers.”
Bellingham Marine was hired as the design/build contractor to renovate the facility including design and installation of a Unifloat dock system with up-graded utilities; management of pile driving activities; and installation of a new fire suppression, fresh water, and public pump-out system. Bellingham also constructed a new entry pier complete with security gate and ADA compliant gangway.
The Glorietta Bay Marina project featured a number of innovative features including match-cast technology on landing platforms, a number of uniquely shaped dock modules with dog-legs in many walkways, and development of a 17,500 square foot eelgrass habitat located a half-mile away. The new habitat was created to replace habitat lost during the waterfront improvement project. Eelgrass supports a complex ecosystem in the San Diego Bay area. “This project had a number of unique needs and challenges. Bellingham Marine delivered a successful project by closely managing the project and planning for the project’s needs from the beginning,” said Jerome Torres, Senior Management Analyst for the City of Coronado.
Coronado is a small island town in San Diego Bay, approximately 7.4 square miles in size. Downtown Coronado has a number of unique shops and restaurants. The island also boasts an award-winning beach, recently ranked 2nd in the country by the Travel Channel.
As the world’s leading marina design/build construction company, Bellingham Marine produces Unifloat saltwater systems, Unideck freshwater systems and Unistack dry storage systems for marinas worldwide.
Bellingham Marine, P.O. Box 8, Bellingham, WA 98227; ph. 360-676-2800, fax. 360-734-2417, email. bmi@bellingham-marine.com
Unifloat, Unideck and Unistack are registered trademarks of Bellingham Marine.
Bob Brandon got his start in the boatyard business at the age of 14. In the forty-plus years that have past, Brandon has spent all of his working life in the boatyard industry, where he has developed a healthy respect for the environment, and especially for the health of Chesapeake Bay. “If we pollute the bay and it dies,” said Brandon, “there won’t be any boaters. We’ll all be out of business.”
In 2004, Brandon got an opportunity to put his environmental beliefs to the test. He was moving his boatyard to a new location on the Bay, providing him with an opportunity to put his ideas for an environmentally-designed boatyard and marina into action.
Current status
Brandon owns and manages the newest and most modern boat repair facility on Chesapeake Bay: Port Covington Maritime Center. Its major tenant is Tidewater Yacht Service, a major repair and service center for large boats. In fact, Port Covington is one of the only large-boat, full-service boatyards in Chesapeake Bay.
The facility is anchored by a two story, 6,000 sq. ft. office and retail building connected to a 9,000 sq. ft. repair building. The repair facility sports 30-foot high doors and can accommodate vessels up to 55 feet in length. A paved and lighted outdoor boat storage area has year-round water and electricity. Haulouts are managed with 35- and 75-ton Travelifts working at two haulout slips. A 20-ton forklift is available for outdoor rack storage for boats up to 40 feet.
For 20 years at its prior location, Brandon’s boatyard business was on a five-acre site in Baltimore’s famous Inner Harbor. His move in 2005 to a new location was prompted by interest from a large corporate neighbor (Domino Sugar) that wanted his Inner Harbor site for refinery expansion. Brandon sold the Inner Harbor site in 2005, giving him a chance rebuild on a larger eight-acre site and to design a less cramped, more efficient facility—with a rigorous approach to pollution control—from the ground up.
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MAGAZINE: Marina Dock Age
ISSUE: January/February 2008