An evening full of celebration and festivities marked the opening of Apia’s new marina and floating restaurant – a first for Samoa. Catering to local residents and tourists alike the new marina on the Samoan island of Apia is a welcomed addition. Until now, deep water access and secure moorage around the island has been limited. Apia Marina, designed and built by Bellingham Marine New Zealand, features Bellingham Marine’s modern concrete floating dock system and affords deep water access and secure moorage.
Lack of mooring facilities around Samoa has limited local economic growth and has kept boaters from visiting the area. The marina and floating restaurant are an effort by the Samoan Port Authority (SPA) to encourage boating, boost tourism and generate alternative revenue.
Apia Marina is protected by a 40 meter floating wave attenuator and a 170 meter rock wall. The basin was dredged to a depth of 2.5 meters to provide deep water access for large vessels. The marina boasts 50 berths ranging in length from 10.5 to 30 meters – each equipped with power and water. The 30 meter berth was built with 200 amp – 3 phase power to meet the electrical requirements of larger vessels. A fueling station, showers, and customs are available at the Port facility.
“The new marina is a tremendous asset to Samoa and meets a great need,” said John Papesch, Project Manager for Bellingham Marine New Zealand. A second phase of the marina is planned which will extend the marina and add 30 more berths.
Referred to as the “treasured islands of the South Pacific”, Samoa is rich in culture and full of natural beauty. Waterfalls, rainforests, mountains, and miles of white sand beaches offer an experience like no other. Visiting yachts are required to contact SPA at least 2 days prior to arriving in Apia.
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.
Public Relations Contact: Bellingham Marine, P.O. Box 8, Bellingham, WA 98227; ph. 360-676-2800 fax. 360-734-2417. www.bellingham-marine.com
Regional Contact: Bellingham Marine New Zealand, 15 – 17 Springs Road, East Tamaki, PO Box 51053, Pakuranga, Auckland, New Zealand; ph. 64-9-273-5311 fax. 64-9-273-5312
Unifloat, Unideck and Unistack are registered trademarks of Bellingham Marine.
The year is 1970. An engineering handbook published by the State of California advises marina designers that the “design boat,” or median-size boat for marina planning, is 29.5 feet long. It seemed reasonable at the time.
It’s easy to find amusing and shortsighted what planners trusted in 1970. It’s much harder to predict the future over the 40 to 50 year life span of our new or remodeled marinas.
The boatbuilding industry is enjoying an economic boom in larger vessels, especially mega yachts 30 meters (98 feet) and longer. The effects are being felt in our US marinas and all over the world. Where are the slips for all these new boats?
The news is not good. There are actually fewer slips in the US each year. A remodeled marina will have 8% to 15% fewer slips than before the remodel. The pages of Marina Dock Age celebrate new marinas built and remodeled in every issue, but existing marinas are being torn down, never to be replaced. Often the waterfront is lost to boating by developers motivated by “highest-use” projects that offer a better ROI. It is estimated that the number of slips nationwide drops 4% to 5% annually, year after year.
Fortunately, the boat building industry is catching on, getting alarmed at the consequences, and entering the game. The National Marine Manufacturer’s Association (NMMA) is now an active political ally in the fight to preserve the waterfront for boating. Lobbying pressure from the NMMA advocates for marina land and waterfront use, and argues that an important, vibrant industry will be devastated if our recreational marinas are lost to real estate developers and no-growth environmentalists.
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MAGAZINE: Boat and Motor Dealer
ISSUE: December 2007
Bellingham Marine, perhaps the most recognizable name in concrete flotation and marina design will soon celebrate 50 years of success. Known for its site specific marina design utilizing its Unifloat® concrete floating dock system, Bellingham Marine’s docks and marinas are easily recognized by boating enthusiasts and professionals around the world.
The first Unifloat® docks were introduced to the industry in the 1950’s. First at Marina del Rey in California and later at Shilshole Bay Marina in Seattle, WA. The Unifloat® system revolutionized the industry and brought to the forefront the concept of concrete flotation. Although improvements too numerous to list have been made to the original Unifloat® design since its early days, the patented waler design is still considered by most experts to be the most reliable, low-cost, low-maintenance design for connecting float systems. Today, Unifloat® docks can be found in marinas throughout the world with more than 20 million square feet in service. From Australia, to Malaysia, to Europe, Japan, the United States, Mexico and Central America, Bellingham Marine continues to set the standard for floating dock systems.
The proven technology of the Unifloat® combined with Bellingham’s expertise in marina design has lead to a loyal following of marina professionals and boaters worldwide. “We approach each project as an opportunity to make it our best project,” said Everett Babbitt, President of Bellingham Marine. “We learn something from every project we take on. As we like to say, we are just completing our 50th year of Research & Development!”
From it’s beginnings in a small town just south of the Canadian border, Bellingham Marine has grown from a builders supply company manufacturing concrete docks into a comprehensive design/build marina construction company with nine manufacturing plants and a worldwide network of marina experts.
In 2008, Bellingham Marine will mark its 50th anniversary with the completion of the rebuild of Shilshole Bay Marina. Bellingham Marine supplied the docks for Shilshole when it was first built and was selected to supply the docks for its rebuild 50 years later. Festivities for Bellingham’s 50th Anniversary will include a series of industry sponsorships and promotional events scheduled throughout 2008.
As the world’s leading design/build marina 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.
Located just 15 miles from the world famous Beverly Hills in California’s luxurious Redondo Beach neighborhood, the Portofino Hotel and Yacht Club underwent a complete renovation in 2007. Everything from the hotel’s guest rooms to the docks at the on site yacht club were completely refurbished and updated. “We offer premium services and amenities and have a prime location along California’s southern coast… our facilities needed to be brought up-to-date,” said Glenn Bishop, General Manager of Portofino Hotel and Yacht Club
Bellingham Marine was hired as the design-build contractor for the waterside portion of the rebuild project. Bellingham assisted in obtaining local conceptual approvals, as well as approvals from regulatory agencies such as the California Coastal Commission. After the permits were received, Bellingham demolished the existing marina and designed, manufactured, and constructed the new marina – including docks, gangways, security gates, piles, utilities and dock accessories such as dinghy racks and in-slip signage. A new fire suppression system, fresh water hose bibs, upgraded power, cable TV and telephone hookups were installed at each slip.
After the rebuild, the total number of slips in the marina decreased. The decrease was attributed to new disability access (ADA) codes, wider slip requirements and an increased demand in the market for larger slips. The vessels being built today are larger and are equipped with more modern conveniences than in the past. This trend is causing marinas across the country to shift their slip mix toward larger lengths and to increase their power demands. The completed Portofino Yacht Club has 183 slips ranging from 25’ to 100’.
Everything was well planned from the beginning. “We notified marina tenants 4 to 5 months in advance about the upcoming renovation,” said Bishop; “we made it a priority to communicate openly with our tenants and to keep them as our number one focus.” New homes were found for displaced boats before construction was started. The rebuild was phased to ensure as little disruption as possible to the tenants. Bellingham Marine developed a phasing schedule that enabled all boats to remain in the marina during the rebuild and required a single boat to move no more than twice over the course of the project. “Bellingham’s planning and execution of the rebuild was right on target. The old docks were demolished and the new ones installed section by section with minimal impact on our tenants. Our customers are happy and our staff is proud to be a part of the newly renovated facility” said Bishop.
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.
Located in what was once a vacant lot along National City’s Sweetwater River flood channel, Pier 32 Marina is a welcomed addition to the city’s waterfront infrastructure. After a 19 year effort to provide the city with public access to its three-mile bay front, National City and the Port of San Diego, which owns the land, succeeded. The new 250 slip marina provides first class accommodations for vessels up to 120 feet and public access to the city’s waterfront.
Pier 32 Marina, LLC, owner and operator of the new marina, awarded world renowned Bellingham Marine the design/build, turn-key contract for the project. “Bellingham Marine was a tremendous resource in the design process and helped us to gain back critical slips that were lost when the basin was completed. In the end we had less water than we had anticipated. Bellingham Marine came up with a number of different layouts finding one that maximized our number of slips,” said George Folgner, Project Manager and Representative for Pier 32 Marina, LLC. “Top executives at Bellingham Marine all the way down to the installation crew were very responsive to our needs and were a pleasure to work with.”
The state-of-the-art marina at Pier 32 provides single slip berths for vessels from 25 to 60 feet and side ties for vessels up to 120 feet. Pier 32 Marina affords club members the latest in modern amenities. Slip side services include electricity, water, internet, TV and phone. A pump-out dock is on site installed on the southeast side of the marina for easy access by tenants and visitors. A section of the marginal walk was widened to accommodate dinghy racks and fire suppression equipment is located along the marina’s main walks. Shoreside facilities include locker rooms, laundry services, a second floor community lounge and deck, a fitness center and a swimming pool and Jacuzzi.
Strict attention was paid to detail to ensure the new marina had the look, feel and ability to operate as a first class yacht club. Southern yellow pine walers with chamfered edges were finished with rod protection caps and a special low profile fendering. A portion of the slips were fitted with special finger-to-walk connections to accommodate sportfishers or stern-in mooring. Gangways feature a unique arched design with special angled handrails – powder-coated white to provide a seamless look with the rest of the marina.
Bellingham Marine’s scope of work included design, manufacture and installation of the docks, installation of piling, construction and installation of the pump-out dock, installation of barrier-free access gangways and installation of dock utilities.
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.