1. Many people who’ve experienced standing on a concrete floating dock say, “It feels like solid ground.” Why are concrete floating docks so stable?
Craig Funston, a structural engineer with the engineering and design firm Redpoint Structures, Bellingham, WA, explains the science behind the design.
The perception that one gets of standing on solid ground is “a common reaction when anyone steps on a concrete floating dock for the first time,” Funston says. “The modules float high on the water, but they are massive, and they have a wide footprint.”
“Think of a snowshoe,” he explains. “The footprint is very broad compared to the weight it supports, so the water easily resists the load. Because each module is connected to the next, it multiplies the mass and footprint by the number of modules, making the entire system extremely stable and solid.”
The power of the “snowshoe effect” is demonstrated by a common practice at Port Forum, a super yacht marina in Europe featuring Bellingham Marine’s Unifloat system. The latest craze among the super rich is carrying their Mini Coopers (see photo) on the decks of their yachts.
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MAGAZINE: Marina Dock Age
ISSUE: January/February 2007
Upgraded Marina is Focus for Legendary Island
Marina World, Jan /Feb 2007
Chub Cay, the island that has been host to the rich and famous and a lure to legendary fishermen for over 40 years, broke ground to begin new development for the next generation of boaters and fishermen in March 2004. In an event that attracted VIPs galore, gold shovels and tossed sand were much in evidence as developers announced the revamp ahead. Chub Cay remains every inch a private resort – an exclusive paradise within a protected natural environment.
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Internet users are now able to surf Bellingham Marine’s redesigned website with ease. The company’s new site provides individuals with a wealth of information on the subject of marina construction as well as a glimpse at some of the world’s finest boating facilities. The new website replaces the company’s old site and can be viewed at www.bellingham-marine.com.
The goal for the new website is to provide individuals with a content rich resource in a user friendly format. Attention was paid to ensure the site’s new layout would allow users to scan and absorb facts quickly. The greatest challenge in designing the new website was to find a way to best organize the information, so individuals could navigate the site easily and locate information in a timely fashion.
The new site caters to a wide spectrum of professionals in the marina industry including owners, developers, boaters and media groups. Resources within the site include product information, summary of services, project lists and details, press releases, and background information on the company and its key managers. Individuals looking for information on Bellingham Marine’s range of products and services are able to view and download brochures. In addition, they are able to view testimonials and locate projects that utilize a specific Bellingham Marine product through the company’s project database.
Bellingham Marine’s website offers one of the most far-reaching project databases available in the industry. Viewers can search by key word and sort through over 1100 past projects, download project information sheets, and view photos and specific details on over a dozen current projects. In addition to Bellingham’s project database, the company’s newsroom is an excellent resource for media groups or individuals looking for detailed information on some of Bellingham’s largest projects and the world’s most prestigious marinas. Over 10 years of press releases and accompanying high resolution photos are available for users to download.
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.
Contact Bellingham Marine, P.O. Box 8, Bellingham, WA 98227; www.bellingham-marine.com.
Unifloat, Unideck and Unistack are registered trademarks of Bellingham Marine.
Designed to improve efficiency, enhance quality control, and meet higher levels of demand, Bellingham Marine Europe has opened the doors to its new production facility in the Polígono SKOL industrial area just outside Barcelona, Spain. The plant will serve as a casting production facility for the company’s Unifloat pontoons and will house offices for the production staff. The new facility replaces a smaller, temporary facility that was located within the city limits of Barcelona.
“With current large contracts to fulfill and increased demand anticipated for 2007, we needed a state-of-the-art facility with greater capacity” said Bellingham Marine Europe’s general manager Matthew Hardy. The new 1,600 square meter factory with 3,000 square meters of yard space provides ample capacity and an ideal environment for casting concrete.
Level floors and control of temperature and humidity are critical to achieving strength, durability, and crack resistance in concrete. The walls of the new facility have been foam insulated to assist in keeping the facility at a constant temperature. Specially constructed floors were designed for casting beds to ensure a level base with an accuracy of 3mm over the length of the pontoon moulds.
Strategically located alongside the main highway between Barcelona and France, the new location provides easy access into Europe and throughout the rest of Spain and is well placed to supply projects in emerging markets in North Africa. There are also a number of large Ports in Barcelona and neighboring provinces, which provide alternative options for transportation around the Mediterranean.
The ability to keep the new plant in close proximity to Barcelona was an important factor. The region offers a moderate climate and a central position within the Mediterranean. Bellingham Marine Europe has a strong network of suppliers in the area and a number of concrete plants are located nearby. In addition, Spain provides an opportunity for lower operational costs, access to innovative engineers who are knowledgeable in concrete, and access to a skilled labor force.
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; www.bellingham-marine.com.
Regional Contact: Bellingham Marine Europe Ltd, Calle Josep Pla 45, Local 1, 08019, Barcelona, España Tel: 93 356 1229 Fax: 93 356 1355
Unifloat, Unideck and Unistack are registered trademarks of Bellingham Marine.
Known for its great fishing, beautiful coastline, and laidback lifestyle, Carrabelle, FL now has one more thing to boast about. Nestled in a protected basin along Florida’s coastal panhandle, the Carrabelle Boat Club designed and built by Bellingham Marine, provides boaters with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico as well as a secure place to store their vessels.
Bellingham Marine designed and managed construction of the Unistack facility, plus designed and installed the Unifloat staging docks. Bellingham delivered a state-of-the-art facility. “They were outstanding and are the only contractor we’ll work with for marina related construction,” stated Frank Donohue, Director of Operations for Dream Harbors.
Designed with three aisles, the Unistack building at Carrabelle combines the best in modern security with the utility of dry storage. It has 285 dry racks and can accommodate boats from 40’ in length to 25’ in length and 16’ in height. Boats are retrieved from the racks via two Wiggins Bull Lifts. The Wiggins Lifts were custom designed to ensure the turning radius of the lifts were equal to that of the aisles.
The racks at Carrabelle Boat Club are being sold under a condominium arrangement. According to Dream Harbors, a condo arrangement was the only viable solution that made financial sense given the high cost of constructing any new marina facility in the state of Florida. So far, the club has seen great success with 90 racks already sold. The 40’ and 25’ – 30’ were the first to go with the mid-sized racks making up the majority of those remaining.
Rack owners enjoy a handsome clubhouse, a full range of amenities, a guaranteed life time of direct water access, the potential to build equity, and the chance to avoid ever increasing rental rates. Members have unlimited in and out service and can call ahead to have their boats fueled up and waiting for them. Other services offered by the club include boat detailing, engine flushing, light maintenance and winter season care.
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.