Typically on our blog I like to write technical or educational pieces that have an overall focus on marina design best practice, innovation and industry trends.
Improvements made to the Unifloat concrete floating dock system have improved the system’s durability, longevity and performance.
I make a conscious effort to stay away from brand specific pieces as I do not want to compromise the credibility of our blog by including sales pitches.
This article strays a bit from my traditional focus but I thought it still worthwhile to share as many of our readers are familiar with the Unifloat concrete dock system and may have the same question one of our recent clients had – What is the difference between the Unifloat system you produce today vs. the one you manufactured thirty to forty years ago?
For all intents and purposes, to the untrained eye, today’s Unifloat dock system looks very similar to the ones manufactured by the company in the mid to late 1900’s – after all, today’s Unifloat is characterized by the same overall design concept as the original. The modules are still made from concrete, most commonly connected by treated timber walers, which are held in place by through-rods.
Canada’s newest marina, Milltown Marina, sits on the outskirts of downtown Vancouver, B.C. in a well-protected basin on the North Arm of the Frasier River.
Milltown Marina is a great example of a modern, urban marina that was designed and built to provide the best value for the owner and the facility’s users.
The marina’s story is not that different from other Greenfield projects, and it’s actually the commonalities that it shares with other projects that makes it an interesting case study. Milltown started out the way many new marina projects do with a vision for the site, then a concept design and finally a layout for the docks followed by an issuance of a Request for Proposal (RFP).
Like a growing number of Greenfield marina projects, the response to the RFP is where the Milltown project deviated from its original course. The original plan was to get bids from dock builders to supply the docks that when assembled in the water by a general contractor would make up the configuration shown in the original drawing. The anchoring system would be supplied and installed by a third party and the utilities and accessory packages would be handled separately. This approach was designed to cut out any middlemen and avoid extra markups. In theory, the concept makes sense. The problem is that the modern marina is a complex web of interconnected systems that is most often best approached as a single system by a marina builder who specializes in the design/build of marina systems and who can take advantage of economies of scale. This is where the real savings happens.
From gathering spaces to boat storage areas to foundations for floating buildings, advances in modern engineering have greatly expanded the possibilities for these unique structures.
The LMU boathouse sits on a floating platform and features a low freeboard dock on the front of the building for launching shells.
The modern floating platform can serve a variety of functions for marinas as well as a number of other sectors. From gathering spaces to boat storage areas to foundations for floating buildings, advances in modern engineering have greatly expanded the possibilities for these unique structures.
In its simplest form, the modern floating platform is a custom-built structure, typically comprised of individual concrete modules joined together to form a broad surface or foundation that is, for all intents, a solid unit. These floating structures are extremely tough and can be designed to handle tremendous loads.
As one year comes to a close and a new year begins, we are often asked “what is your outlook for the coming year for the marina industry” or “what are some of the trends you’re seeing and what can we expect to see more of.”
Stamped concrete decks are an easy way to add an architectural detail to your marina facility.
Although much of our comments are logged by editors and shared in their publications, I thought it worthwhile to share some of our comments directly with our readers…
Worldwide, from our perspective, things are starting to turn. Marinas are beginning to see the increase in boat sales trickle down into their occupancy rates, money is loosening up and governments in emerging markets seem to be taking a more active interest in their boating and marina industries. We remain optimistic that in 2014 and coming years the industry as a whole will continue to grow and prosper.
Bellingham Marine is proud to be an ISO registered company with a strong foundation that benefits the health of our company as well as that of our customers.
In a recent focus group, participants were asked how they would choose between similarly capable marina companies when it came to purchasing a new dock system. What would be most important to you? For the participants, quality was the number one determiner followed by value.
Although the group shared a number of strategies they would use to determine the level of quality, some insight into a company’s commitment to quality can gained by seeing if they are quality certified.
For those who want the best value and highest level of quality from their suppliers, an ISO Registered Manufacturer is a good place to start. The program’s independent registrar audit can be a key discriminator of a company’s commitment to quality and action.
ISO stands for the International Standards Organization; there is no other organization with the exception of the Precast Institute that offers the same level of quality assurance for the end user. The organization’s quality management system (ISO 9001), is the only Q.C. program that focuses on the processes of the entire company and ultimately the customer. In contrast, the emphasis with other quality programs is placed solely on the product.