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.
Located in France’s largest commercial port Marseille, the new ferry terminal for Veolia’s IF FRIOUL EXPRESS (IFE) is nothing short of impressive. Designed and built to provide the best in modern security, the new ferry docks afford protected moorage and easy access for passengers. “Bellingham Marine’s design and construction of the new ferry docks at Old Port exceeded our expectations both in terms what it provides our customers and in terms of the amenities it provides our ferry operators,” said Fanny Butruille, Marketing and Operating Manager for IFE.
The goal of the IF FRIOUL EXPRESS replacement project was to provide ferry passengers with a safe, stable and durable floating platform from which to purchase tickets, wait for incoming ferries and board and depart vessels. Special attention was paid during the design process to ensure the docks promoted universal access. 900 mm freeboard, 4 meter wide walkways, handrails, single and double flow gangways, and quality lighting were incorporated into the design to allow passengers to move along the docks and onto the ferries with ease. Close attention was also paid to ensure the new docks were able to resist winds up to 182 km /h and were able to sustain heavy commercial use.
Sewage pumps for dark water as well as electrical and water pedestals were included to provide ferry operators with amenities needed to perform daily maintenance and to keep the ferries in working order. The new docks accommodate up to four 200-passenger ferry boats – each 25 meters long. “Facility design and construction activities were carefully scrutinized to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Bureau Veritas and to ensure the surrounding environment was respected and left with little to no impact,” said David Veyrat-Durebex, Director of Development for Bellingham Marine Europe.
Old Port is in the heart of Marseille – a bustling historical town, dating back to 600 AD, with numerous historical structures and tough building restrictions related to public operations. “This was a unique project with a unique set of parameters. There was an “old quay” curved wall along the site’s shoreline and fishing activity in the area that required pile driving to be phased,” said Veyrat-Durebex.
The IF FRIOUL EXPRESS provides year round service between IF, Frioul and Marseille Old Port for tourist and local residence.
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.
Constructed from the ground up on Baltimore’s Chesapeake Bay, Port Covington Maritime Center is home to Maryland’s newest and most modern yacht service center. Owner Bob Brandon purchased the property in 2005 with the intention of building an environmentally friendly boatyard. Although, Brandon had a clear idea as to what the ideal service center would include, he called on the expertise of Bellingham Marine to help design and install the 28 slip marina, which would serve the center’s waterside needs. “Bellingham’s Unifloat® concrete floating docks were the perfect choice and fit the bill considering our challenging site conditions,” said Brandon. “If I’d installed a floating wood system, I doubt I’d have my rental business, and I’m certain we’d already be undergoing repairs and maintenance.”
Waterside facilities include 28 wet slips protected by a 12’ wide by 180’ long floating wave attenuator, which covers the entrance. Slips at the maritime center are primarily dedicated for use by vessels being serviced; however, the facility provides transient moorage and rents out vacant slips when available. Slips range in length from 40’ to 60’ and there’s ample room for side ties up to 250’ as there’s 30’ of water depth.
The docking system and pilings were designed to meet the needs of the basin utilizing 21” steel piles to account for loading demands. The marina also features a massive 20’ wide mainwalk out to A-Dock. The 20’ wide dock is designed to accommodate full service fuel facilities, which are planned to be installed in the near future.
Along with the architecturally pleasing 6,000 square foot office building, landside facilities include a 9,000 square foot repair building with 30 foot high doors accommodating vessels up to 55 feet in length. Also included is a paved and lighted outdoor boat storage area with year round water and electric. The haulouts will be handled with 35 ton, 75 ton and 150 ton travelifts installed on concrete runways. The facility also has a 20 ton forklift used for outdoor rack storage for boats up to 40 feet.
All construction of the 8 acre site and future operations at the facility were geared to be “green”. Sustainable construction, living roofs, functional landscaping and a water collection system were incorporated into the design of the facility. Waste water will be collected in sediment pits and pumped to an engineered wetland where the water will be treated naturally before being discharged. Brandon hopes this waste water collection system will soon be adopted by other marinas around the country.
Brandon’s facility was selected as the official service facility for the Volvo Ocean Race. This created a challenging building schedule for both the General Contractor (Corman Imbach) and Bellingham Marine as there was no flexibility in date of completion. “I was very satisfied with the coordination and efficiency both my selected contractors demonstrated in getting the job done right and on time,” said Brandon. The Baltimore stop over was a huge success bringing an estimated 40,000 people to the area to see the boats.
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.