Looking ahead to 2012, customization continues to be a growing trend in marina design.
Looking at Bellingham Marine’s many different projects across the globe, gives unique insight into the worldwide trends in marina design. The company’s clients are diverse and offer a great cross section of the industry – from commercial fishing facilities in Alaska’s remote reaches to the sophisticated super yacht facilities that dot the Caribbean.
A trend that continues to grow in direct correlation with increasing boat size is the general design and layout of the marina. Bigger boats require longer and wider berths, larger fairways and deeper basins. Many also want higher freeboard and wider walkways. Larger boats require more power and often more services. This trend is nothing new for the marina industry and continues to be the driving force behind many marina renovations.
In addition to the increase in average boat size, is the increase in mix of boats. More and more marinas are being asked to cater to a broader range of boaters, which encompasses everyone from kayakers to mega yacht owners. With growth in vessel diversity comes the need to offer a greater variety of moorage and water access options. Where once standard 16” to 20” freeboard was appropriate for all boats in the marina, marinas are now looking to incorporate into their facility low freeboard areas for kayakers, rowing clubs and junior sailing programs, “standard” freeboard for mid-sized boats, and extra high freeboard docks for larger vessels.
Another trend that’s on the rise is customization. Many marinas are looking to set themselves apart and create a unique experience for their tenants. Modern marina designs reflect playful use of architectural design and color that lead to a sophisticated and polished look.
Salvaged from a nearby marina, the Unifloat pontoons at a Wynyard Public park offer a great example of how a concrete dock can be given a second life.
We’ve all head the phrase reduce, reuse, recycle. Reduce our level of consumption, reuse a product for another purpose rather than just throwing it away, and once a product can no longer be used recycle it.
When I was young my mom would save every glass jar that came into our house — relish jars, mayo jars, peanut butter jars, pickle jars you name it. If it was glass, once the contents has been devoured she’d carefully remove the label, wash the jar and place it in the cupboard where it awaited its next life. If it was a “good” jar it would become one of our drinking glasses, if it was a big mouthed jar it was used for canning (those must have been the bad jars). If it didn’t fit into one of those categories she inevitably found a use for it somewhere around the house – cotton ball holder, money jar, and my favorite – caterpillar home.
You may have heard someone boast about the hundred different uses for duct tape. My mom had a hundred different uses for glass jars. She was creative in her thinking and was never bound to the confines of the jar’s origination.
I recently received some photos from a gentleman in New Zealand. The pictures were of a public park in New Zealand’s Wynyard precinct. What stood out to me was the park’s creative landscaping. Carefully integrated throughout the park were old Unifloat® concrete dock modules that had been cleaned up and strategically placed. Some were used to provide seating areas around the basketball court and other general gathering spaces; while others were functioning as retaining walls. They did not look out of place but rather purposeful and intriguing in their use and placement.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held at Alamitos Bay Marina on September 17, 2011.
If you’ve ever been involved in a laborious permitting and funding process you know all too well the feeling of victory and the heavy sigh of relief that comes once you receive your final OK to proceed. You’ll also know that without an iron will and a true passion for what you’re doing you’ll likely be eaten alive.
Anyone who’s spent much time at all with Mark Sandoval, Long Beach Marine Bureau Manager knows he’s a man of integrity and determination. After 10 years of planning and three years of delays, Sandoval received his final OK from Long Beach City Council to move forward with the first phase of his planned $90 million dollar renovation of Alamitos Bay Marina in Long Beach, CA.
A rebuild can create opportunities for a marina to improve their revenue streams.
North Harbour, a city owned marina in Powell River, British Columbia, Canada recently completed a rebuild and reconfiguration project that effectively increased the marina’s moorage space by 19% from 7,943 feet of chargeable moorage space to 9,500 feet.
The goal of the rebuild was to address failing infrastructure and a growing waiting list for larger berths. According to the City of Powell River, there had been an increasing demand for larger berths in the area, and there was a large waiting list of boat owners with vessel 28 feet and larger wishing to moor at North Harbour.
An aging marina can be updated with a few small improvements.
If you have an aging marina, and a complete replacement is not feasible there are a number of things you can do to update and beautify your property without taking on a comprehensive rebuild.
Lido Yacht Anchorage, located in Newport Beach, Calif. had originally planned to replace the marina’s aging timber docks with a modern concrete floating dock system and upgrade their utilities. However, a comprehensive renovation would require dredge work and replacement of the marina’s seawall as well as an upgrade in the marina’s shore power. After further evaluation, this option was determined not practical for the marina at the time.
So, rather than take on a comprehensive renovation project, the owners decided to focus on repairing and beautifying the marina they had. This decision not only increased the service life of the marina’s docks but gave the tenants and property owners a facility they were proud to show off.