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2018 March April Marina World

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The magazine for the marina industry

MARINAS Minus

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DRYSTACK Expanding stacking options with tilt-wall buildings A move to ASAR “Over the past five years, boats have changed so much that even a barn that’s just ten years old can be obsolete,” says Robert Brown, president of Floridabased GCM Contracting Solutions. With Brown at the helm, GCM subsidiary Safe Harbour Dry Stacks has been on a mission to create drystack buildings that are not only exceptionally attractive but highly durable and increasingly flexible in terms of storage parameters. In its latest move, the company is embracing the benefits of Automated Storage and Retrieval (ASAR) systems. Safe Harbour benefits from decades of experience in tilt-up concrete building construction. This process, the company argues, offers unparalleled advantages for the drystack sector when compared with pre-engineered steel as it is designed to resist pressure. Solidly pinned and cemented into place, the concrete panels both support the structure and provide hurricane-rated wind shear. An average building can achieve a wind rating in excess of 200mph (322 km/h) and consistent strength is achieved at heights of 65ft (20m) and above. As a fully enclosed building, each drystack offers maximum protection from the elements and is energy efficient to reduce operating costs. It also suppresses noise – inside and out – and offers greater fire safety: 12in (30cm) thick concrete panels are used to create a compartmentalised structure that slows or stops a spreading fire, significantly lowering potential damage and repair costs. The design and safety features can reduce insurance premiums for the building owner and occupants by as much as 15%. Reduced insurance is, however, just one financial bonus point. Buildings can be constructed more quickly to control build costs; they are easier to finance; and as the entire concrete tilt-up process allows for flexible design aesthetics and storage demands, a drystack retains a greater value for resale. Excellent examples of Safe Harbour projects are to be found in Florida – in Marco Island and Naples – and soon to come in Ft Myers Beach. Hamilton Harbor Yacht Club, which claims to offer boaters the best access to Naples Bay and then out to the Gulf of Mexico, was an entrepreneur when it came to commissioning state-of-the-art drystacks some ten years ago. The Hamilton drystack was the first solid concrete tilt-wall boat storage facility of its kind in the world and was built to hold 325 boats up to 50ft (15m) in length (depending on weight). It has a footprint of 117ft² (10.8m²) and lifts and launches using a bespoke Wiggins Marina Bull. Internally, it features solid concrete panels between each bay to give it an enhanced level of fire protection and, externally, it has added texture and paint to make it more aesthetically pleasing to nearby residential neighbours. Rose Marina in Marco Island, reliant on a 75 ton Marine Travelift for boat moving, has more modest boat racking options but a multi-purpose building. It stacks 142 boats of up to 43ft (13m) but has a marina office complex, additional boat storage and a new shipping and receiving centre. Particular attention was paid to architectural features. The next Florida project – for Gulf Star Marina in Ft Myers Beach – represents a new departure for Safe Harbour. “We’re moving into automation,” says Brown. “We are looking to stack boats up to 50ft [15m] in length in a barn as high as 65ft [20m]. The drystack will offer greater storage capacity than would The drystack at Hamilton Harbor Yacht Club (above) and interior design for Gulf Star Marina (right). www.marinaworld.com - March/April 2018 35

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