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2021 March April Marina World

  • Text
  • Vessels
  • Boating
  • Developments
  • Berths
  • Facilities
  • Drystack
  • Boats
  • Marinas
  • Marine
  • Waterfront
The magazine for the marina industry

Composite Decking &

Composite Decking & Bumpers A marina team with over 30 YEARS of continuity and leadership in comprehensive services for international marina development. Marina Planning and Design Sustainable and Resilient Design Waterfront and Coastal Engineering Marina Market and Feasibility Studies Marina Tender and Construcon Services Photo courtesy of Christophe Harbour Via Alba-Narzole 19 - 12055 Diano d’Alba (CN) tel. +39 (0)173 500357 - fax +39(0)173 500642 ® Represented in over 40 countries www.flovac.es Taking the Green approach to the Blackwater problem Composite Decking & Bumpers Vacuum sewerage systems are ideal for use in marinas and ports of any size. The Flovac system can capture sewage and bilge water from boats and all facilities around the marina complex. High Impact Resistance Easy Maintenance In-house Tooling Made to Order No electrical power required at dockside Validates MARPOL certification No risk of water contamination Suitable for boats and docks of any size Discreet, small diameter pipework Ease of installation No odour Weatherproof Excellent OIT* High load capacity Soprefa, S.A. Portugal Tel: +351 256 880 470 soprefa@soprefa.com MORE THAN 250,000m 2 INSTALLED! *Oxidative Induction Time

DRYSTACK SYSTEMS A Capria semi-automatic drystack system is safe and silent and requires less operating space. Drystack turns 55: from the 1960s to the 2020s by Oscar Siches The clever drystack solution of storing boats in a reduced space emerged in the 1960s. There is no precise date, but there were drystacks in 1965, and at that time two countries were simultaneously seeking the most efficient way that small boats could stay on their trailers out of the water and be reasonably protected against outdoor weather. Those countries were the USA (no surprise) and Argentina (surprise). Argentina has a strong yachting tradition and boating is a popular leisure activity and sport in Buenos Aires most particularly. Drystacks were also necessary because of the problem of high tide variations (up to 7m/23ft) due to particular wind conditions. Today, drystacks north of Buenos Aires offer 146,000 berths. At the time, drystacks were just sheds, built without any experience and constructed purely to withstand the deadweight of the boats. The innovation took root fast, and new drystacks were popping up in Florida on many plots of waterfront land. The 1970s brought forklift technology, and Wiggins Marina Bull equipment delivered negative fork (descending below the level of the floor from which it was operating and thus able to pick the boats directly from the water) and a short wheelbase to allow narrower aisles in the sheds. A forklift with negative lift is still the most common boat moving system for drystacks. New systems have been created but the drystack business is very conservative and retrofits are rarely seen. Eventually, Nature showed up with Cat 4 and Cat 5 hurricane winds and drystacks in the hurricane path took off without needing any air traffic control or flaps. Bellingham Marine created its Unistack line; drystack racking in pre-designed modules that fit into an existing shed or semi-protected construction. It was not until Hurricane Andrew in late 1992, however, that the real havoc wrought on communities, marinas and drystacks put a stop to the “well, it happens sometimes” attitude. Andrew killed 65 people in south Miami and left an ugly scar on those who survived it. Better building techniques were employed and historical meteorological records became part of feasibility studies. Rules on strength of drystack structures were implemented, including foundations, water drainage and chimney effect on fires. The second enemy (this time worldwide) was fire, fortunately a rare occurrence but a sufficient risk to generate rules for drystack fire-fighting (usually water sprinklers and portable and fixed foam equipment) and to forbid work carried out by amateurs while a boat was in the shed. Today, the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) has standard 303 Fire Protection for Marinas and Boatyards. The early 21st century saw drystack facilities going bankrupt; something unexpected a few years before. The financial crisis was the catalyst that reduced cash-flow and credit, and highlighted the importance of undertaking down-to-earth due diligence, market study, investment and operational cost calculations before jumping into a new drystack business. The opportunities were previously not analysed with enough pragmatism to make an accurate (or as accurate as possible) business plan. I remember visiting Loggerhead Dry Stack in Palm Beach sometime around 2007, admiring its Marina Bull forklifts (the biggest built at that time), the stylish offices and shops, and the lighthouse landmark embedded in one of the buildings, only to see it go bankrupt two years later. By 2005 there were norms to be respected for drystack operation: no work in, or access to, the shed; drainplug out before stacking; main battery supply disconnected; and, in most facilities, addition of low level racks to service boats outside the shed. www.marinaworld.com – March/April 2021 45

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