Tucked in Marin County’s San Rafael Bay located north of San Francisco, lies Safe Harbor Loch Lomond Marina. One of the largest marinas in the North Bay with over 500 slips up to 62’ long, is currently undergoing a cosmetic and structural upgrade that will last for many years to come.
Sometimes marinas are in good structural order and rehabilitation of decking and fendering creates a new look that enhances the cosmetics of the marina. The existing layout worked well, and the existing dock framework was in good working order, so Bellingham Marine is currently installing modern floats, new tri-frames with poly covers, and new composite decking throughout, utilizing the existing framework for a modern, upgraded look with lower maintenance. Continue Reading…
Tucked away deep within the Port of Los Angeles lies the Wilmington Waterfront. Previously inaccessible to the public, this very industrial area serving the Port’s activities was underutilized. As part of the Port of Los Angeles’ $71 million project to develop the historic Wilmington waterfront, Bellingham Marine supplied the new transient dock, a prominent feature linking the water to the land. Bellingham designed and manufactured a durable, state-of-the-art 120-foot long concrete floating dock, and acted as a consultant on-site during installation.
The privately-owned Bayshore Apartments and Newport Marina are located in lower Newport Bay adjacent to iconic Pacific Coast Highway. At the beginning of this year, Bellingham Marine began the project to replace the entire marina, and within just three and a half months, the new marina construction was substantially complete.
The owners of this marina wanted to replace this aging marina as quickly as possible, increase the slip count where possible, and build a marina that would last well into the foreseeable future. This new state-of-the art concrete Unifloat marina includes a total of a total of 50 slips ranging from 22 to 62 feet long, with FRP (fiber reinforced polymer) thru-rods, rounded finger ends, and a composite decking overlay which provides a nautical look with the structural benefits of concrete Unifloat underneath.
Conveniently located between the oft-visited Napa Valley and the small town of Winters, CA, Markley Cove Marina is nestled into the southern shore of Lake Berryessa, considered by locals to be California’s “best kept secret”. Originally built in 1959, the family-owned Markley Cove Resort offers year-round recreation, with various types of boat rentals for visitors, as well as tenant slips for houseboats and smaller fishing boats.
Located along the eastern shore of the Newport Harbor, the U.S. Coast Guard Station Corona del Mar is home to the 87-foot USCGC Narwahl Marine Protector Class coastal patrol cutter. The dock that previously moored the USCGC Narwahl was originally built in 1997, and had reached the end of its useful life, so in 2020 the U.S. Coast Guard solicited bids for the replacement of the 10’ x 120’ floating dock.
The Coast Guard was looking for a dock with a longer lifespan, higher freeboard, and the ability to withstand a higher waveload. Bellingham Marine designed, supplied, and installed the new matchast floating dock system, specifically to meet the Coast Guard’s requirements. Bellingham Marine’s post-tensioned, matchcast structure eliminates gaps between floats, allowing the 120-foot dock made up of ten 10-foot sections to act as one solid unit, providing added stability and durability, effectively doubling the useful life of the dock.
Bellingham Marine removed and disposed of the existing three-piece concrete floatation system, and reused the existing pilings at the site. In order to address waterline corrosion and extend the life of the piles, BMI coated the existing steel piles with epoxy paint, then installed new custom-made heavy duty pile guides. The existing gangway was carefully removed and reinstalled following the installation of the new dock, with the addition of a new tread plate for a smooth transition from the gangway to the dock surface.
As part of the project, BMI installed new water and electrical utilities, and installed a new transformer on the dock to power the vessel. The communication system was in working order, so it was removed and reinstalled. The new dock boasts custom-fabricated extra large bollards for mooring and six commercial-duty foam-filled fenders to protect the dock and the vessel. On the landside of the dock, standard cleats are available for mooring smaller vessels.
This was a particularly challenging installation because it was an extremely tight space without a clear path for the crane to offload the float to the project site. In order to offload, the floats had to be lifted over the top of an existing building to be placed in the water. Thanks to the knowledge and flexibility of the BMI crew, and the experience acquired from many different installations, BMI was able to complete the job in the space available.
The entire project was coordinated with the Coast Guard in conjunction with the timing of the vessel’s scheduled routine repair and maintenance, resulting in virtually no disruption to the USCGC Narwahl.