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.
In April 2019, the Oceanside City Council awarded the J Dock replacement contract to Bellingham Marine, bringing the project full circle as the original dock systems were designed and built by Bellingham Marine in the early 1980s.
Along Southern California’s scenic coastline lies Oceanside, the only harbor located between Orange County and the City of San Diego. The Harbor is well known for aquatic activities such as deep-sea fishing, whale watching tours, boat rentals, sandy beaches, and surfing. Alongside these attractions, Oceanside Harbor features a charming fishing village that is reminiscent of the architecture of Cape Cod, featuring a lighthouse, quaint boutiques, and local restaurants. The harbor was constructed in the 1960s and boasts a total of 950 slips. Aside from a partial renovation in the 1980s, it has remained relatively unchanged until the past year.
Of the 42 docks within the harbor, the J Dock is one of the largest and oldest original docks, consisting of 52 slips ranging from 32 to 55 lineal feet. Three decades of exposure to ocean saltwater and heat had taken their toll on the original structures and as a result the dock had reached the end of its useful life necessitating a replacement. In April 2019, the Oceanside City Council awarded the J Dock replacement contract to Bellingham Marine, bringing the project full circle as the original dock systems were designed and built by Bellingham Marine in the early 1980s.
Preventative maintenance is an simple way to keep things running smoothly and to identify issues before they become a problem. In partnership with Bellingham Marine, Marin Yacht Club has undergone several upgrades to assure that the marina operates effortlessly both now and in the future.
Less than an hour outside of San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge rests the Marin Yacht Club. The private marina club includes 115 boat slips ranging from 30 – 80 lineal feet and sits on the banks of San Rafael Creek which feeds into the northern part of the San Francisco Bay. The Marin Yacht Club was formed in October of 1935 as a social and educational club, but its origins are as early as 1929 when the group was known as “The Yachting Annex of the Marin Golf and Country Club”. Although the club has a long history, its governance has been forward looking, and they have taken a proactive approach in their efforts to maintain the facilities. Rather than waiting for the dock’s system to extend past its useful life, the club has taken preventative maintenance precautions which have allowed the club to run efficiently by identifying issues before they negatively impact the club’s operations. The Marin Yacht Club has worked with Bellingham Marine for many years and has completed various repair and upgrade projects in the past. These projects include replacement of walers, rods and floats for both structural, safety and cosmetic reasons. The facility also benefits from a full time onsite member of staff that regularly performs maintenance.
The recent renovations at the California club were comprised of three main components: replacement of a main gangway landing area, replacing several multi-piece fingers, and upgrading to an improved waler system. The original multi-float gangway landing consisted of a group of floats attached by walers and was replaced with a match-cast float aimed to correct listing and uneven floats. The process of manufacturing a match-cast system begins with one float and then casting the secondary unit using the side of the adjacent float as a form. The method includes forming interlocking ‘shear keys’ so that modules fit together seamlessly. Rods along the top and bottom of the floats create a rigid foundation that mimics the feel of walking on a solid concrete foundation on land.
Lake Jennings in Lakeside, CA has just completed a complete replacement of their 25-year-old wooden docks with a state-of-the-art Bellingham Marine dock system.
The rebuild of the marina features 18 double slip concrete floating docks designed and built by Bellingham Marine. The docks are match-cast and built with wood walers. The project included a new 23’ x 23’ Match Cast Platform and storage building, an aluminum entry gate and gangway and kayak launch. In addition to the new dock system, the project also included a renovation of the adjacent boat launch ramp. The new construction includes updates to the infrastructure that maximize energy efficiency and sustainability through the application of a full solar panel system, replacement of fluorescent lighting with LED bulbs, and replacement of facility materials in construction with ecologically friendly material options.
The new marina system is resistant to both fire and rot while boasting a 50+ year lifespan with minimal maintenance due the improvements in materials used for the project. The docks are made of concrete shells filled with polystyrene and finished with wood walers. There is a total of thirty six slips that feature vinyl bumpers.
Bellingham Marine has completed a redevelopment project at Neptune Marina; marking a project built for the future of local boaters and guests while maintaining the character of the historic waterfront for generations to come.
Neptune Marina, Marina Del Rey, CA
Bellingham Marine has just completed a redevelopment project at Neptune Marina, located on the coast of Southern California in Marina Del Rey. The harbor is known as America’s largest man-made small craft port and is home to over 4,600 boat slips in 22 separate anchorages. Neptune Marina is owned by Greystar Real Estate Partners and accompanies a brand new 526-unit waterfront apartment community situated in Basin B of the harbor. The marina provides boat slips for the connecting apartments as well as transient slips on behalf of Los Angeles County, providing public access to the adjacent hotel.
The Neptune Marina design and rebuild project began in 2015 and through an arduous permitting process was completed in a single phase in 2020. The project replaced an aging marina system composed of concrete piles and wooden docks with a state-of-the-art floating concrete dock system. The new Bellingham Marine infrastructure features prestressed concrete guide piles, timber walers, fiberglass thru-rods and rounded finger ends. The walers are capped with a protective composite deck that seamlessly transitions to planking at adjacent triangle frames for an integrated, modern look.