When it comes to Floating Breakwaters, Docks and Marina Systems the advances over the years made in these Floating Marine Structures are many. In addition to your common Floating Marina Dock System of Floating Breakwater there are a myriad of uses for these extremely well built, structurally sound, well-engineered floating concrete structures.
Just some of these additional applications have been:
- Floating Foundations for homes, offices, industrial applications and restaurants
- Ferry landings and floating piers with multiple freeboards
- Fueling stations
- Helicopter landing pads
- Floating bridges
- Community access docks with architectural features wood decking over concrete structure
- Private docks – floating hot tubs
- Vessel ramps
These Concrete Marina Systems are a step above the typical wooden, aluminum or steel dock systems generally available in today’s marketplace. Firms such as SF Marina Systems out of Gloucester, VA. offer a complete line of all-concrete single-cast designs, with EPS Styrofoam Cores and Protected Steel Reinforcements. The heavy mass of the structures offer stability and longevity. They are low maintenance, and accommodate high vessel and environmental forces; including high winds, waves and harsh winters.
These marina structures are aesthetically pleasing to view and feel under foot. They are customized with wood and composite treatments and a thick deck surface to accommodate internal utilities, lighting, high-loading cleats and bollards, and small cranes. Moreover, if it can be cast it into concrete, SF Marina Systems has the capability to design it.
Typical Technical Considerations for Marina Systems can be:
- Freeboard heights from 10” to 38”
- Widths from 8’ to 32’
- Customizable lengths up to 100’ single-cast units
- A thick concrete deck surface accommodates internal utilities, lighting, high loading cleats and bollards, small cranes
- Anchoring Systems include chain and bottom anchors, pile mooring, and helical with elastic rode mooring systems
- Proven cable connector system for endless dock lengths
One notable project was located near the SF Marina Systems factory in Sweden. These high freeboard (5 ft) Tug / super yacht berths serve as a home port for three 1100 ton Tug boats. The massive single cast units are 10m wide and 2.4m tall and weight over 240mt each. They can be combined together to create unlimited lengths, with pile moored solutions as well as chain mooring.
Integrated into the utilities systems are Power, Water and Sewer Systems for the vessels. 30-ton bollards are cast into the structure. Customizable cast concrete fender blocks allow the buoy fenders more contact area to cushion the tugs during stormy weather.
The reinforced deck and bridge ramp is designed to carry loaded commercial trucks allowing supplies to be craned on to the tug boats, and for Fuel truck deliveries. This Floating pier system is an acceptable alternative to fixed pier structures for Commercial vessels and Super Yachts.
In addition, Colonna’s Shipyard in Norfolk, VA is an industry leading shipyard and repair facility. The company has an expansive shipyard campus with large canal docking areas. The employees of the shipyard had to walk long distances around the canal areas to get from one side of the yard to the other. A permanent fixed bridge was not practical, and would block the canal from vessel movement. The solution was a SF Marina System solid cast concrete floating bridge, with a “swing section” to allow vessels to pass thru. The wide floating bridge was fitted multiple ramps for two way traffic, lights and railings to accommodate foot and small vehicle traffic; to accommodate vessels the systems also has HD D-Fender and bollards.
