Marine Construction: Docks, Boathouses, And Bulkheads

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Youre opting out of your madhouse life as a Wall Street investment banker, hoping to devote yourself to a totally different livelihood, one that reconnects you with your abiding love of the seashore and the restorative energies of nature. Youve decided to invest in a tiny fleet of three lobster boats, and start anew as a commercial fisherman, based near the tiny beach in Maine where youve summered for years. Now, youre looking to enlist a first-class marine construction crew to build a dock and boathouse.

What Is It?

Marine construction firms specialize in building everything from private docks, boathouses, pilings, and bulkheads to full-fledged luxury marinas and commercial shipping terminals.

Who Needs It?

Commercial fishermen, avid sailors, multi-national shipping corporations, and marina owners all employ marine construction firms.

Benefits

Marine construction firms offer a wealth of creations for your fishing and sailing needs, and docks and piers are among the most popular. Docks provide vital access to boats, for either residential or business purposes, by extending the shoreline out into the water. Boat docks allow convenient boarding for passengers or crew, facilitate the loading and unloading of commercial catches and supplies, not to mention facilitating the tasks of fueling and maintenance. Boat docks can be constructed anywhere: on bayous, lakes, the waterways of rivers, or along the Atlantic, Pacific, or Gulf coasts.

Talented marine contractors will counsel you on how to match building materials and designs with your nautical needs. Historically, docks have made of wood, but steel construction should be considered for those utilized to accommodate large-scale shipping industries. Innovations in engineering and design have produced a wide variety of choices, and among them youll find slip and platform docks, hip roof docks, gable roof docks, and sundeck docks.

Marine contractors will point out that piers are much like docks or wharfs. Theyre raised walkway over water, stretching as much as a mile into the sea, supported by widely spread pilings or pillars. Their lighter structure permits the easy flow of tides and currents. The more solid foundations of docks, wharfs, and quays are bolstered by closely spaced pilings, and often protected by formidable sea walls.

Additionally, top-tier marine contractors both design and construct boathouses. Boathouses are primary utilized for the storage of boats, and many incorporate technologically advanced lifts. Boatlifts raise a vessel out of water, whether salt or freshwater, for superior protection against barnacles, wake damage, or storms. They also allow for easier maintenance, whether its a lobster boat or a Numarine floating palace.

The best marine contractors will also advise you whether or not a retaining wall or coastal bulkhead is required to protect your precious stretch of shoreline from erosion. A bulkhead requires configuring wood pilings, large boulders, or a cement seawall to protect the beach from erosion caused by waves and tides. Some forward-looking marine contractors even create bulkheads from vinyl. Though more expensive, they cite the many advantages of vinyl bulkheads, including resistance to ocean chemicals, mildew, and marine borers. Moreover, vinyl bulkheads are more flexible and elastic, so they can take a beating from high-pressure waves without caving or breaking apart.

Finally, you want a marine construction firm that is keenly attuned to how your project might impact the ocean habitat and its robust population of sea creatures. These marine contractors are environmentally aware, and cooperate fully with state fisheries staffs, examining existing data, and formulating a plan for you that benefits coastal and ocean life.

Risks

In many states, theres a litany of zoning laws, conservation regulations, and building permits that must be studied before a marine construction project even begins. Not only do you want a marine contractor who has mastered all the design, construction, and habitat issues relevant to your dock, boathouse, or retaining wall you want a salty dog wise to all the myriad legal parameters guiding any marine construction project. Without a master builder who thoroughly knows these regulatory ins-and-outs, youll be beset by frustrations right from the get-go.
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