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Projects
Dock & Boatlifts in High Weather Impacts
With a long and expansive exposure, this shorefront property is afforded spectacular views of Winnipesaukee. However, with this view comes a couple of challenges. On calm days the waterfront is extremely peaceful and serene, but when the weather changes and the wind picks up the waves can make this area look like the North Atlantic during hurricane season. Large rolling waves can cause a lot of damage to a docked boat and could potentially result in a swamped or sunken one. To avoid this, Watermark provided the customer with two permanent, piling supported boatlifts which allow the boats to be raised up and out of rough water. These boatlifts are supported by 8x8 pressure treated pilings that are driven into the lakebed and attached to the dock frame. These driven pilings provide the solid support for our Hi-Tide® boatlifts which have a lifting capacity of 12,000 lbs.
U-Shape Dock w/ Stairway Access
Situated high up on the embankment, this property is afforded a spectacular morning sunrise view and provides a great vantage point to observe the M/S Mount Washington as it passes en route to the northeast. It’s this same embankment however, that also poses a challenge for dock access. While all seasonal and permanent docks require an approved NH DES Wetlands Bureau permit, the access to those docks does not. The current rules allow for a single 6ft wide access to the dock that shall be constructed “over the embankment.” In this case, Watermark was able to construct a simple yet clean-looking stairway to the dock, including safety railings and a small landing at the crest of the embankment. Additionally, our customer wanted the warm appearance of wooden decking but also low maintenance and high durability. With these considerations in mind, Watermark offers an array of decking options ranging from the industry standards of Pressure Treated and Northern Red Cedar to the more stylish exotic hardwoods such as Ipe or Mahogany or the ever-durable synthetic products such as Azek®. In this case, our customer opted for the Azek® “Brownstone” decking.
Crib Dock & Retaining Wall
Current NH DES rules and regulations dictating shoreline structures limit permanent docks to 6ft x 30ft and seasonal docks to 6ft x 40ft, put simply. However, there are some docks that predate the current rules, and some of those docks or shoreline structures differ greatly in configuration or dimensions from what is currently permittable. This particular client’s lakefront cottage, boathouse and crib dock, were some of the oldest on the Lake Winnipesaukee and when they chose to update their waterfront property they contacted Watermark Marine. We were able to establish the dock as grandfathered, which allowed the reconstruction “in-kind,” despite the docks non-conforming dimensions. To be considered as grandfathered, seasonal shoreline structures must predate 1978 while permanent shoreline structures must predate 1969. In this particular case, the crib supported permanent dock was rebuilt to the same specifications as the original, but with upgrades in the crib construction and decking. The original crib construction was done with pine logs that served well over time. However, pine and oak tend to degrade over time at the water line, where the cribs are constantly wet and always exposed to the air. For this reason, Watermark Marine uses 8x8 or 6x6 Pressure Treated (PT) dimensional timbers for all cribs and PT piles for all piling dock supports, fenders and ice protection clusters. The use of PT material ensures that our clients will receive the longest lifespan from their new installation.
Seasonal Crank-up Dock
There are many rules and regulations put forth by NH DES regarding what shoreline structures are permissible on waterfront properties. One of the most basic rules that has bearing on our clients has to do with the definition of a boat slip. On Lake Winnipesaukee, a boatslip is defined as being 12ft wide, 3ft deep and 25ft long. The width of a boatslip becomes relevant when a property owner has enough shoreline frontage to allow for more than one dock, or more than two boatslips. If multiple docks are allowed then the docks would be spaced with a 12ft slip between each. However, the width of the boatslips were a little less important with this customer’s single seasonal dock. Instead, we were more focused on being able to provide the adequate depth for this relatively shallow shorefront in Paugus Bay. As mentioned above, a boatslip is 3ft deep over a 25ft length. At this particular site, during full lake conditions, our client would not have access to a 3ft depth with the standard 6ft x 40ft seasonal dock. For this reason, Watermark Marine applied for a longer dock and was able to gain approval for a 6ft x 65 crank-up dock, allowing access to deeper water. Watermark Marine offers free site visits, which helps us determine how best to guide our prospective clients to what will best suit specific needs. Part of this site visit service includes assessing water depths and shoreline location of potential docks and other shoreline structures. With client input and consideration of site-specific conditions we can assure our customers that they will receive the most enjoyable use of their of their cherished waterfront property.
U-shaped Island Dock w/ Ice Protection Clusters
The second consideration when designing and constructing this particular dock was the potential for ice damage. The expansion ice that develops during the first half of winter is mitigated by installing circulators or “bubblers” to keep the area around the dock ice free. However, these circulators don’t work against the destructive “drift-ice” which takes place during the latter half of winter and spring “ice-out.” To combat this drift-ice Watermark installed three ice-protection clusters. These clusters are designed to work in one of three ways. First, as the drift-ice is blown in from the north-west it may make contact with the clusters and “deflect” away from the dock, preventing any substantial damage. Second, a more direct hit may result in the ice breaking up as it comes into contact with the clusters, where smaller chunks of ice would be less damaging to the dock. Lastly, if thicker and more destructive ice is blown toward the dock it will essentially push the clusters over and form a “ramp.” In theory, the ice flow travels up the ramp and breaks under its own weight, preventing more substantial damage to the dock. For this reason, the ice protection clusters are considered “sacrificial” elements of the dockage—but better they than the dock itself.