EURO-NEWS 9
Dry stack for fishing harbour F
ollowing some initial contracts for its dry stack boat storage systems, UK-based Wickens Engineering Ltd commissioned
a full feasibility study into the marine sector, which was undertaken by the Rushall Partnership. The company is now focussed on developing flexible Dry Stack Storage Systems for domestic and international marina operators and waterside locations. Saundersfoot Harbour, a small,
traditional fishing harbour in South Wales with limited berthing and storage space, recently installed a Dry Stack facility from Wickens Engineering. The harbour authority’s plan was to provide racking for boats of up to 6 m to maximise the economies of scale within the limited footprint they had available. Michael Davies, CEO of Saundersfoot
Harbour, knew there was sufficient demand for Dry Stack Storage and was careful to introduce the programme on a rolling basis, thus ensuring continuity of service. He said, “We introduced the Dry Stack knowing it is a well-proven, tried and tested model for boat storage. We wanted to ensure we could properly service our owners’ launching needs, so we have deliberately filled the stack in stages over the last couple of seasons, starting with 30% capacity. If we’d filled it 100% on week one, we would have had a customer service problem on our hands with everyone wanting launch and recovery at the same time. We wanted to grow the business steadily, building capacity and staffing levels hand-in-hand”. Saundersfoot Harbour’s approach
was to bring in the equipment early and train the staff to use it. Wickens Engineering was appointed through a tender process to create a flexible system that could be altered over the years as demand grew and changed. The result was a racking system with holes every four inches, enabling the racks to be adapted for the different height and size of boats, with the option to add a fourth tier in the future. The Dry Stack has had a significant
effect on the local economy. Saundersfoot Harbour typically dries at 2.5 hours either side of high water, with the water dropping to 300 m away across a flat beach. Rather than using a negative lift truck, the harbour opted
to employ a traditional Linde lift, with a maximum 1.5 ton capacity, combined with a specialist boat launching trailer. The advantage of this system for boat owners is that they can leave and return at almost any state of the tide. Davies explained, “As well as fitting in with the Harbour’s economic plan,
the Dry Stack has played an important part in rejuvenating the village. Boat owners can now come and go without tide and weather restrictions, so they are getting greater use out of their craft and coming into the village more. Plus, we have been able to recruit more local staff as we have gradually increased
capacity in the Dry Stack. We now have a waiting list for spaces in the rack”.
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SEPTEMBER 2016 • MARINA EURO-REPORT
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