14 NATCHEZ ON THE WATERFRONT


has improved, allowing for narrow travel/turning aisles and more flexibility in the height and width of racks, as well as the weight the racks can hold. There are facilities today that are entirely rack storage due to lack of water frontage and in-water areas able to be used. For in-water, depending upon


water depths, there is the ability to accommodate a variety of larger boats and the boats can be used at the docks or actually out boating. Floating facilities tend to foster more of a boating community comradery, encouraging people to spend more time at the marina, as well as helping bring in new boaters, and boaters can tinker with their boats at their leisure, tending to increase sales at the chandlery store, repair shop and restaurant. In addition, because boats in-water are more vulnerable to weather, they will tend to be visited by their owners more often – also increasing time spent at the facility – though also, for some, contributing to the ‘hassle’ of owning a boat. Rack storage can have a greater density per square foot than in- water; but cannot accommodate many of the overall heights of the boats in the sweet spot and


definitely cannot accommodate even larger boats. Even the nicest- looking dry-stack storage building does not, of course, have quite the same ambience as most floating facilities, which tend to be a magnet for boaters and non-boaters alike.


Bottom line There is a demand and there are compelling reasons for both racks and in-water. If one has enough upland and in-water area to do both, that can be a meaningful approach, but the single most important factor one needs to consider is what your market is – not just today but what is anticipated ten to 15 years from now. There are major differences from river and shallow lake usage to major lakes to coastal facilities. There are varying development and operating costs, and potential revenue streams for each. Many in-water facilities are aging and suffering from designs that are no longer the most efficient for maximising revenues in today’s leisure boating environment. Redesigning in-water areas for larger boats can be financially rewarding. Undertaking rack storage where the local community will allow it can also be financially rewarding.


MAY 2018 • MARINA INDUSTRY SOUTH-EAST ASIA & PACIFIC


Combining the two with thoughtful designs in a growing market can be particularly rewarding. Many new and/or redeveloped


facilities are part of an upland real estate development – residential and/or mixed use – and this situation can make it more challenging to efficiently include rack storage. A high dry-stack storage facility may block views, which can reduce or impede the market value of the upland development. The preference to have the building close to the waterfront can also put it in competition with other uses for the most prime waterfront space, but moving the racks farther away can unfavourably impact handling time and increase opportunities for things to go wrong while the boat is in transit. It can become quite a balancing act, so it is always critical to keep priorities in mind and you may just find something you want to hide, such as a nearby sewage treatment plant, which an attractively executed rack storage building can excel at. By contrast, modern in-water berths almost always have a desirable real estate value-enhancing effect. In the end, prudent planning and looking at what has been and,


At Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi, UAE, medium to large boats are berthed in-water.


more importantly, what is currently happening, as well as what is being anticipated for future developments in the region, can not only be helpful, but truly insightful in contemplating the prospects for a specific facility. Lastly, the recreational boating industry is continuing to go through a transformation from a place to park one’s boat to a full hospitality industry. So, regardless of which route or combination thereof one chooses, perhaps the most import thing to keep in mind is that boaters are looking for hassle-free use of the facility, being catered to and experiencing true hospitality.


*Dan Natchez is President of Daniel S. Natchez and Associates Inc, a leading international environmental waterfront design consulting company specialising in the design of marinas and marina resorts throughout the world. Y


our


comments and enquiries are invited on T


el: +1 914 698 5678, by Fax: +1


914 698 7321, by E-mail: dan.n@ dsnainc.com or on his Website: www. dsnainc.com


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