Walcon Marine, the market leader in the design, construction and installation of yacht marinas and harbours, has completed the replacement of a travel hoist dock at Hamble Yacht Services (HYS) on the south coast of the UK. The project required the demolition and removal of the old dock, the driving of new piles, and the fabrication and installation of new steel runway beams followed by filling them with concrete. Additional concrete works were also undertaken on shore.
The specifications included a total of 23 steel piles, each 16-metres in length and 610mm in diameter, being driven. 50m³ of concrete were poured both into the runways and ashore, and the decking to take the travel hoist plus up to 80 tonnes of yacht was 50mm GRP.
Projects of this type always bring with them challenges. A number of the old piles put up more resistance to extraction than was expected, and the interface between the shore and marine works required careful management to ensure that each did not impede the other. Working schedules also had to be devised so as to make best use of the tides. However, Walcon’s experienced team ensured that everything was managed smoothly and kept the project running on time.
Whilst best known for its pontoons and marinas, Walcon also has a thriving civil engineering practice that enables it to undertake the design and build of marine structures such as hoist docks and breakwaters. With over 50 years of experience in this field, Walcon has developed unrivalled expertise in working over water, and its in-house detailing department ensures that the design and construction functions are completely coordinated. Walcon’s clients also benefit from its waterside facility on Southampton Water that enables it to prepare its materials and equipment off-site and then deliver them by water.
For HYS, this last factor was greatly facilitated by Walcon’s three-strong fleet of barges. With the shore space at HYS largely taken up by yachts ashore for the winter, materials and equipment could be stored afloat, and bringing in additional supplies was also speeded up and simplified. In addition, the Walcon Wizard together with its piling rig removed the old piles and installed the new ones.
“We are very pleased with this project,” commented Walcon Managing Director James Walters. “Bertie Bickett and his team at HYS could not have been more helpful, and Tony Mayhew at civil engineering consultants Mayhew Callum Ltd provided valuable support to both sides. This new travel hoist dock will serve HYS and its clients for many years to come.”
In recent years Walcon Marine has also built travel hoists for Lymington Yacht Haven, Cowes Harbour Commissioners and ABP Fleetwood. To view a time-lapse video of the HYS dock under construction, go to https://youtu.be/G9O3_EUeNMc