EDITED BY DAVID ADLER

METRIC
HANDBOOK
PLANNING
AND
DESIGN
DATA
SECOND EDITION Architectural
Press
23 Boating
John Rawson
CI/SfB 546
John Rawson is an architect Uniclass F5678
UDC 725.87

KEY POINTS: tides and currents govern their movements. Facilities that boat
• Boating in all its forms is an increasingly popular pastime owners value are sheltered slipways with easy road access, and
• A chronic shortage of facilities tends to make them expensive with no wash from passing ships.
Boating can be expensive; it is a leisure activity and so can
Contents easily be discontinued. Small increases in charges can result in a
1 Introduction significant loss of boat owners.
2 Water resources
3 Access and transport to the water
4 Boats and waterbody needs
5 On-shore facilities 2 WATER RESOURCES
6 Boat storage There are a number of types of waterbodies the suitabilities of
7 Bibliography which are given in Table II.

2.01 Natural lakes

1 INTRODUCTION
There is great pressure on the available areas of enclosed and semi-
enclosed water. The various uses, which continually increase, are
not all compatible (see Table I).
There may be conflict between the wintering needs of wildfowl
and all forms of boating, and between the use of powered and
unpowered boats. It is possible to resolve this by closed seasons,
zoning, or timetabling.
A very large number of people own boats, but usage is variable.
Many people trail their boats to races or holiday areas. Weather,
Some areas are seriously overcrowded in the holiday season. It is
not easy to acquire waterside land for new facilities.
2.02 Artificial lakes
It is rare to make new lakes specifically for boating due to the
amount of earth moving required, but existing areas such as gravel
pits can be reshaped, as at the National Water Sports Centre,
Holme Pierrepoint, Nottingham. There is a small but steady
increase in lakes of this type, such as the recent adoption of a
balancing lake at Peterborough for rowing.

Table I Compatibility of watersports

Fishing Swimming Sub-aqua Wildfowl Canoeing Rowing Sailing Water ski-ing Hydroplaning Power boats Cruising

Fishing X X PZ PZ PZ X X X PZ
Swimming X Z Z Z Z Z Z
Sub-aqua X PZ PZ PZ PZ PZ Z
Wildfowl Z X X X
Canoeing PZ PZ PZ PZ PZ PZ
Rowing PZ Z PZ PZ PZ P P P PZ
Sailing PZ Z PZ PZ PZ PZ PZ PZ Z
Water ski-ing X Z PZ X PZ P PZ PZ PZ N/A
Hydroplaning X Z PZ X PZ P PZ PZ N/A
Power boats X PZ X PZ P PZ PZ PZ N/A
Cruising PZ Z Z PZ Z N/A N/A N/A

X incompatible; P programming; Z zoning; N/A not applicable

Table II Areas suitable for watersports

Lakes Canal feeders and Water supply reservoirs Rivers Canals Sea
compensation reservoirs

Fishing X X X X X X
Swimming X X X
Surfing X X
Sub-aqua X X X
Diving X X X X X
Wildfowl X X X X X
Canoeing X X X X X X
Sailing X X X X X
Water ski-ing X X X
Hydroplaning X X
Power boats X X X
Cruising X X X X X

X incompatible; P programming; Z zoning; N/A not applicable

23-1
23-2 Boating
2.03 Rivers
These are used intensively for purposes from wild-water canoeing
to rowing, depending on their characteristics. Few rivers in Britain
are wide enough for sailing, except where they become
estuaries.
2.04 Reservoirs
Not all reservoirs are yet used for recreation. There is sailing on
many; motor boating on fewer. It depends on what the water is
used for and the water treatment in use. The water companies have
to balance the revenue they might obtain from boating against the
cost of water treatment.
2.05 The sea
There is inadequate access. Port and marina facilities are limited,
and there are not enough slipways. Wind, currents and the tide all
cause difficulties. Areas where there is public access to shorelines
will require regular maintenance.
3 ACCESS AND TRANSPORT TO THE WATER
3.01 Facilities
Most foreshore is private and some lakes are private. For light
recreational use virtually no built facilities are necessary. The
smallest boats, canoes and sailboards, which can be carried, can be
launched from any bank or beach. Larger boats need facilities.
3.02 Launching places
These need to have good road access for vehicles towing trailers,
with adequate parking nearby. Backing cars with trailers attached
needs space and experience. Charging for parking greatly
decreases use.
At the seaside, beaches and slipways may not be usable at all
states of the tide. The speed of tidal currents may be faster than the
top speed of small boats. Craft which do not sail well upwind can
be swept out to sea in off-shore winds, unless they carry auxiliary
motors.
3.03 Transport on land
For movement on land, weight is more critical than length. The
smallest boats, punts, canoes, sailing dinghys, can be man-
handled, usually on trailers or trolleys. The next group, both sail
and power, up to about 20 ft long, can be moved by a car and
trailer. The larger boats need cranes, tractors, winches and low-
loaders.
Trailers come in a great range of sizes and designs, to fit all sizes
and shapes of boat. Regulations governing their design and
20 000
a 8-oar skiff, 20.0 × 0.62 wide.
13 500
b 4-oar skiff, 13.5 × 0.57 wide.
23.1 Various boats.
dimensions are complex. All new trailers must have automatic
brakes, which should not be immersed in water.
3.04 Slipways
There is a severe shortage of direct access from roads to water.
Launching, and particularly recovery, takes time and many people
may wish to do it at once. For this reason very wide slipways are
required. Also, they need parking areas adjacent where cars with
trailers attached can be left when boats are launched. There should
be space for cars towing trailers to turn in circles where possible,
as it is much quicker than backing with them. However large
slipways are, speed of throughput is important in busy periods.
Slipway gradients are critical, and about 1:8 is good. Too steep,
and vehicles may fail to tow laden trailers up the slope. Too
shallow, and it may not be possible to immerse a trailer deep
enough to float a boat off it, while it is still attached to a
vehicle.
Slipways need to be long, if there is a tide. They need to provide
a hard surface to at least 2 m below low water level, or below the
lowest draw-down level of a reservoir, as some boats have a quite
deep draught. Marine growths at the bottom of a slipway can make
launching difficult, or impossible, at low tide.
4 BOATS AND WATERBODY NEEDS
4.01 Types of boat
Boats are found in great variety, but there are two broad types:
powered and unpowered. These have different needs.
4.02 Unpowered
This covers rowing boats, punts, canoes, sailing dinghies and
sailing cruisers. The first three are human-powered, the others
wind-driven.
4.03 Rowing
There are various types of rowing boats, 22.1. Regulations laid
down by FISA (the International Rowing Federation) for inter-
national standard events require six rowing lanes for racing, at
13.5 m in width with circulation outside the lanes on each side of
the course. The optimum depth to reduce bias in certain lanes
should be in excess of 3.8 m, but for economic reasons 3.5 m is
considered acceptable to all classes. For domestic events 1000 m at
three lanes wide is a basic minimum. 2 3 . 2 shows a typical
layout.
Coaching can be done in an indoor tank facility, 23.3 or in pair-
oared skiffs with the coach as passenger; handling facilities for the
skiff may be needed. The modern trend is to start beginners in
11 000
c 2-oar skiff, 11.0 × 0.95 wide.
7000
d Single-oar skiff, 7.0 × 0.45 wide
 Boating 23-3

5·200 max

23.4 Canoe size

a Plan.

rowing — 6 lanes at 13·5 m

8·1 slope canoeing – 9 lanes at 9 m 7·6:1 slope 8·1 slope

23.5 Optimist: together with the Mirror dinghy, the most widely
3·50 m deep
training track face markings (3 m min) access road used boat for junior training. Length 2.36 m, beam 1.12 m,
3·8 max draught 0.84 m, mass or displacement 35 kg, sail area 3.25 m2.
b Section through the 2000 m rowing course For other boats below L/b/d/m/s = 2.36/1.12/0.84/35/3.25

23.2 The National Water Sports Centre at Holmes Pierrepoint:

reasons. Wild-water slalom is a popular form of racing. Kayaks

can be transported on car tops or on special trailers that carry up to
eight boats. Storage may be required for kayaks on cantilever
shelves, and for the special trailers.

23.3 Rowing tank
stable sculling boats and to use indoor rowing machines for basic
body movement coaching and fitness. In the past, the coach of an
eight used to cycle along the bank adjacent to the boat. However,
it is now also possible to use a fast motor boat. Facilities are
required for mooring and storing it.
Boats often have to be transported to races in other locations.
Many eights are now built with a joint in the middle to reduce the
length for transport. Access is required for trucks and/or trailers for
boats.
4.05 Sailing
Sailing boats vary greatly in size from small dinghies, 23.5 and
23.6, catamarans, 23.7, to twin-masted schooners, 23.8. The larger
boats nowadays all include some form of auxiliary power, and
have requirements much as power boats.
Dinghy sailing is very popular as it is suitable for all ages, and
degrees of athleticism, can be recreational or racing, suitable for
large or small lakes, or even the sea, and the boats can always be
trailed behind a car.
A large open uninterrupted waterbody is required, well related
to the prevailing wind, with as few indentations as possible. Ideally
it should be of a shape to allow for a triangular racing course, with
one side of the triangle parallel to the prevailing wind. The
surrounding landform and buildings should not cause
windshadows.
The depth of the water should not be less than 1.5 m, though
1.0 m is acceptable for sailboards. Shallow water can encourage
reed growth.
The area of water required is:
• Small boats and training: 1.5 ha
• Club sailing: 6 ha+
• Open competition: 20 ha+

or alternatively
4.04 Canoeing
Kayaks, 23.4, are the usual form of canoe used. Users are • Dinghies: 0.8 ha per boat
recommended to travel in groups of a minimum of three for safety • Small boats such as Optimists: 0.2 ha per boat.
23-4 Boating
23.6 470: an Olympic boat. L/b/d/m/s = 4.7/1.68/0.97/120 min/9
main, 3.7 jib, 13 spinnaker
23.7 Gougeon 32: a big, fast and stable catamaran; sailable
single-handed or with two; sleeps two adults and two adults and
two children. L/b/d/m/s = 9.75/2.54/1.3 (boards down)/500/17.4
main, 10.1 jib
An open beach, ideally on a lee shore, is required for instruction
and for the launching of sailing boats. Most minerals that are
quarried such as sand, gravel and clay make a suitable lake bottom.
Excessively alkaline water will cause corrosion of alloy equip-
ment. Algae can be a disadvantage.
One problem can be the occurrence of Weil’s disease, associated
with rats, that can cause serious illness through the infection of
cuts by contaminated water, but it is quite rare.
23.8 Nauticat 44: a big motor sailer with a schooner rig.
L/b/d/m/s = 13.28 o/a 11.79 w/1/3.68/1.83/18,000/28.4 main, 11
staysail, 27.5 jib, 8.9 forestaysail
4.06 Power boats
This covers small motor boats, fast ski boats, jet-skis, inflatables,
speedboats, and motor cruisers. They require access to fuel
supplies.
Power boats produce noise and wash. This may cause legal or
planning restrictions on their use, or prevent the use of lakes nearer
than 500 m from noise-sensitive areas for power boating. The wash
can damage banks, which should not be vertical; sloping shingle
beaches are preferable to prevent backwash. Marginal reedbeds
can also absorb backwash.
The area required should be enough to lay out a triangular racing
course with 400 m legs, or an oblong space of 800 m × 400 m. A
minimum depth of 2.0 m is required.
New EC regulations for pollution and emission control are
coming. Boats have already begun to change from petrol to calor
gas fuel.
5 ON-SHORE FACILITIES
5.01 Recreational rowing
Commercial boat hire
A stretch of beach or a floating pontoon is all that is needed, but
a yard or shed adjacent is required, for gear storage, and an office.
Changing facilities may also be appropriate.
Private
Private wet boathouses are sized to accommodate the boats
required. Space around moored boats in boathouses has to be
generous as they can move in bad weather.
 Boating 23-5

23.9 Boathouse for a racing club:

3.5
4 – 4.5
a Longitudinal section.

6.0
2.0
20.0 min – 22.5

b Plan.
0.6

2.0
0.6

2.7
0.6
0.8

0.4
1.1 2.3

c Cross-section

All boats need to be taken out of the water in the winter (even
GRP absorbs water). Winter boat storage should be under cover is
possible, but good tarpaulins may be enough. Sheds may be
1.1

required adjacent to the shore for the storage of lifejackets, oars,

3.5

canoes and sailboards.

2.1

5.02 Racing (rowing)

2.75

The boathouse
The racing eight, 20 m long, determines the layout of boathouses,
0.8

23.9. The standard storage bay accommodates eight boats on

special sliding racks. Several of these bays are usually placed side
by side in a suitable building. This needs to be over 20 m from the
water so that boats can be turned round. Boats can be launched
from a pontoon parallel to the shore by the whole crew moving to
one side of the boat. The height of the edge of the pontoon above
the water is critical as the riggers and oars of the boat project over
it. About 150 mm is acceptable.
Smaller boats – fours, pairs, sculls – can be accommodated on
special shelves within a building that is suitable for eights,
provided the shelves are spaced correctly. Changing facilities and
parking should be adjacent.
Oars can be stored in special racks with the oar handles in a
small pit, 23.10. This saves space and encourages crews to carry
oars vertically which is safer than horizontally.
0.6
23.10 Storage of oars
5.03 Sailing dinghies
Dinghies are too heavy to carry, but on a trailer the smallest can be
launched by one or two people. They are normally kept on a
simple launching trailer that can be pushed into the water by hand.
These trailers cannot be towed.
Road-legal trailers cannot be immersed, hence the double
piggyback trailer for boats that have to be driven to a launch site.
23-6 Boating

Clubhouses and dinghy parks adjacent to launching sites are
popular, as towing is obviated, masts can be left erect, and
changing facilities are available. Dinghy-sailing, particularly
racing, is a wet activity. Only the largest dinghies will lie safely
at moorings.
A number of sailing clubs are now buying special trimarans
6 BOAT STORAGE
It is important to note that boats are used for only a very small
percentage of their lives. So storage and access to water is the
limiting factor in most places. They can be stored wet at:
• Swinging moorings

for the use of people with spinal injuries. These require parking • Marina berths

adjacent to the boat-launching site, and a hard surface such as or they can be stored dry in:
concrete (not gravel) right into the water, for wheelchairs.
• Boat parks
• Dry-berthing systems.

5.04 Yachts and powerboats

This covers all sail and power boats over about 18 ft long, i.e.
larger than dinghies. The smaller ones can be trailed. Larger
ones generally move under their own power, racing or cruising
from a fixed base.
Sailing cruisers are designed for various degrees of seaworthi-
ness, from inland-only to ocean-going. They have high masts,
which conflict with bridges when afloat, and which have to be
removed for trailing on land. Many have auxiliary power for use
in emergency or in constricted spaces.
5.05 Yacht club buildings
The design of yacht club buildings is not covered here. They
have not emerged as a distinctive building type. The facilities
required vary considerably in both quantity and quality. Few
new ones have been built and most use converted facilities (one
uses an old ship). Most need social facilities of some kind, often
with a bar. Clubhouses for dinghy sailors need extensive
changing facilities, where many crews can change for races. If
the location is suitable accommodation for a race officer can be
useful.
6.01 Moorings
The term ‘mooring’ generally means tying a boat to a fixed point,
such a buoy or post, which has no land access, 23.11 (also see
Table III).
Traditionally most yachts have been kept at swinging moorings,
which consist of single buoys fixed to ground tackle, in natural
harbours, lakes and rivers. These are scarce, relatively cheap,
space consuming, and not very convenient. Owners will need to
row out to the mooring in a dinghy, which they will want to keep
nearby.
Boats can be moored bow and stern, between pairs of buoys, for
closer packing. Adding further boats alongside the moored one
(‘rafting-up’) can be done only temporarily, and is unpopular with
owners.
6.02 Marinas
Marinas have been built in suitable seaside cruising locations. To
be successful they must have convenient access from both land and
water.

Table III Moorings

References Type of mooring Examples Advantages Disadvantages Remarks

(Figure 23.11)

A Stem to quay, jetty or Chichester Jetty economy Not as convenient for

pontoon, bows to piles La Grande embarking as alongside
Motte jetties or pontoons
Rotterdam
Kristiansund

B Ditto but bows moored to Deauville and the majority Jetty economy Not suitable with large Particularly suitable for
anchors or buoys of Mediterranean marinas tide range as excessive large yachts in basins with
space required for head little tide range where
warps; danger of gangways can be attached
propellers being entangled to sterns
in head warps

C Alongside finger piers or Cherbourg, Larnaca Convenient for embarking

catwalks one yacht on (Cyprus) and many and disembarking
each side of each finger American marinas

D Ditto but more than one
yacht on each side of each
finger
Port Hamble Ditto, also allows Finger piers must be Fingers may be long
Swanwick flexibility in spaced wider apart than in enough for two or three
Lymington accommodating yachts of C though this may be vessels, if more than three
different lengths compensated for by the then provision should be
larger number of craft made for turning at the
between jetties foot of the berths

E Alongside quays, jetties or Granville Ditto

pontoons single banked
F Alongside quays jetties or
pontoons up to 3 or 4
abreast
St Malo Economical in space and Crew from outer yachts This is one of the most
Ouistreham pontoons have to climb over inner economical and therefore
St Rochelle berthed yachts most frequently adopted
types

G Between piles Yarmouth Cheapest system as no No dry access to land; Not recommended except
Hamble River walkways, also high difficulty in leaving for special situations such
Cowes density mooring if outer yachts as exist in the examples
are not manned quoted

H Star finger berths San Francisco

 Boating 23-7

A B C D

E F G H

23.11 Types of mooring (see Table III)

boats
allied sports & recreation

hardstanding

harbour wall
moorings & boatside facilities

car / trailer parking

club/social boat buildings
main access points

& repairs
shops
hotel/motel service to : loading stores
residential hotel bay
sales service & information motel
conference hall workshop
marine workshop residential
service transport parking boat sales etc
car park
boat building & repairs

control
lock keeper customs
harbourmaster
coastguard

23.12 Relationship diagram for a marina for development into a access

basin layout 23.13 Activities in a marina

a OFFSHORE b SEMI-RECESSED c BUILT-IN d LAND-LOCKED

Advantages Advantage Advantages Advantages
minimum quay wall, minimum good for cut and fill uninterrupted shoreline, large maximum enclosure, minimum
land take, minimum dredging economics land/water interface, interruption of shoreline
Disadvantages Disadvantage considerable enclosure Disadvantages
expensive in deep water, navigation hazard Disadvantages maximum quay wall, distance
vulnerable to weather and large land take, length of quay from open water
currents, navigation hazards, wall, amount of dredging
minimum enclosure, silting by
litoral drift

23.14 Types of land-to-water relationships, all with equal areas of land and water:
23-8 Boating

The interrelation between the amenities provided, 23.12, and the
main activities, 23.13, will control the basic layout. A marina may
be off-shore, landlocked or anything in between, 23.14
There are many possible layouts, but generally, equal amounts
of space are allocated to land and water, 23.15 and 23.16. A
detailed breakdown of spaces and ratios is given in Table IV, and
a checklist of accommodation and services in Table V.
Marina pontoons are now standard items, 23.17. They are
arranged to rise and fall with changes in water level. Boats are
usually moored stern to the pontoon, which often has access

water 50% land 50%

5· 0 shops
5·0 boatbuilding & repairs
2· 5 slipway / haulout
2·5 harbourmaster / customs
% 2·5 boat storage *
clearances 21·0 0·5 hoistwell & travelator
4·0 allied sports
walkways 0·5 bulkhead walls
& piers 4·0
2·5 leisure area
fuelling pier 2·0 1·0 club building
lock 3·0 2·5 service loading bay
1·0 information centre / offices

moorings 20·0 2·0 landscaping

1·0 footpaths
50%
1·0 staff parking
2·5 workshops stores
14·0 car / trailer parking †

50·0 %

not including dual use of car parking area

† assumes 4·7 m × 2·43 m (16' × 18') bays

23.15 One allocation of on- and off-shore space assuming a 50:50 land/water split. This is
appropriate to European standards

3050

27% 28% walkway 2440 detachable

moorings remainder removable finger pier
50% 50% services
deck sections 2440 1830
clearances parking
hinge
23% 22% continuous
100 × 150 fender 1220
securing
protection skirt 610
through guide
water land
rigid foam flotation bolts anchor
billets 0.0 pile
23.16 Principal space allocations based on the average of ten foam frame
diagonal bracing
American marinas. The difference between these figures and
those in [23.15] are mainly due to the use of a 2.7 × 5.8 m
23.17a Construction detail of floating pier, section A–A
parking bay

Table IV Spatial requirements and likely size ranges

Min. Max.
location of
top 3280
mooring
Land-to-water ratio 1:1 2:1 3050 hardware
Density of boats/hectare (wet moorings) 62 162
Density of boats/hectare on hardstanding 25 75 2440 2300
Car-to-boat ratio 1:1 1:5:1
Density of cars/hectare (2.4 × 5.0 bays) 350 520
1830
Ranges of boat length 4.8–13.7 m 4.3–21.3 m 1370
1220
Ranges of boat beam 1.8–4.3 m 1.5–6.0 m
Ranges of boat draught: inboard 0.64–1.27 m 0.48–1.65 m 610
outboard 0.30–0.56 m 0.20–0.64 m
0.0
sailing boats 1.14–1.77 m 1.00–2.16 m
Average boat length 5.5 m 9m
Percentage total parking area to total water area 20% 50%
People-to-boats ratio 1.5:1 3:1
People-to-cars ratio 1:1 4.5:1
Cars-to-boats ratio 1:2 2:1
23.17b Detail of anchor pile
 Boating 23-9

Table V Checklist of marina accommodation and services

9750
Social activities
Clubhouse, boat-owners’ lounge, public house, bar, snack bar, restaurant, offices,
committee rooms, starters’ post, lookout, viewing terraces, sunbathing, reading room,
mooring
navigational library, weather forecast board, chart room, television, children’s play space, piles
crèche, paddling pool T-head landing 1830
Shops
Food and general stores, tobacco, stationery, etc.
Bookshop
Chandlery, clothes boats 6100 to 6930 3650
Hairdresser, beauty salon
Barber’s shop
Sauna
Masseur
Chemist walk- as above 3650
Laundry, launderette way
Services and information
Marina office, information centre, caretaker’s maintenance workshop, storage and
staffroom
Banking boats 4880 to 6100 3050
Post office, Giro
Visitors’ information service (e.g. doctors, restaurants, entertainment)
Flagpole, windsock,
Weather and tides information
Kennels A A as above 3050
Allied activities
Customs house anchor pile
Harbourmaster’s office and guide
Coastguard, weather station and information transitional berth 2750
Radar, communications mast
Sea Scouts
Lock-keeper’s accommodation
finger piers
Police, security station boats under 4880 2750
Boatside facilities
Storage lockers
Lavatories (public and private)
Showers, baths as above 2750
Drying rooms, cabinets
Bottled gas service
Electricity, lighting and power
Plug-in telephone service
Dockside laundry service
Tannoy system 6100
Litter bins
Mail service
7300
General services 2400
Gas, main, bottled or in bulk storage
Electricity, lighting and power to piers and grounds (see Safety equipment) 9150
Sewage and refuse disposal
Water supply
Telephones 23.18 Layout of floating pier
Centrally controlled security system
Boat services
Boat building, repair, maintenance yard, material store
New and second-hand boat and engine sales and hire
Launching and hauling equipment (fixed and mobile)
Hardstanding fingers between alternate boats, 23.18. Services such as electricity
Launching ramps and slips and water are supplied to each berth. Boats vary in size and layouts
Dry storage of boats
Covered moorings (wet and dry) have to accommodate this. Because of the necessity for locks to
Information board of local services connect a non-tidal marina to the tidal sea, access may be slow. See
Brokerage, insurance, marine surveyors
Divers’ service the checklist of requirements in Table V. Marinas in non-tidal
Fuelling station or tender
situations, such as on canals, have fixed piers, 22.19.
Allied sporting activities: provision and instruction
Rowing British marinas are expensive; several thousand pounds a year
Scuba, skin-diving equipment and instruction for storage only. Owners are beginning to resist the charges by
Water ski-ing, ski-kiting
Swimming organising into berth-holder groups, or by berthing abroad. 22.20
Fishing tackle (hire and sale of bait) shows a large facility.
Sail training
Tennis, badminton and squash courts A development of the marina is the marina village. Essentially
Allied accommodation this is a housing estate with water frontage to every property. Each
Hotel, motel, holiday flats, public house, holiday inn
boat is moored stern-to in front of a house with the bow tied to a
Transportation areas and services
Car parking and service (fuel, repairs and hire) buoy. Houses are often in terraces, with varied shapes and sizes.
Trailer bays and hire Car parking is adjacent to the house on the land side. Each house
Bus bay
Transport to and from local centres includes a gear store for boat equipment. In spite of the expense of
Carts for stores and baggage
Motor cycle/bicycle sheds (open and covered)
this type of development because of civil engineering costs, these
Boat trips and coach tours places are even becoming popular with non-sailors who like the
Marina staff electric runabout
Marina workshops and transport areas marine environment. Adding housing to a marina can have a
Safety equipment considerable effect on its financial viability, but brings with it
First-aid post and observation platform environmental and pollution problems.
Fire-fighting equipment, fireboat
Life-saving equipment and instruction New anti-pollution legislation may soon be introduced to force
Warning or flood lights to breakwaters, lock and harbour entrance
cruising boats to have sewage holding tanks. Marinas will need to
General security system, fences and lighting
De-icing or aeration equipment provide pumping-out facilities.
Weather and tides information
Miscellaneous
Casual recreation area (e.g. picnic and kick-about areas) 6.03 Boat parks
Swimming pool Many yacht clubs and boat builders run some sort of boat park.
Vending machines, ice dispenser
Paved and grassed areas This consists of an enclosed area of hard-standing adjacent to the
Landscaping
water. Dinghies are parked on their launching trailers with erect
Gardeners’ stores and sheds etc.
masts.
23-10 Boating

Cruisers, both sail and power, are stored on cradles; or are
shored up depending on what handling facilities are available. A
modern straddle-carrier can carry a boat to a fixed cradle. A tractor
can tow a boat on a mobile cradle onto a slipway at low tide ready
for it to float off as the tide rises. Cruisers stored in this way are
launched in the spring, moored during the season, and recovered in
the autumn.
DIY maintenance is commonly done in boat parks. Electricity
for power tools, and water supplies are required. A mast crane may
be needed. Some sort of catering facility nearby is very popular.
6.04 Dry-berthing
Keeping a boat in the water is not desirable, but it is able to afford
instant availability. Storage on land is cheaper and is a sensible

23.19 Fixed finger pier:

boats 10 360 to 12 200 4900

lockers (typical location)

mooring as above 4900

piles
finger pier boats
4250
8530 to 10 360

walkway as above 4250

boats
7300 to 8530 3800

as above 3800

4900
10 360
2750
11 580
13 400

a Layout

light standard

2750

services duct

removable lockers
extended vertical bumpers
at 1800 mm centres
open jointed deck
mooring hardware high
and low water level continuous joists
cross beams
finger pier finger pier

vertical bumpers creosoted pine piles

at 610 mm centres
continuous stringer

low water level cross bracing

b Construction detail

23.20 Southampton International Boat Show 1992
alternative provided convenient fast launching facilities can be
provided.
Dry-berthing for power boats launching is carried out by a
forklift which stacks boats on multi-level racks, rather like a
pigeon-hole car park. The operator launches the boats when
owners arrive to use them. The current maximum size of boat
stored this way in England is 33 ft long/4 tons weight.
Dry-sailing is becoming popular with the owners of racing
keelboats up to 30 ft long. The yard owner has launching
Boating 23-11
equipment and puts all the boats in the water every weekend,
taking them out during the week.
7 BIBLIOGRAPHY
Donald W Adie, Marinas, a working guide to their development
and design, Architectural Press, 1975
Geraint John and Kit Campbell, Outdoor sports, handbook of
sports and recreational building design, vol 1, 2nd edn, Butter-
worth Architecture and Sports Council, 1993
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