Marina Dock Age

Shields Marina in St. Marks, Fla., built a new ship store in-house with low maintenance materials.

After growing up at a family-owned marina that always did its own construction, Brett Shields, co-owner of Shields Marina in St. Marks, Fla., went to college to get a degree in construction and returned to the family business with a contractor’s license. He got his hands dirty early on and learned a lot about what materials last and what materials require high maintenance down the road.

Shields has built everything for his marina from docks and seawalls to bathrooms and dry storage buildings. Most recently, Shields Marina completed a new 6,000-square-foot ship store. He chose low maintenance materials that would stand up to regular wear and tear and the waterfront elements.

Low maintenance materials

Shields’ tips for selecting construction materials really boil down to one thing – paying more upfront for materials that won’t need maintenance later on will save time and money in the long run. Maintenance costs in the future can really add up, if materials aren’t chosen wisely. “Pay the price upfront, and get something that’s long term,” Shields said.

No wood

In the Florida climate, Shields Marina has a terrible termite problem. Even without infestation issues, Shields recommends not using wood, as most marinas must also contend with moisture issues on the waterfront. Wood may be a cheaper material than some of the alternatives, but it’s high maintenance. The rot, the splinters, the splitting, the wear and tear, and the slip factor were all reasons Shields quit constructing with wood some time ago.

Shields also raised questions about the long-term effects of pre-treated wood on fasteners. “I think a lot of people are on the fence as far as what these chemicals will do in the long term,” Shields said. Specifically, he’s concerned about the chemical eroding fasteners and compromising the integrity of the structure.

Concrete and steel

“With wood, you’ve got the labor and the upkeep. With concrete, you do it once, and you’re done,” Shields said. Low maintenance for Shields really means no maintenance, so he chooses concrete and steel as the building materials for his marina.

The concrete and steel docks at Shields Marina, some built as far back as the early 90s, have seen little work, if any, since then. Concrete and steel do cost more, but as Shields explains, “Concrete is cheap for what you get for your money.” Concrete is incredibly sturdy and only continually getting harder over time. Additionally, it won’t breakdown in the harsh, saltwater environments.

Tilt-wall construction

Shields chose tilt-wall construction because it's quick and sturdy.

To build his new concrete and steel ship store, Shields used a tilt-wall construction. Shields coordinated the construction, and his marina staff did the work of molding the 65,000-lb. concrete slabs that they stood up one by one with a crane.

The work required precise coordination, but it was a quick way to construct a sturdy building. “On a tilt-wall building, the best thing to do is have a big lot with parking all around the building, where you can utilize the parking area as casting beds to pour the walls,” Shields said. His site, instead, was plagued with not a lot of room, which is where the intensive coordination comes into play.

Each 65,000-lb. concrete panel must be poured and laid out (or stacked on top of each other, as was often the case at Shields Marina) in precise order, so the crane can work efficiently to erect the walls. In order to find the best placement, Shields drew a building design to scale with 65 pieces of paper that represented the concrete panels. With the right plan, the crane only had to be reset about a dozen times to construct the ship store.

Compared to masonry, tilt-wall buildings are about the same price, but the one solid piece of concrete is much stronger. Masonry work is also not as quick and much messier.

Build to the bedrock

The new ship store and all the dry storage building at Shields Marina are built upon the bedrock foundation twelve feet below the surface. The bathrooms, which Shields built in 1994, were the only buildings not constructed by drilling down to the bedrock, and they have sunk about two inches.

To construct a caisson, on which the foundation of the building could rest, Shields used an 18-inch drill auger to reach the bedrock and then filled the hole halfway with concrete. “You do that because the ground underneath is so saturated with water, the concrete prevents the hole from filling back in,” Shields said. Rebar then goes into the concrete, all the way down to the bedrock. Once the caisson is filled the rest of the way with concrete and a pile cap is poured, “You get a substantial foundation footing,” Shields said.

This flood resistant interior with stained concrete flooring and a corrugated tin ceiling also has a stylish look.

Hot-dipped, galvanized steel

Nearly everything Shields constructs is made of concrete and hot-dipped, galvanized steel (not just steel). It costs about 35 percent more, but the value is significant in the future. With a painted system, it will require maintenance to fix rust and flaking, or, “You pay upfront, and you’re done with it,” Shields said.

All the steel Shields uses is hot-dipped, galvanized with the exception of the seawall. The galvanization is a coating, Shields explains, and if that coating is breached, it starts to peel. Often times, when sliding the tongue of one piece of seawall into the groove of another piece, the galvanization can be damaged.

Interior

Shields Marina has seen its share of hurricane damage and floods and wanted an interior that could withstand some water damage. In addition to building the new ship store 18 feet off sea level, Shields constructed the interior using flood resistant materials that have a natural look and are also low maintenance and sturdy.

Shields retained the concrete flooring and added a dark blue translucent stain to polish the look. “It’s a nice alternative to carpeting and tile,” Shields said. There’s a slight amount of r value (the measure of the resistance of building material to heat flow) in concrete, which also helps with utility bills.

The concrete flooring is flood resistant—an important characteristic of much of interior materials. Inside the walls, Shields used closed cell insulation, as opposed to open cell, which he describes as a sponge. For the extra cost, the closed cell insulation won’t absorb water in the event of a leakage, and it also has a higher insulating value. “The problem with open cell is if you have a leak, it will hold that moisture. Often you can’t tell it’s leaking, until the ceiling falls in,” Shields explained.

Shields expertise in construction allowed him to manage the $1 million project to build the new ship store, and all the work was done by marina employees over a three year period.

Also, to protect against leaks in ceiling, Shields used a corrugated tin for the ship store. “I wanted that rustic look,” Shields said, “And I wanted it to be durable.” The corrugated ceiling is made from exterior grade tin and is resistant to water leakage.

On the walls, Shields also recommends high quality. For dry wall material, the new store used a thicker than normal, moisture resistant rock. “For a couple more dollars a board, you buy the best,” said Shields, who always does the same with paint. “To me the material cost is irrelevant compared to the labor cost down the road,” he explained.

Planning tips

Most marina operators do not also have the luxury and knowledge of a contractor’s license and must choose a construction leader, as well as materials. Shields said make sure a marina checks into a contractor’s background before hiring that company. Review its old projects. Also, let multiple contractors bid on the project. “If a contractor gets upset because your bidding with two other companies, then he doesn’t need to be on your team,” he explained.

In planning a construction budget, “Your material cost is not where you need to look at savings,” Shields said. “When you’re considering construction techniques, don’t consider only the initial price as your budget. Your maintenance down the road can eat you up.”

Anna Townshend is senior editor of Marina Dock Age. She can be reached by phone at 847/647-2900 ext. 1308 or via e-mail at: atownshend@prestonpub.com.