SF Marina Systems Completes New Docks for Charleston Hotel

SF  Marina Systems recently completed 152 m of alongside dock for The Cooper hotel in Charleston, South Carolina. The dock accommodates transient vessels, tour operators and the hotel’s support fleet.

The system needed to serve a range of vessels and withstand the movement of an exposed location while remaining visually cohesive with the hotel and its fixed pier. SF Marina Systems approached the project with both performance and integration in mind, creating a floating system engineered for its environment and finished to complement the waterfront property.

Nine Type 1200 HD single-cast concrete docks, ranging from 3-4.3 m wide, form the floating system. IPE hardwood decking and 76 x 152 mm IPE rub rails carry the material palette of the fixed pier onto the floating structures, creating a seamless visual transition from the hotel’s waterfront setting to the water.

At the center of the installation, SF Marina engineered a custom 6.4 m wide main landing dock as a single post-tensioned structural unit. An articulating center joint connects the main landing with the alongside docks, balancing overall system stability with the flexibility needed to respond to vessel wakes and storm-driven waves at the exposed site.

Integrated throughout the system, cast-in-place PVC ducts route power, water and fire-water service through the structures, with stainless-steel transitions incorporated into the IPE decking. A custom composite inset identifies the fire-response station, while internal pile guides feature cushion-block technology and safety covers over the pile-guide wells.

Together, the structural and finish details demonstrate how SF Marina’s concrete floating systems can be adapted beyond their base configuration, incorporating custom decking, utility systems and project-specific features to meet both the operational and architectural needs of a waterfront property.