2023 May June Marina World

DRYSTACK STORAGE
Alex Pares, Drysta
Development: The drystack solution
is clearly the most efficient way
to maximise space, especially in
overcrowded marinas, where a larger
number of boats can be stored on the
same space. In addition, each space
that is released from the wet slips can
be used for larger boats, generating
greater profitability
for the marina.
In the last few
months, we have
been working
on a number of
projects around
the world, both for
marinas that want to reorganise their
moorings and for new facilities that are
planning to incorporate drystacks from
scratch.
After the pandemic and due to the
need to connect with enjoyment, the
outdoors and recreational activities in
general, many projects started up again
and we are seeing significant activity in
our sector, as in other outdoor-related
sectors.
Obstacles: Projects for new marinas,
as well as their refurbishment, take
a long time to plan and are highly
subject to regulation by the authorities.
Drystacks are no exception to this
reality, which means that decisionmaking
takes a long time.
Inflation and interest rate increases,
as well as the price of steel and other
materials, together with rising labour
costs, have led to an increase in
investment analysis, but as drystacks
involve a much more efficient use of
labour and materials per boat unit, due
to the incorporation of vertical moving
Drysta and GH Cranes worked together on
their first European drystack project at Port
Corsier in Geneva, Switzerland.
equipment such as bridge cranes and
shore elevators, we come out ahead in
the investment analysis, with returns on
investment in the order of 20 to 25%.
Future growth: The economic benefits
for marina operators, the space
efficiencies due to overhead storage,
the user experience of 24/7 availability
of boats in a matter of minutes, and the
savings in wear and tear, ensure that
we will see many drystacks in marinas
in the coming decades.
Greg Weykamp,
Edgewater Resources
We are seeing several trends in the
drystack market, including increasing
demand in the central and northern
United States
where drystack
has historically
been less
prevalent, and
increasing interest
in automated
drystack facilities.
In particular,
we are seeing a significant increase in
demand for drystack storage across
the Great Lakes region, which is in
response to a number of factors. First,
increasing environmental limitations
on the expansion of existing and/or
development of new wet slip facilities
is limiting the ability to respond to
market demand for either more wet
slips or larger wet slips. In response,
marina developers are trending
towards building larger wet slips
within limited developable areas and
moving the smaller boats into adjacent
drystack facilities. This allows the
facility to greatly expand the number
of slips it can provide at a much lower
environmental impact, which further
reduces permitting delays.
Additionally, providing smaller, lower
cost drystack slips can be a profitable
way to meet local community demand
for boating access to the water for
residents at lower income levels, which
can be helpful in obtaining local zoning
approvals.
As boaters are moved from wet slips
to drystack facilities, we have found it
very helpful to provide more community
gathering spaces within the marina to
maintain the social aspects of marina
life, such as fire pits, grills, play areas
and restaurants.
Another trend driving demand for
drystack facilities in northern climates
is the simplicity of winter storage of
the boats already in the racks, and the
ability to use the aisles of the facility
for supplemental winter storage. Many
more boaters, in particular those with
higher value centre console boats in
the 35-45ft (11-14m) length value the
additional protection from the elements.
These facilities are also providing a
much higher level of concierge service
in terms of fuelling, maintenance,
cleaning and provisioning that further
increases profit margins.
Automated drystack facilities offer
a range of benefits in the Great Lakes
region, especially in areas where space
is limited and there are concerns over
emissions and noise from beeping,
diesel-powered forklifts. All electric
automated crane systems are quiet
and reliable, and can stack larger
and heavier boats on all levels of the
facility for much greater efficiency and
effective use of the interior volume of
the structure. They can be taller, which
allows for more boats in a smaller
footprint, and can offset their demand
for electricity through the use of solar
panels on the rooftop. If sufficient
battery back-up systems are employed,
the facilities can continue to operate
even during power outages.
While southern markets for drystack
facilities are more mature, boaters in the
northern and central US are beginning
to see the benefits and marina owners
are building more and more of them in
response. The only major challenge is in
the architectural design of the facilities,
in particular in areas within historic
maritime districts or other sensitive
areas that require a high level of care in
the design and detailing of the structures
to avoid blocking views and negatively
impacting the scale and character of the
waterfront with a building grossly out of
scale for its context.
www.marinaworld.com – May/June 2023
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