The Big Move

I'm sure by now most of you know that on Aug. 5, 2013, a windstorm did major damage to some of our docks and minor damage to all the docks. The 400 dock was almost totally destroyed. The only part left standing was the houseboat portion at the end. That same section was also all that was left standing of the old 500 dock when the last big storm came through in 2006. The damage incurred during those two storms opened up our cove for some changes that we hope will help the dock withstand future storms. I had been playing around with a plan to rearrange the docks for several years, but I could not justify abandoning anchors, and we really didn't have the room to do it. Two storms later, and it finally made sense to put the plan into action.

How it all looked before we began last fall

The first thing we had to do was rebuild the uncovered houseboat dock. We were able to turn the boats sideways along the main walkway and make two new 50-foot walkways, while saving the gasoline dock portion. The houseboat dock was moved over parallel to the 800 dock first. Access to the dock is from the 800 dock walkway.

New uncovered houseboat dock in place

Next we moved the 100 dock. The 100 dock was built in the 1970s by my brother, Dan, and me. The flotation was kind of a second generation foam. It was a very dense foam, only 10 inches thick, but it would not become waterlogged like the white foam. The plans were originally approved by the Corps, of course, but then thirty-some years later they decided it didn't float the docks high enough. So, before we moved the dock we put encapsulated foam under it.

100 dock in place

Next we moved the main office with the 200 dock already attached. With the 100 dock out of the way and securely anchored, this was a fairly simple move. We ran temporary power to the docks each time. None lost power for more than a day other than the houseboat docks. The houseboat docks require much higher voltage, so we were unable to keep power to those docks during the project. We also had to shut down our gas pumps for about two weeks, but those are up and running now.

200 dock in place

Next we moved the 300 dock. Again, this was a fairly simple move with the 100 dock already in place to secure the east end of the 300 dock while we anchored the west end. We were able to once again hook up temporary power by the next day.

300 dock in place

What was left of the 400 dock was the smallest piece of the puzzle, but it was also one of the most challenging. We had to turn it and maneuver it between a couple of docks to get it in place. It wasn't easy, but we got it anchored just a few days before another windstorm blew through on Feb. 20.

Covered houseboat dock (what remains of the 400 dock) in place

The portion of the new setup that was properly anchored withstood those incredible wind gusts last month very well. However, our newly designed uncovered houseboat dock was not completely anchored when the wind hit, and it broke in half. The covered houseboat dock had some structural damage, and a couple of the smaller, older wooden docks that we are planning to use for short-term slip rentals also suffered some minor damage. We made the necessary repairs and got back to finishing our rearrangement as quickly as possible. We attached the gas dock to the store and restored power to the pumps. We attached the old "dive shop" and extra platform on the far east end of the 200 dock. We will continue to use the dive shop building for storage, and it will most likely be the location of our "Docktail Hours" this summer.

Dive shop in place

The "big move" is nearly complete. All the major pieces of the puzzle are in place. We are still working on walkways and a few electrical issues. We have a lot of work to do to restore the old dive shop - in fact, that project may not be finished until next winter. Here are some stats. The new setup has a total of 35 winches: 23 winches on the main dock, plus six on the nightly slip section and six on the new houseboat dock. We stretched more than two miles of cable for those 35 winches. About two-thirds of the cable is new. The other one-third is stainless steel cable we were able to salvage from the old setup. We dropped nine new anchors. The project has taken about 2,000 man hours so far.

This is the "new" view from our store/fuel dock. Not bad, eh?

We are excited for everyone to see the new arrangement. We have gotten a lot of positive feedback so far. Stop by and see us soon. Let us know what you think!

Written by Cap'n T. Morgan