Shipyard Walkthrough Recap

HAULING BOATS

• “Hauling season” at the shipyard is expected to pick up this week as we will be taking boats out of the water to be stored on land for the winter. We use a 50-ton “travel lift” to pull the boats out of the water and place them on land.
• We store a mix of recreational and commercial vessels at the shipyard.
• We can store approximately 300 boats on land (the exact number will depend on the size of the boats and how they are arranged), 200 in water in the marina, and we also have three commercial piers that are rented through the winter for storage by our commercial tenants.
• The shipyard is home to 30-35 tenants at a time.

New Boats and Lifts

• We purchased an 80-ton travel lift and assembled it onsite earlier this year. This larger lift will allow us to haul a lot more of the commercial and larger boats that are in the harbor. The 80-ton lift is a variable-width model, which is a trend in boat hauling right now. It can open up to 24 feet wide and close to about 16 feet wide for easier storage when not in use.
• We are currently permitting new piers on which to operate the 80-ton lift. The piers currently at the shipyard are not able to support the weight that the new lift is capable of hauling, which is why we must construct new ones.
• The new piers will be 120 feet long and situated 24 feet apart from one another. They will run 60 feet inland to support the weight of the boat.
• In between the piers will be a washdown basin. This basin will collect water that comes off the boats, filter and clean it, allow us to reuse water until it becomes too dirty, and then will be disposed of offsite. This prevents dirty water from entering the ground or harbor.
• We are hoping to begin construction in December and be complete around April or May.
• The main noise generator during the construction process is going to be the pile driving. We anticipate a couple weeks’ worth of pile driving. This work will be done within city noise ordinance hours of 7am and 6pm, though it is worth noting that barge crews typically only work until about 3pm. Driving piles in the water are not as noisy as driving piles on land.
• After pile driving is complete, there will be concrete work to form the piers.
• The new piers will be right next to the existing piers at the shipyard.
• We will be rehabbing the existing concrete walls and plan to over-sheet it. The current seawall infrastructure dates back to the 1940s.
• The new piers are to exclusively operate the new travel lift and support the width of the wheels.

NEW BUILDINGS

• All four buildings are still a part of our overall plan. Buildings 3 and 4 are further down the road. We are currently permitting buildings 1 and 2.
• Building 1 will be next to the current Patriot Marine shop building. Building 2 will go in the lot next to Aloe Natural. Both buildings 1 and 2 will be in keeping with the heights of the adjacent buildings. Once designs are finalized, we will have exact measurements to share.
• The buildings will be designed to be flood-through. We are unable to raise buildings at this site, but we can raise utilities and use breakaway panels up to flood zones to make the buildings resilient against flooding.
• Because of weather conditions over the winter in New England, it is difficult to service boats outside during the winter months. This is why we want to construct buildings to use as vessel repair shop space to work on boats year-round.
• Service in the winter months is particularly ideal for commercial boats in the harbor like ferries, whale watch boats, etc. as this is their “off-season,” so it is the preferred time to be hauled out of the water for service and inspection.

NEON SIGNS

• We do not own the neon signs that you see at the shipyard. These are leased from a company that owns and refurbishes them.
• After building 17 came down, we re-hung the Chowder King sign in a new location. The owner of the sign will be visiting the shipyard to service the sign and aid in making the electrical connections it needs to be turned back on. He will also be working on the diver sign to see that it gets turned back on as well.

TRUCKS

• We heard feedback during the walkthrough about tractor trailers making noise very early in the morning. We will speak to our tenants about this. 

FLOATING DRY DOCK

• We purchased a floating dry dock that arrived at the shipyard in March of this year.
• A floating dry dock provides a different way to haul boats out of the water to service them.
• How it works is the walls of the dry dock get flooded with seawater to lower the dry dock into the water. Once sunk, the vessel can pull into the dry dock. Then, the water is pumped out of the dry dock, raising it back up and lifting the boat out of the water.
• Click here to see how the dry dock works
• The dry dock measures 120 in length and can haul boats up to 500 tons.
• We have been servicing a lot of the ferries in the harbor since it has arrived – it is a very high-demand tool in this location. It is advantageous to have this dry dock in the harbor because without it, ferries and large vessels would have to travel to Bridgeport, CT, north shore, MA, or even further to be hauled for service. Having this tool right in the harbor means that ferry service doesn’t have to be interrupted for long periods of time while the vessels have work done.
• In addition to service and repair, a big advantage of the dry dock is the ability to do Coast Guard inspections. It is particularly advantageous to ferries because they have the shortest time period in between required inspections, either every year or every other year depending on the vessel.
• Being able to do inspections here in Boston is advantageous for both the vessels themselves and the US Coast Guard as everything can be done within the harbor. It also reduces the backlog of inspections that occur elsewhere. Because there are a limited number of sites in the Northeast that can perform inspections on vessels of this size, it is common to have a busy schedule of inspections lined up at any given location. Should one vessel fail inspection and need to stay longer for repairs, it throws off the entire schedule and can delay service. Having a new location capable of hauling vessels for inspections in Boston helps mitigate these backlogs.
• The dry dock is suited for larger vessels. Economically, it doesn’t make sense for small boats. That is where the travel lifts come in. The travel lifts are also helpful for short hauls and small repair jobs.
• The dry dock can only service one boat at a time. The boat stays in the dock for the entirety of the job. It does not get placed on land. The travel lift can haul a boat and place it on land, meaning it can haul more boats in a given time period and is more efficient than the dry dock in that sense.
• The shipyard is located within a designated port area, or DPA. DPA legislation is meant to protect sites dedicated to marine industrial uses. There are few places left in the harbor that can support the water transportation industry here. The public would not be able to enjoy the ferry service in the harbor if there were no means of supporting these vessels.
• The shipyard is home to ~35 tenants, and these local businesses provide good jobs that support the working waterfront.

SHIPYARD GATE

• The gate in the shipyard is typically closed at night. This is a security measure we take here at the shipyard.
• During events, we usually bring on an additional security guard.
• We have heard your feedback that during events (example: fireworks over the harbor), it would be nice to have the gate open so the neighbors can pass through and get to the waterfront easier. We will take a look at our security measures and may be able to accommodate this request for certain events.

MARINA EXPANSION AND AMENITIES

• We are currently renovating the marina office. Our temporary office is in the gym. Once we are able to move back into the marina office, the gym will be reopened for boater use. The lounge will also be reopened once that move is completed.
• Docks are continually replaced throughout the winter. Last winter, we replaced many of the old finger docks. This winter, we will take a look at some of our main docks.
• The long-term plan is to expand the marina. We have a great community of “liveaboard” boaters who dock here and live on their boats year-round. We would love to see this community grow in the future.
• We currently do not have plans for the dilapidated pier. If we do a marina expansion, the mess and debris would be cleaned up, however the piles staying or being removed is more of a conservation and permitting question that we have not yet addressed.
• We have one restaurant at the shipyard, Aloe Natural. 

BLUE TECH

• We aim to support innovation at the shipyard and hope to be a hub for “blue tech.”
• Already we have tenants in blue tech, including Sea Machines, who create autonomous vessels to serve a variety of purposes.
• We are also a test site for the “Emerald Tutu,” a project out of MIT that uses floating marshes to protect the uplands from flooding.
• We welcome innovation and sustainability at the shipyard an invite you to share any recommendations for start-ups or other businesses that could benefit from our waterfront location.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

• Many neighbors expressed their support of this site and the working waterfront overall. We thank you for your support.
• Some ways you can show this support is by attending public meetings, supporting businesses that support the working waterfront, and talk about the working waterfront positively whenever you are able.

Questions?

Contact us