Marina Dock Age, September/October 2006

Fabric roof systems for wet slips are the new kids on the docks
by Gene Spinazola, P.E.

There are a lot of reasons that boaters like covered wet slips. The roof covering provides protection from rain or the hot sun, the wax job lasts longer, the boat will stay cleaner and, of course, cooler. In many parts of the country, a boat that is docked under the roof becomes a summer cottage on the water, and the boat may only leave the slip on special occasions.

For all these good benefits, covered wet slips also have some drawbacks, such as being flammable, having a roof structure that can collapse from heavy snow loads, and/or a being susceptible to heavy damage from a hurricane ripping through the covered slips leaving behind a jungle of twisted frames.

This article takes a took at some recent advancements in covered fabrics, making them even more desirable for some marinas.

Analysis

The history of covered wet slips dates back to the early 1900s. At that time, the covered slip was referred to as a "boathouse." In the 1950s and 1960s, marinas across the country were building multiple boathouses and covered floating wet slips. The typical construction consisted of wooden docks with a wooden or steel vertical structure that held up the wooden roof truss. The roof covering was made of corrugated tin or aluminum, and the roof eve height was just high enough so that the average boat could get into the slip.

Over time, the industry has made some significant changes to the covered wet slip structure that has improved its survivability in adverse conditions, particularly in regards to fires. The wooden posts and the wooden roof trusses are gone. Because today’s boats are wider and, of course, taller, the roof line of the fabric covered slips is higher and the roof also has less pitch. Because of the higher eves and flatter roof pitch, heat build up under the roof, whether from the sun or a boat fire, is less and fire spread is reduced.   Continue »

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