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WHY DEVELOP “HIGH & DRY BOAT STORAGE”?
It all comes down to your return on investment (ROI). There are many reasons to develop “High & Dry” boat storage. First, the revenue of return on boat rack storage is higher than if you were to do wet slips for boats 60’ and less. Many inland lakes have begun to show favoritism towards boat racks vs. wet slips for two reasons. First, boat racks are eco-friendly, where all of the maintenance, gas, oil, etc that is spilt drains to a safe location. Second, unlike wet slips, they do not impact the view of the lake front properties (eye swore?) Another reason to develop “High & Dry” boat storage is land constraints. The majority of “High & Dry” boat storage” marinas are located on coastal waters, where waterfront property can be difficult to find and is quite expensive. In these locations, “High & Dry” boat storage makes perfect sense, where storing boats vertically is cheaper than storing them on the ground.
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SHOULD I DEVELOP A NEW “HIGH & DRY” BOAT STORAGE MARINA FROM THE GROUND UP OR FIND AN EXISTING MARINA THAT I CAN ADD DRY STORAGE TO?
Either way is fine.
Projects looking to develop a “High & Dry” boat storage marina on coastal waters from the ground up will take longer to permit than if you were to add dry storage to an already existing marina. Because these types of projects require so many permits, your caring costs will be higher than adding boat rack storage to an existing marina. Budget 3-4 years to obtain all necessary permits for a ground up coastal location. Few projects can get their permits in 2 years, but these typically are not on coastal waters. Developing a boat rack storage facility to an existing marina usually requires fewer permits and will have less caring costs than doing it from the ground up. Budget 1.5-2 years to obtain all your necessary permits to break ground.For inland applications looking to develop a “High & Dry” boat storage marina from the ground up, expect anywhere from 1.5-2.5 years to pull all of the necessary permits. The caring costs will also be higher for these types of projects than adding “High & Dry” boat storage to an existing marina. Marinas looking to add boat rack storage, budget 1-1.5 years for permits.
No matter which way you elect to go when developing a “High & Dry” boat storage facility, it all comes down to making sure your rate of return on your investment high enough for what you need to accomplish.
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WHAT ELEMENTAL RATINGS CAN A “HIGH & DRY” BOAT STORAGE BUILDING BE DESIGNED FOR?
All of our boat rack storage systems are designed like any structure and have to meet all necessary codes for that location. For instance, all of our boat racks in the Miami, FL area are designed to withstand 180 mph winds. All throughout the Northern states and Canada, our “High & Dry” boat storage systems can handle any snow load, just as they are built to handle all seismic levels throughout the Midwest.
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WHAT ABOUT CONCRETE TILT-UP WALL DESIGNS FOR A “HIGH & DRY” BOAT STORAGE FACILITY?
There are many questions we are asked when it comes to designing a “High & Dry” boat storage facility with tilt-up walls. Most common questions is, “are concrete tilt-up walls better than using metal framed walls?” There is no yes or no answer to this question. There are many factors that come into play when deciding which way to go. Both concrete and metal “High & Dry” boat storage buildings can and must meet all wind speed and pressure ratings for that location. Both have their advantages and disadvantages where the costs, safety, appearance, strength, land space, time frames and code requirements become a factor.
There is no question that using tilt-up concrete construction is quite more expensive than going with metal. The cost of concrete per square foot is ? times as expensive than using metal. If you are considering developing a “High & Dry” boat storage building in a location lower than the flood plain, a tilt-up concrete building is not structurally secure as a metal building. Although we have never had a metal “High & Dry” boat storage facility fall due to hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, etc, they are more susceptible to being damaged by flying debris than concrete buildings.
Either way, when deciding to use which type of construction to use, it should truly come down to two main elements: One, is the overall cost to produce what I want make economic sense and two, will my occupancy be better with one type of building than the other?
Whichever makes best sense to you, Roof & Rack Products, Inc can make it happen. -
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEMS?
Fire suppression systems are a bitter-sweet necessity that everyone has to think about. Depending on the size of the building and what your local fire marshal will require, will depict whether or not you need fire sprinkler within the building, the amount and location of them.
We believe that the fire suppression systems help sustains the fire for a short duration, but it usually does not put the fire out. From previous situations that have occurred and hearing what Owner(s) have said, which may not be %100 accurate, we have found that it tends to be Owner(s) or Manager(s) who are the ones fighting the fire. They say that the local fire department responds but once arriving do not actively try to put the fire out because it is one, not worth risking their lives and two, they know the marina is insured. Although it is hard to argue with their thinking, it makes you wonder what good is the fire suppression at the end of the day.
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WHAT BAY WIDTHS ARE BEST TO USE?
There is no certain bay width that is better than another. We design all of our boat storage systems using many different bay widths. The bay widths we decide to use on an application will depend on types, styles and sizes of boats that that specific market demands. Double and triple wide bays are the most popular sizes being used today, while single wide bays are a way of the past. The only time we use a single wide bay is when we have 10’ to 15’ of width leftover in our layout design.
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HOW MANY HIGH & DRY BOAT STORAGE SPACES DO I NEED IN ORDER TO MAKE MY “HIGH & DRY” PROJECT PROFITABLE?
If you are looking to develop a highly profitable “High & Dry” only project from ground up, in most locations you will want to design your facility to accommodate a minimum of 300 spaces. Considering all the operating expenses incurred for this type of marina project, such as permits, concrete, fork-truck, fire suppression, etc. At the end of the day, the “High & Dry” could be the cheapest part.
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WHAT DO YOU THINK OF CLEAR SPAN BUILDING vs. RACK SUPPORTED BUILDING?
Although we can build both building structures for “High & Dry” boat storage, we recommend the rack supported structure for several reasons. First, the overall building project costs will be less. By having the boat rack columns integrated into the structural integrity of the building, we can lighten the amount of steel typically used. Second, you will have more leasable cubic space for storage. And third, there are tax advantages.
Clients who consider or request to build a clear span building and put racks inside usually have a reason why they do so. For instance a client owned a lumber mill and wanted to go with a clear span building in case the “High & Dry” boat storage business did not pan out and would be able to take down the racks and use the building as a mill.
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HOW WIDE SHOULD MY AISLE WAY BE?
The rule of thumb is; you add up the:
1) maximum length of the boat (length over all – loa) you looking to store + 1’
2) length of the fork-lift; from the very back of the truck to the front of the vertical mast
3) add 5’ of turning space, so you can maneuver and turn without damaging any boatsAdding those three measurements will give you the total width of your aisle.
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HOW TALL DOES MY BUILDING NEED TO BE TO STORE BOATS 4 AND 5 LEVELS HIGH?
The height of the building required to store boats 4 and 5 levels high will depend on the styles and types of boats you are looking to store. In today’s market, buildings looking to store boats 4 levels high will range from 42’ to 50’ tall. For buildings looking to store boats 5 levels high, the range will be anywhere from 50’ to 70’ tall.
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HOW FAR SHOULD A HIGH & DRY BOAT STORAGE SYSTEM BE FROM THE LAUNCH/RETRIEVAL POINT?
There is no clear cut distance to use for this. You do want to have some distance between your boat storage system and the launch/retrieval point so you can operate your equipment efficiently and have space to set down several boats temporarily. One site might allow minimal distance from the launch/retrieval point but have plenty of space on a side. Another site may have no space in front or on the sides of the boat storage facility, but have space to set boats in the back of the boat storage facility. Although each site has its own layout design and its own complexity that determines the distance to the launch/retrieve point, we recommend allowing a minimum of 50’ for boats up for 30’ and 75’ for boats larger than 30’.
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HOW EFFECTIVE ARE SKYLIGHTS?
Skylights typically serve as the primary source of indoor lighting for nearly all “High & Dry” boat storage buildings. They are very effective at brightening up your building during the day and at saving you money on utility costs. The standard for skylights would be the poly carbonate which is much stronger and clearer than the older fiberglass skylights seen in many older buildings today.
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DO YOU DO REPAIR WORK?
We can repair all types of damages to your boat rack storage building and boat racks. There is nothing we cannot repair… or replace.
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CAN YOU PROVIDE AN INSURANCE INSPECTION REPORT?
Our in house engineers can provide your insurance company with a professional inspection report of your “High & Dry” boat storage building and/or boat racks when they come and inspect everything hands-on.
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WHY USE YOUR ROOF & RACK PRODUCTS, INC OVER USING SOMEONE LOCAL?
Roof & Rack Products, Inc is the only company in the world who specializes solely in boat rack storage systems. We have two engineers on staff with over 20 years of experience in this specific aspect of the boating industry. Designing and engineering boat racks and “High & Dry” boat storage buildings is what they specialize in and are submerged in 5 days a week. With this experience, we can make the best product, where you know we are not going to overweight the steel or underweight the steel due to lack of experience. It is not that we are smarter than anyone else, but we design, engineer, manufacture, fabricate, galvanize, etc this type of product on a daily basis, where someone who does not know the intricacies will have to adapt and learn as they go. Through our 35 years of experience we have learned through trial and error the does and don’ts. By communicating and interacting with “High & Dry” boat storage marinas across the country we are knowledgeable in every aspect of this specialty in the marina industry. There is so much that goes into a properly designed and engineered boat rack storage building to guarantee the end product produces the maximum amount of leasable space which will means more revenue returned. And that is what you are trying to obtain; the most income for your dollar spent on the product.
I want to give you an example of what losing 1’ of cubic leasable space costs you over a 5 year period.
PLEASE READ SLOWLY: Let’s say you have a boat storage building that has 270’ of usable length. The building has 2 rows of boat racks in it. Now let’s say that your average boat length in the building is 25’ long, and it needs 9’ of bay width and needs 10’ of height. This equates to 2,250 cubic feet of space (25’ x 9’ x 10’) that is required for that boat. Now let’s say you get $250.00 per month for this space. Since we have 270’ of length to lease, that allows us to have 30 boats (9’ wide boat space ÷ 270’ = 30 spaces). 30 spaces @ $250.00 each = $7,500.00 x 2 rows of boats = $15,000.00 for 1 month of income. Now, if we did not have 1’ of this cubic space to rent per each 9’ wide space, we would lose 1/10 of that spaces income ($250.00 ÷ 10 = $25.00). Since we had 30 spaces per row which equals a total of 60 spaces @ $25.00 each, that totals comes to $1,500.00 per month of income you have lost because of improper design/engineering. That equates to $18,000.00 per year x 5 years = $90,000.00 you lost in income. Now imagine 2’, 3’ or more of lost space.This will not happen when you deal with Roof & Rack Products, Inc.