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30 | Boating Industry | April 2014 [ Shifting Marina Design Trends ] www.BoatingIndustry.com www.BoatingIndustry.com Petersburg, Fla., and former CEO Kent Johans- son sees similar strength in North American marina development. Marinetek is a marina designer that also man- ufactures docks made from several different ma- terials, wave attenuators, floating playgrounds, swimming pools and recreation centers that give the company a unique product offering. As its year-over-year revenue has quickly grown, Marinetek NA has recently been involved with projects in Africa, Costa Rica, Florida and several in the Boston area. Like Bellingham, its primary competitor, it has seen its recent U.S. business strengthen in Florida and the Northeast. With a vast number of aging marinas, Jo- hansson sees a bright future for new construc- tion and redevelopment projects in the years to come. Storms like Hurricane Sandy and the generally harsher climate of northern states has helped spur work throughout the country. "There are 12,000 to 14,000 marinas around the United States that are in some kind of aging state," he said. "They're going to need to be re- built at some point." Marinetek NA has also focused on main- tenance-free concrete dock systems and wave attenuators that are required to tame harsher waters for many marinas built in new, less natu- rally suited areas. "Most good marina sites are already occupied by a marina," Johansson said. "Without wave at- tenuators you cannot have a marina — the wave environment would be so drastic nobody's going to want to put their boat in the marina." With its recent projects, Marinetek NA has seen similar trends of marina owners looking to make their locations destinations on their own. Its floating recreation products are intended to encourage customers to spend time at the ma- rina, which aligns with recent trends of boaters spending more time on the dock, rather than out on the open water. "We have seen the embryo for the start of … wanting to include restaurant areas, sitting areas, meeting areas [and] pool areas into the marina facilities," he said. "They come and spend time on the boat, but don't necessarily take the boat out." As average boat sizes have increased in re- cent years, marinas have been challenged to build larger slips within the same footprint, meaning fewer overall slips in many cases. That trend conflicts with the desire to add amenities on sites that are often squeezed for extra space. Johansson said some marinas have responded by converting underperforming slips to recre- ational zones that can add new revenue streams for the business. Design trends at Marinetek NA have included a greater focus on design, with color-coded ma- rinas, a focus on minimizing utilities and gener- ally creating spaces that are more inviting than utilitarian designs of old. The company has employed the use of LED lighting to improve the aesthetics of docks, while also attracting fish, which Johans- son said, also tends to attract people who want to watch the fish. While many clients begin a project with some design goals in mind, Johansson said the company finds design inspiration in all corners of the human experience. "When you walk through life, you get influ- enced by so many different things," he said. "You never really know what parts influence what you bring into a project." Environmental regulations are a challenge for Marinetek NA, and the marina industry as a whole. While many marinas have been in place for years, placing infrastructure in the water that has become underwater habitat, permitting is- sues can still be a factor when changing designs or shading over additional sections of water. Johansson feels municipal and regional agen- cies unfairly treat the boating industry. He stated an example in the firm's hometown where a municipality restricted the construction of new boat moorings for environmental reasons, when the city has storm drains running into the same section of water. International perspective Across the pond, Marina Projects is an interna- tional marina design firm located on the Atlan- tic coast two hours southwest of London. Mike Ward, project director at the company, spoke at the International Marina & Boatyard Conference (IMBC) in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., although the company's clients are primarily located outside of North America. Ward is fascinated by the diversity of the "There are 12,000 to 14,000 marinas around the United States that are in some kind of aging state. They're going to need to be rebuilt at some point." — Kent Johansson Marina Projects is based in London and works on projects throughout the globe, including the Kebony Yarmouth Harbor on the Isle of Wight. The company stresses that even nearby marinas can require entirely different solutions to match the environment and customer base. P28x32-BI14APR-MarinaDesign.indd 30 3/13/14 4:30 PM