Functioning

Port Adhoc dry stack : a new concept to enjoy boating.

Dry stack marina : a boat park with “valet parking�

Dry stack storage consists in keeping a boat into racks when it is not used. Due to the size of the racks, this service is solely offered to motor boats: we are unfortunately not able to store and handle sailing boat because of the size of the hulls and masts.

The boats are stored into vertical racks next to the water to be able to launch the boats when you want very quickly. Our four marinas have specific engines which look like forklifts with two horns used to move the boats from and to the racks. Thanks to these engines, we are able to launch the boat in only 3 minutes in security: there is no risk to damage the boat and especially the hull. We also have docks in our dry stack berth: our customers can load and unload the boat when they need.

Our service : a storage slot for a year with unlimited launches

How does dry stack storage actually work? The starting point is to know that our customers lease a space from a dry stack yard for an entire year with unlimited launches.

When a customer wishes to use his boat, he simply calls up the yard and asks for his boat to be removed and launched, in order to get his boat ready for his arrival.
When the customer arrives, he can stay on the docks to load the boat or simply climbs aboard, turns the key and departs.
On his return, the customer just leaves his boat in the water at the dock and informs our staff of his return before going home. Our staff lifts the boat out of the water, gives the hull and the engine a rinse in order to get rid of the salt and dirt, and returns the boat to the stack.

Dry stack marina’s history

The first dry stack storage is thought to have been built in New Jersey in the sixties. The innovator that started this business used an old Clark forklift with modified negative shank forks to retrieve the boats from the water and stack them in the racks: at this period the engines were not appropriate to lift the boats rapidly and in security.

In the late 70’s, Wiggins Lift Co., Inc, one of the earliest forklift manufactures to design forklifts specifically for the dry stack industry, introduced its Marina Bull‚ that could handle both heavy and small boats: thanks to this innovation, dry stack marinas enjoyed a new boom.

Today we can find dry stack berth all over the world: in USA, in Asia, in New-Zealand, in England, in Spain and more recently in France. The development of this concept during the last 60 years has been very impressive and can be considered as a proof of the quality and the efficiency of this service.

Beware of counterfeits

In France, because it is very new, we often mix dry stack storage up with wintering or even storage on a private plot.
Lots of professionals and private persons who possess a land at the seaside pretend to be a dry stack marina. Here are the different points you have to check to recognize a real dry stack marina from a counterfeit:

• First and foremost is the quality of the stacking system: the racks where we store the boats are made by the company Provost and are certified to resist the marine environment in complete conformity with the normative requirements EUROCODE 1 and Para seismic Rules
• You do not have to pay to have your boat launched each time you want to use it.
• Ask how much lead time they need to launch your boat: in our dry stacks marinas, it doesn’t take more than 3 minutes!
• You can get to pontoons to go on board and load or unload your boat as you want.
• The dry stack marina has to be open 7 days a week all the year, especially during weekends and holidays when you might want to use it.
• Find out what services the yard provides as standard, like work stands where your boat can be removed and nestled at ground level if you want to do anything on it.
• The dry stack marinas have to be responsible for any damages which could happen during the handling. Even if our staffs have specific engines and handle boats cautiously, some accidents can happen: in that case, dry stack marina has to take responsibility for the damages.
• To finish, check that the financial situation of the company is good.