After Half Century, Lake Cumberland Gets New Marina at Rowena

Back in 1949, as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was doing the planning for Lake Cumberland in Kentucky, the agency identified a potential strategic site for marina development on the soon-to-be created 65,500-acre lake. But after the lake was formed in 1952, none of the entrepreneurs who developed the fishing camps along the lake ever expressed interest in building a marina.

“It was in a remote area, hard to reach by land, although it was in a perfect spot on the water, accessible by most of the boating traffic on Lake Cumberland,” said Tom Allen, one of the managing partners in the new Marina at Rowena.
Fast forward to 2007, when the emergency repairs on Wolf Creek Dam Lake required the drawdown of Lake Cumberland to near-record lows. Allen and his partner Tony Sloan were trying to assist another marina that wanted to relocate to the Corps-identified site, but its application wasn’t approved. However, the process did encourage Allen and Sloan to attempt to open their own marina.

“The more we looked with the site and met with elected officials, the more they said that we think there ought to be a marina there,” Allen said.
The Marina at Rowena has been a long time in the making. It took 10 years for their application to win all the necessary approvals from the Corps and state agencies.

“We got approval on July 5, 2017, and we broke ground for the first phase, which is building a parking lot and launch ramp, right after Labor Day. We’re still in the first phase now, and we also have the main walkway in the water,” Allen said. “We will have some of facilities completed at the end of this year and, with great certainty, I can say that the majority of our initial development of slips—about 135—will be completed, along with the main dock, marina store and café or restaurant, sometime in 2019. We will be fully operational then.”
The Marina at Rowena’s lease runs for an initial 25 years with options for another 25 years, Allen added.

The marina is using its own crews to build the marina. “My partner, Tony Sloan, pioneered the construction technique of building docks on steel gas line pipe. They’re kind of like giant steel pontoons, welded together and fabricated by local welders,” Allen said. Many of the welders had previous experience working in the houseboat industry.

The docks are durable, long-lasting structures, Allen said. The steel gas lines provide a strong base for the wooden docks, and enable the marina to use steel cable anchorage. “In addition, if you build your own docks, and have a storm, you are more likely to be able to repair them quickly and get back into operation if they are damaged,” Allen added.

The main walkway, located at the mouth of the main lake, will be easily accessible by boats. The walkway is 18 feet wide, providing enough room to run golf carts back and forth. The Marina at Rowena will be able to accommodate up to 60 houseboats in uncovered slips on the west side of this walkway. The east side will feature many covered slips up to 40 feet in length, as well as some finger piers with uncovered slips. Allen said the marina should be able to accommodate 250 boats within five to seven years.

The new slips will include electric, water, RV and internet, with pumpout facilities, restrooms with showers and fuel available at the main dock.
Although the Marina at Rowena is the ninth marina on Lake Cumberland, demand for it slips is high. “We are very pleased with the initial advance interest we’ve gotten,” Allen said.