Mulberry Point Yacht Harbor Replaces Docks

A two-year project to install new docks for Mulberry Point Yacht Harbor on Forest Lake in Stillwater, Minnesota, is nearing completion. The existing wooden docks at the membership-owned marina, which includes 157 slips, dated back to the 1980s and needed replacement.

River City Welding Inc., of Stockholm, Wisconsin, was the general contractor for the project. It removed the old docks, drove new piling and designed, built and installed the new floating dock system. The new marina had to fit into the same footprint as the old one.

The company started the project in March 2017, replacing half of the docks at a time. In-water working time is limited during the area’s frigid winter months, since the marina is surrounded by one or two feet of ice. Spring can also be challenging, since ice flows and high water that occur during the thaw can create an elevation change in the lake of 15 feet.

To secure the new floating docks, River City Welding Inc. drove 10-inch diameter piling into the river bed during the warmer weather, using an in-house, custom-made, 40-foot barge for the job. Construction of the new docks took place during the winter months.

“We built all of the docks in-house and laid them out on the frozen lake,” said Karie Prokosch, who co-owns River City Welding Inc. with her husband Wayne. “They sat on top of the ice all winter long so they were there ready for installation when the ice went out.”

The new docks have a heavy, galvanized steel truss frame. They include debris deflectors that prevent trees and other material from floating underneath. Since the marina does not have a no-wake zone, the docks also have built-in wave attenuators. River City Welding Inc. used ACE Roto-Mold Floats for the structures, since they have shown that they can withstand 140-degree temperature changes, ice and floods, according to the Prokoschs.

The company is using its new, patented ipe decking system for Mulberry Point Yacht Harbor. It will install approximately 42,000 feet of the Nautical decking system, which is installed in panels and can be easily removed for servicing the marina’s utilities.

Work on the marina should be completed this spring in time for the boating season.