California Marina Installs Kayak Launch, Boat Ramp and New Docks

Glorietta Bay Marina, owned by the City of Coronado in California, celebrated the grand opening of its new launch ramp and concrete floating Dock C in early July.

Bellingham Marine performed the work, which included the demolition of the existing Dock C, construction and installation of a new 34-slip dock, the renovation of the existing boat launch ramp and the construction of a kayak launch on that ramp.

“The old concrete boat ramp was heavily deteriorated, so we overlaid the existing ramp with a precast concrete panel system,” said Eric Noegel, Bellingham’s manager of project development. “The existing surface had to be cleansed, so we installed our floating boom and silt curtain out there to contain the debris that was floating in the water. We then installed the new panels down over the existing structure, which wasn’t level in a lot of places. We manufactured keyways beneath these panels, so that after we laid them down, our crew filled the whole cavity between the existing ramp and the new panels with grout. It secured the panels to the existing ramp and helped level it all out as well.”

The new launch ramp is ADA accessible and includes a low freeboard aluminum dock with a ramp that allows kayakers to launch themselves into the water. “It’s the only one in San Diego,” Noegel said.

Bellingham built C Dock to match the A & B Docks it installed for the marina 10 years ago. The company started the project in November 2016 and had to pre-drive all of the piles for the dock by April 1. Dock C now includes upgraded power pedestals and substations, an ADA-accessible gangway, and a fixed pier with a security gate for access control.

Bellingham also redid all of the surface around Glorietta Bay Marina’s parking lot and put in a boat wash for trailers with a trench drain that meets all of the current best practices standards for oil and sand separation.