2022 May June Marina world

ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCTS & INITIATIVES
Left & below: EcoPile piling has been
installed at Jax Beach Marina in Florida
as part of Windward Marina Group’s
determination to create sustainable
waterfront experiences.
Composite piling for
eco-sense and long life
The Windward Marina Group (WMG) has chosen Shoreline Plastics’ composite
piling – the EcoPile – to replace older wooden and concrete pilings across its
portfolio of soon-to-be 14 marinas in Florida. The work, which began in 2018,
has so far seen 300 EcoPiles installed across the state, including the complete
revamp of two marinas, with another two lined up.
WMG is a waterfront specialist
providing marine services that run
the gamut from complete marina
management and boat storage to food
and beverage sales. Its facilities include
the 250-berth Jax Beach Marina and
a peppering of niche marinas located
up and down the eastern seaboard. Its
team of 25 experts at the St Augustine
Marine Center offer boat services
including full refit of yachts up to 100ft
(30m), along with a full-service prop
shop, outboard engine facility and a
painting operation.
The collaboration between WMC and
Shoreline Plastics stems from their
shared enthusiasm for environmentally
friendly solutions that stand the test of
time – and the EcoPile, which comes
with a 25-year warranty and stands up
to hurricane-force winds, is proving the
perfect fit.
“WMG entered the market in
northeast Florida in 2018 with the
intent to create a lifestyle of sustainable
waterfront experiences while providing
best-in-class service,” says Christopher
Simon, WMG’s vice president of
marina operations and portfolio asset
management. After its third acquisition,
the Group began to focus on
developing its marinas to improve the
overall experience for customers, while
using the most sustainable materials
it could find to minimise its carbon
footprint.
The time it takes to install the EcoPile
(see Marina World, January/February
2021, p. 47) is around the same amount
of time as using timber, but the poles
are much lighter and easier to handle for
the contractor, Austin Porter, EcoPile’s
vice president of sales and marketing,
explains. However, this depends on
multiple variables – the number of poles
needed per project, the size of the job,
whether or not lifts are available, if the
marina is floating or fixed.
Selecting the EcoPile over more
traditional systems may have only a
marginal effect on the overall price of
the project, but it will offer a lifespan of
over 50 years, making it a cost-saving,
long-term investment, Porter says. “We
like to say building with the EcoPile
allows your marina to appreciate with
the value of the land over time, instead
of putting a depreciating asset out over
the water.”
The EcoPile is constructed using a
large amount of recycled compounds
and, at the end of its life cycle, it can be
recycled once again. “Marine treated
lumber leaches millions of pounds of
toxic treatment out into the waterways
every year, while the EcoPile is
completely inert, having no adverse
effect on the environment,” Porter
says. “On top of being the best choice
environmentally, the EcoPile stands
above as the best long-term value, as it
will outlast any other piling option with
little to no maintenance.”
The EcoPile is engineered to meet
the rigorous construction needs of
walkways, boat lifts and boathouses.
It is 100% free from any leaching
pollutants, entirely recyclable and
completely impervious to wood boring
organisms.
www.shorelineplastics.com
www.marinaworld.com – May/June 2022 31