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Storage Yard/ Yard work

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by Nphip602, Oct 21, 2009.

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  1. Nphip602, Oct 21, 2009
    #1
    Nphip602

    Nphip602 New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2009
    Messages:
    2
    Location:
    Milwaukee
    I am looking to open a storage facility in the Chicago/Milwaukee area that is the best on the great lakes. There are a lot of issues in the Milwaukee area that do not make boat owners happy like dirty facilities, below average service at best, over priced services for half assed performance, packing boats in too close so there isnt enough room to work on them, and lack of knowledgable people. I am looking to start this facility from scratch and be able to haul boats up to 75 feet and maybe up to 100 if the market is there.

    I would like to know what could your current boat yard could do better to make your experience perfect? What does the yard look like? What is there haul out capacity? What do they charge for winter storage or drystack?

    Thank you in advance,

    Nphip602
  2. Savasa, Oct 21, 2009
    #2
    Savasa

    Savasa Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2008
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    Location:
    Iqaluit, Nunavit, Canada
    Greetings,
    Well, I think you've probably answered your own question....Clean, good service with knowledgable people, good value for money in both services AND storage but is the market there for such an endeavor?
    I would also suggest a LARGE heated indoor storage building/workshop or two (so you can keep your staff busy all winter on repairs/rebuilds).
    You will also need deep water access and probably at least a 100T-200T travel lift and a good launch area for your rack and stacks if you want to deal with both larger and smaller vessels.
    Good docks (preferably floating) are a MUST for resident clients with close parking available.
    Just a few thoughts...sorry if I've stated the obvious.
    Peter
  3. Capt J, Oct 22, 2009
    #3
    Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Location:
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    Savasa pretty much hit the nail on the head.......I'd like to recommend several large heated indoor storage facilities. A few for boats, one or two for painting, one for woodworking, one for engine work.......That way you could do re-paints, engine swaps, interior work/replacements, and stuff during the winter and keep a crew going year round as well as income....... Also....if you don't have enough paint work, you could use one of the paint sheds for yacht storage......

    I would also say that after running a 75' MY to Chicago, I'd plan on being able to haul up to 100' as there are very few if any yards that can haul a boat of that size. Have a REAL ships store with everything from cleaning products to fuel filters and bulk oil at normal prices, it's very hard to find normal wear and tear items in Chicago.......especially for larger boats and 24 volt systems.........and fuel would help too.......
  4. m2m, Oct 22, 2009
    #4
    m2m

    m2m Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2006
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    Location:
    newport ri
    If you plan on going ahead with this endeavour take a look at Winter Harbor up in Brewerton New York, it's a nice clean facility. I have friends from the Newport RI area that make the treck up there every winter just becuse of the facilities.
  5. Loren Schweizer, Oct 22, 2009
    #5
    Loren Schweizer

    Loren Schweizer YF Associate Writer

    Joined:
    Apr 20, 2004
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    Location:
    Coral Gables/Ft. Laud., FL
    Used to be a place across from you...

    ....that met your ideal: Eldean's over at Lake Macatawa.
    Don't know if they're still around.
  6. Nphip602, Oct 28, 2009
    #6
    Nphip602

    Nphip602 New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2009
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    2
    Location:
    Milwaukee
    I would like to build a facility that is 45,000 to 90,000 square ft. There are no fixed bridges and water depth at a minimum of 16 feet dockside. The Travel lift I was looking at originally was a 75metric ton. There is a 112 Westport that visits Milwaukee in the summer months that I would like to accommodate if there were a situation that would arise. If the 112 currently needed to be hauled out, it would need to cruise to Burger Boats in Manitowoc or Grand Isle Grand Haven MI across the lake, both of which are about 80 miles away. As far as I know, the largest lift capacity on the south half of the lake is 75 mt unless you go to the Manitowoc (500 mt) or Grand Haven (150 mt). This capacity determines many aspects of the costs involved in construction. To increase storage capacity and revenue, I was thinking about racking express boats up to 50 feet in length. The average size boat in Milwaukee is in the 30 foot range but there are many 40+ boats at McKinley Marina. I would need to maintain floor and maneuvering space available to move the boats in the winter time if customers want to work on their boats. The smaller flybridge boats would be stored under the racks and the large yachts would be in the center of the building. I would like to have a tiki bar and grill on site as well as a ship store. At this facility I would like to sell gasoline in 2 different grades, diesel, and offer pump outs. There would be a lounge for customers will showers and restrooms. In a few years, additional storage buildings for paint and mechanical may become feasible. I would like to have the basics first, but the statement above maybe more than required to start up.

    That is the general idea of the facility.

    What compliments or concerns would you have about your current yard? Any Green concerns or other suggestions?
  7. AMG, Oct 28, 2009
    #7
    AMG

    AMG YF Moderator

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    Location:
    Sweden
    I don´t know how you do it, but where I live, all service yards where hulls are cleaned for new antifouling, we must have a special site for separation and recovery of the old antifouling traces, which must be sent for destruction...
  8. K1W1, Oct 29, 2009
    #8
    K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    Location:
    My Office
    Hi,

    The Great Lakes were considered a Special Area last time I was searching the MARPOL Regs.

    This basically means zero discharge of anything into the water.

    You will have to rpovide garbage service which issues a receipt for the received garbage if any vessel complying with Annex VI of MARPOL happens to drop by to offload trash, likewise waste oil will have to be disposed of correctly- The good old EPA probably has reams of rules and regs on this very subject alone.

    As AMG wrote, Anti Fouling residue especially if it is a TBT Based one must not be able to drain into the water, sanding from painting and varnishing work will probably also be mentioned somewhere on the list of unauthorised pollutants to be kept out of the water.
  9. m2m, Oct 29, 2009
    #9
    m2m

    m2m Senior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    newport ri
    There are numerous companies out there that sell containment/filtering sytems for waste water from bottom cleaning, also there are a lot of companies that manufacture dustless sanding equipment. This is the wave of the fiture for all boatyards big and small. As far as hauling cpacity is concerned a 75 ton Travelift is more than sufficient. Your best bet is to pick a range of boats to go after and market yourself in that range. The cost of increased hauling capacity verses extra income is not worth it. No matter what size lift you have it's going to be to small for a couple of boats that you would like to service.
  10. Seafarer, Oct 29, 2009
    #10
    Seafarer

    Seafarer Senior Member

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    Hudson River
    Waste oil is in a bit of demand in the northeastern states - whether for recycling into motor fuels by the diesel-conversion hobbyists to supplement food oils, or for heating use. Waste oil burners are efficient and high output these days, and can save a considerable amount on heating costs especially for a large shop. Storing it until use is the only thing that really becomes an issue, and there are a good number of EPA-certified above ground storage (and spill containment) solutions available at relatively reasonable cost.