Boating Business

New Automated Marina Opens in Florida

Gulf Star Marine in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., claims to be the first automated dry-stack facility in the U.S.

Gulf Star Marine in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., has finished the installation what it claims is the first fully automated dry stack storage system in the United States. The estimated price of the project is $20 million.

With Hurricane Laura threatening the Gulf of Mexico in the middle of an active 2020 season, the 27,717 sq.-ft. (2,574.99 sq. m) building was constructed to withstand up to 200 mph winds according to the marina website.

ASAR Technology

The heart of the automated storage system is ASAR (automated storage and retrieval) technology that uses a series of shuttles, track and an electric crane on rails to launch and retrieve boats in less than 7 minutes. According to the company, the system can perform specific tasks such as filling a cooler with ice.  Prior to retrieval and storage, boats are cleaned and washed by hand by marina personnel.

The heart of the ASAR system is an electrically powered crane.

The facility can handle boats up to 40’ (12.19 m) long and management says it can customize the bays. One compartment can accommodate two 40-footers or three 20-footers (6.1 m), so the total number of boats stored inside can be altered.

Rates for the facility are $20/foot for boats 25’ (7.62 m) and shorter, $22/foot for boats 25’ (7.62 m) to 30’ (9.14 m), $24/foot for 30’ (9.14 m) to 35’ (10.67 m) and $26/foot for 35’ (10.67 m) to 40’ (12.19 m).  

The boat is loaded onto a rail system and is then moved indoors to be stored in the stack.

Following the trend, another marina in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on the East Coast is under construction with similar technology from a different vendor. F3 Marina has a 240-boat automated dry stack scheduled to be finished by year’s end. It can reportedly handle boats up to 46’ (14.02 m) long.