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The days of waiting … and waiting for your boat to come out of dry storage are over at this Florida marina.
Dry stack storage of powerboats has come a long way since they early days of a fork lift sliding boats onto a steel scaffolding resembling oversized office shelving.
Gulf Star Marina in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, recently opened what it calls, "the world's first SMART marine storage facility," featuring innovative Automated Storage and Retrieval (ASAR) technology. This fully automated, high-tech system enables a stored boat to be put in the water in just 7 minutes.
ASAR works with a track system that moves boats from the building to the water. It can move both side to side and up and down. The boats are transported through a tunnel that goes outside to the water, where a platform lift completes the launch. Individual cradles are made and adjusted to fit each vessel. The system keeps tabs on every boat and cradle, and even tracks usage.
As is the trend in Florida, Gulf Star Marina is built using concrete tilt-wall construction that is able to withstand hurricane winds up to 200 mph. The 29,000-square-foot facility can handle boats up to 40 feet (including catamarans and pontoons), 14 feet high, 15 feet of beam, and up to 20,000 pounds. Concierge service, from boat wash to engine flush to prestocking your boat, is available from the marina. Monthly pricing ranges from $20 to $26 per foot.
Watch this video to see how it works: