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Home / Washington Business - November/December 2004 / Member Profile - Twin Bridges Marina: A New Way for Boaters |
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Member Profile - Twin Bridges Marina: A New Way for Boaters |
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Written On: November/December 2004 |
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Written By: by Shawn Sullivan |
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Twin Bridges Marina is not your typical, everyday, run-of-the-mill marina. In fact, Twin Bridges is the most innovative docking system in all of Washington.
Unlike its competitors, Twin Bridges is not located in the water. That’s right, Twin Bridges Marina is the only full service, indoor and heated dry stack marina in Washington. Twin Bridges provides customers with the best location, convenience and value for their recreational boating experience.
Twin Bridges has every right to claim this feat. It offers several additional features that are not available in other marinas. Giving customers almost unlimited access and use of their boats, the ability to ensure protection and cleanliness, and guaranteeing that every boat will be topped off with fuel and loaded into the water before the customer arrives are only some reasons behind Twin Bridges’ success.
“Our custom forklift launches boats in under five minutes at any time,” says Bill Youngsman, managing partner of Twin Bridges Marina. “Customers may call ahead and their boat will be waiting for them at the dock when they arrive.”
And being located off Highway 20 west of Burlington and north of La Conner on the Swinomish Channel gives their customers direct access to the San Juan and Canadian Gulf islands.
The idea behind Twin Bridges came to Bill Youngsman about six years ago when he was hired to sell the property where Twin Bridges is currently located. After a long battle with the Dept. of Ecology over permitting issues, Youngsman began to build his masterpiece. Twin Bridges Marina was opened in 2001 and is currently at 80 percent of its total capacity, with several people on a wait list. The marina will be expanding its dry storage to hold an additional 540 boats in order to have room for everyone on the list.
Several companies on the east coast have similar storage facilities for boaters which have been lucrative for many years. So, it is surprising that Twin Bridges is the only one of its kind in Washington.
“We provide an alternative for customers who don’t want the hassle of storing their boats in the water,” says Youngsman. “When a boat gets put away, it is cleaned and prepped for storage. This gives significant cost savings over typical boat storage by avoiding expensive electrolysis treatment.”
Boats that remain in wet moorage remain in port over 95 percent of the time and in saltwater which leads to costly repairs and maintenance. Dry stacking a boat in a heated storage facility like Twin Bridges not only prevents the effects of long term saltwater exposure, but also ensures that boat engines will not be subjected to the harshness of winter — a problem which may cause engine rust and other severe damage to boats docked in the water.
Another advantage of dry stacking your boat is security. By keeping their boats at Twin Bridges, boaters have the peace of mind in
knowing their boats will always be there. If someone tried steal a boat from Twin Bridges Marina, not only would they have to circumvent the security system, but they would also have to have knowledge of operating sophisticated lifting equipment. Since none of the boats are on trailers, it is almost impossible to have a boat stolen. This is not the case in other marinas in Washington where boat theft is on the rise.
The biggest advantage to dry stack storage is definitely the cost advantage over wet moorage. Twin Bridges charges a flat fee of $175 per month for boats under 25 feet in length, 8.5 feet in width, and eight feet tall. Factor this in with the amount of money saved on truck and trailer costs and it adds up to thousands of dollars.
And let’s not forget about time. Time is money, and most boaters spend anywhere from one to two hours in boat preparation. This time is due to unexpected inconveniences like battery problems or failed bilge pumps. At Twin Bridges these items are inspected prior to launch and easily remedied with Twin Bridges on-site maintenance facility.
So, if you are a boater who loves to sail the Puget Sound, sell your trailer and call Twin Bridges. The amount of time and money you save will leave you with more opportunities to enjoy the most wonderful part of owning a boat — the water!
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