Gibson Marine Construction has recently completed demolition and reconstruction of the longest mooring pier at the Tierra Verde Marina Resort. The pier is approximately 10′ wide x 260′ long, constructed using the latest in environmentally friendly plastic grated decking combined with Trex Transcend composite decking. Utilizing these materials allows for sunlight to reach marine life and sea grasses below.

Last year, Gibson Marine completed one of the largest seawall projects in Pinellas County at the resort, and was awarded this recent pier contract based on the workmanship and quality of work from the 2012 seawall construction. Both projects were completed on time and within budget.

Gibson Marine Construction is a full-service marine contractor with over 30 years of experience building seawalls, docks and installing boat lifts. For more information, visit www.gibson-marine.com or call (727) 942-3111.

It’s a dream of many to have an ocean front home or to have a home with a pool. But that dream can quickly turn into a nightmare for parents of small children if they aren’t careful.

While summer pool parties or a day at the beach can be fun and relaxing, there is a grim reality that must be faced: water is a danger to small children. Drowning is the leading cause of children aged one to three and the second leading cause of death for children fifteen and under. Another alarming statistic? Only 34% of parents are aware of these figures.

Water doesn’t have to be deadly. In fact, it can be the opposite if parents have enough safety devices and precautionary measures in place. These precautions include:

• Staying in arm’s reach of your child when near a pool or body of water and keeping your eye on your child at all times. If you have to leave the area, never leave your child in the pool. Even a shallow body of water can turn deadly.
• Swim near a lifeguard when at a public body of water. Make sure public beaches and lakes have designated swimming areas and don’t wander away from them.
• Use the correct safety device. This means life jackets approved by the Coast Guard. Unfortunately, arm floatation devices will not protect your child from drowning.
• Lifeguards are important but don’t rely on them. Lifeguards have a lot of swimmers to watch and won’t necessarily notice if your child slips under the water. The responsibility of keeping your child safe ultimately lies with you.
• Finally, if you own a home with a pool, be sure to install a child safety fence. Keep in mind that all child safety fences are not created equal. Look for ones that can’t easily be pushed down or in allowing a small child to squeeze through. Also look for fencing that won’t get hot in the sun and cause burns if touched.

Taking precautions after your child has gained unsupervised access to your pool or a swimming area is too late. These tips can keep your summer fun from turning into summer tragedy.

 

Hurricanes and tropical storms – they’re inevitable, and unwelcome, visitors to those living along the Florida coast. Today, coastal residents almost always receive ample warning of a storm’s approach, which allows time to secure properties and structures as much as possible.

Despite the most careful preparation, however, damage still happens. Here are a few ideas on how to assess the condition of boat docks and seawalls at the shore of your property, once the storm has passed, and before you begin to clean up:

SAFETY FIRST – Don’t venture to the water’s edge until the weather has calmed down – completely. This means no stiff winds or driving rain, and you must absolutely avoid the water (or being outdoors at all) if lightning is flashing.

LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE – Take a general look around at the dock, the seawall, the ground behind the wall. What looks different? Has water crested over the seawall and compromised the landscaping? Is the dock leaning, or tipped, or damaged in some other way? Again, think ahead and act safely. Watch out for soft, mushy footing if you walk on the ground behind the seawall, and don’t test the strength of the dock by stepping onto it if it looks damaged.

READ YOUR POLICY, CALL YOUR AGENT – You may already know what’s covered under your homeowner’s insurance policy, or at least believe you know. Now is a good time to get it out and familiarize yourself with your coverage just the same. If there’s obvious damage and you’re going to file a claim, chances are you’ll be referring to the policy soon anyway. And call your agent before you try and fix or clean up anything. Often the insurance agent will tell you to…

TAKE PICTURES, AND LOTS OF THEM – If one picture is worth a thousand words, then a few dozen digital images are worth one thick written report. Grab your camera and take pictures of anything that looks compromised or broken or damaged, from every angle. If you can be certain your dock is safe to walk on, take pictures of the water side of your seawall if you think some harm may have come to it.

Only after following these tips should you think about beginning your post-storm cleanup. The storm has come and gone, and there’s no preventing them, but you can prevent injury and misunderstandings by moving forward diligently and wisely after calmer weather settles in.

Please call us at 727-942-3111 if you have any concerns about damage to your waterfront structures and property.

The temperatures are climbing, trees and bushes are donning their new green spring coats, lawnmowers are firing up for the first time after a long winter. That can only mean one thing: Spring has sprung!

With the renewal that spring brings, following suit with your landscaping chores is, or at least should be, at the front of your mind. Here are a few landscaping tips to get the outside of your home ready to enjoy.

First stop is your perennial beds – good examples of these are your ornamental grasses, butterfly bushes and spireas. Depending on the plant, a good rule of thumb is to cut these back to between 2” and 8” from the soil.

Conversely, you’ll want to hold off pruning some of your flowering bushes like your lilacs, forsythia, magnolias or azaleas. Plan to prune these in late spring or early summer instead,

Moving on to your mulch…be sure to thicken up the mulch in your beds and around your trees to at least three inches but no more than four. This helps to maintain moisture, control weeds, prevents soil erosion, adds insulation over the roots and above all, beautifies your landscape. Be sure your mulch lies flat and isn’t lying against the trees or shrubs.  Also – mulch rings around your trees and shrubs will prevent damage from your mower and weed eater.

Don’t neglect your trees! Remove dead and dying branches, crossing branches and sprouts growing at the base of your trees.  Trees are very valuable assets to your landscape – not only because of the beauty they provide, but also because they act as wind breakers, provide shade and help to hold soil in place. Keep in mind that Arbor Day is April 28^th – celebrate by planting a tree!

 

When choosing to protect your property, Gibson Marine confidently recommends the highest quality vinyl bulkhead materials to build or reconstruct your seawall. However, some commercial marinas or waterfront residences may require a seawall made of stone (riprap), concrete, or specialty treated wood. We can accommodate according to your specific needs.

Many contractors still prefer to use aluminum to construct seawalls and it may be confusing as to which is the better choice. We hope this helps:

Aluminum
Metallic components have been used in waterfront construction for centuries. Aluminum sheeting is prone to degradation from both natural and human induced sources. Natural corrosion is the degradation that occurs when a material is left on its own without the interference from a man-made system or scenario. Human induced corrosion can cause incredibly quick material loss and structural damage: galvanic reaction, stray current corrosion and interaction with high pH/organic soils.

Vinyl
Breakthroughs in the polymer industry allow for structural products made from strong, weatherable products to make it to the market. Vinyl sheeting has become a major construction component in the marine industry because of its ability to do what aluminum cannot: provide a strong wall with no degradation. The vinyl sheeting is resistant to changing soil conditions/pH and has no natural oxidation. Vinyl is also a material with low conductivity, so it will not act as a grounding element causing a galvanic reaction.

Our viewpoint: Aluminum is a strong material but has many issues being used in an environment as harsh as a marine setting. The sheeting is under attack from several possible areas, both natural and man-made. The nature of aluminum causes it to be a sacrificial material in many settings, with drastic material loss very visible. Possible protection of an aluminum system requires expensive upfront cost and a regular maintenance routine. Vinyl sheeting has become popular because it is both a structural product and can resist both natural and man-made attacks that would begin a corrosive situation in metallic sheets.

At Gibson Marine Construction, we pride ourselves in using only quality materials and when the product is eco-friendly, it’s a win-win for everyone. That’s why we’ve chosen MoistureShield Composite Decking materials to construct our decks and docks. For 20 years, they have been manufacturing composite wood building product using reclaimed wood fibers and recycled plastics. Through their proprietary Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies (AERT), they have won numerous awards in green initiatives and are considered pioneers in the industry.

All MoistureShield products are “are manufactured with a 50/50 blend of recycled wood fibers and plastics. As a company, A.E.R.T. is able to save 271,808,511 pounds of waste from entering the country’s landfills every year. That equals 36 football fields stacked 10 feet high!”

Owner Eric Swauger is thrilled to offer MoistureShield building materials. He says, “Being environmentally conscious is important to us and we are confident this product not only looks great, but helps conserve resources.”

For more information about MoistureShield’s environmentally friendly composite decking materials, or how we can go green with your dock or deck, give us a call at (727) 942-3111 or email info@gibson-marine.com.