Rimouski is Québec’s main hub of maritime tradition, seamanship, and oceanographic knowledge. Boaters on the Saint-Lawrence estuary know it is also the epicenter of a paradise for pleasure crafts. Sharing a pier with the fishing port, the ferry and the other merchant marine activities, the Rimouski marina host the local search and rescue station as well as many research and law enforcement vessels. The marina is at the hearth of the activity in this growing coastal town. Sadly, during the last decade, the infrastructure of the Marina had reached its lifespan and was requiring more and more maintenance to keep it safe every year. The marina staff was clever and hard working enough to keep the marina open with a limited number of slips untils funding was finally secured last year.
The local boaters and the marina team had been thinking of the perfect marina for a long time… The request for proposal provided all the local knowledge required for Structurmarine to provide a creatively cost effective solution capable of meeting the needs of the local boating community and generating revenues for the city for decades to come. The layout the Structurmarine team came up with in collaboration with the local stakeholders allowed 150 boats in the basin where only 99 were berthed before. The additional section of breakwater around the entrance will guarantee much smoother basin, especially when gales cause sustained NEsterlies. Members of the local club are pleased that the slips will now be oriented in the axis of the prevailing wind. Compared to the former beam-to layout, it will make docking much easier and safer. Visiting Boats up to 50 feet LOA will now be able to make an unforgettable stopover in Rimouski. Bigger slips for 65’ and 85’ have also been included in the design since boat size is expected to grow in Rimouski like it does globally.
The old docks, built in 1984, have been removed and disposed of last fall, as well as all the piles that held them since then. While the bassin was stripped of all structures, a minor dredging operation brought the depth back to a 6’ to 8’ slope where shoaling had become an issue affecting the boat ramp access. Depth everywhere else in the marina had remained much deeper. The first batch of new Structurmarine docks has been delivered in early 2020 and will be assembled on site. Structurmarine’s engineering department also designed and delivered the flexible anchoring system for the docks.
Mariners, visiting cruisers and local boaters will enjoy walking and docking on these sturdy floating structure and the ipe decking and shiny aluminum frames will be a welcome replacement for the wobbly rotten spruce. New members have already filled most of the newly open spots, some of them coming from as far away as Montréal to enjoy the sailing conditions and keep their boats in this state of the art marina facility. The opening of the Marina was planned in june 2020, but delays have been caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Boats of all kinds will nonetheless tie up to new Structurmarine docks in the Rimouski Marina this summer.
