Dock Builder News

Merco Docks Help Town Celebrate Independence Day

Local dock builder donates temporary docks to support Independence Day festivities. The City of Wellsburg’s courtesy docks are missing for the 2014 boating season after being deemed unsafe for public use and completely removed from the 12th street launch ramp area this past winter. The docks are typically used by the area’s boaters for 4th of July festivities in Wellsburg, where boating is a large part of the local community. With no city docks, there would be no public water based commerce or other boating activity over the holidays.

Marine Construction:

Protecting Contractors As They Enter New Waters. As the economic recovery continues to sputter along, construction companies eager to land any available projects have found themselves bidding outside their normal scope of work. Maritime construction is one such industry that has seen an increase in contractors who may not typically work on marine-related projects, thereby increasing the likelihood that individual projects may fall outside their skill set. While contracts in marine construction present opportunities for income…

What is in John Garner's Pocket

You don't really know a boat until she's hauled. Plying her trade on the water, her best half's submerged out of sight. We think we recognize her - "oh, there's Odin," or "Shelby Rose," or "Twintube" - but what are we seeing? The lines of the deckhouse, the shape and placement of the wheelhouse, the arrangement of the stacks? These are the parts known as the superstructure - "super," in this case, meaning simply "upon." It's a little like saying we recognize someone by his hat. The boat's defining structure starts at the main deck and goes downward from there. What little we see of it is low on the horizon. There's the deck's line, along with a smattering of bulwarks.