SUMMER STORMS NECESSITATE AGGRESSIVE WINTER DOCK INSTALL SCHEDULE FOR 2022 SEASON
“We were in compounding failure mode. We’d fix one thing, and it would just send the problem up the dock,” says Eric Pharr, Perry Yacht Club Commodore. In 2019, the half-century old sailboat-only marina was facing flood water about 23 feet above normal, which was higher than breakwaters. “Summer storms came and took aging docks that were already being repaired at a high rate and made them in need of replacement.”
The only membership-based marina located on Perry Lake near Kansas City, Missouri, Perry Yacht Club can provide for a sailing haven year-round for its hardiest members, necessitating an aggressive winter construction and completion schedule. “The big challenge with a club of our size is we aren’t huge, but we do have 120ish sailboats in the harbor. Sailboats are unlike pretty much any other boat they have to deal with in the harbor…pull-out schedules are required,” says Pharr. “I think maybe we lost two weeks our entire season, which was awesome. We were expecting a month and planning for a month. MariCorp came in a couple of weeks ahead of schedule and we were able to…save an entire season of fun.”
Perry Yacht Club boasts roughly 90% occupancy in their 130 new slips, with a large population of 28-foot and bigger sailboats. Many have been members since its opening in 1971.
“We’re more of a community than you would see at most marinas,” says Pharr. “We know people, we know their kids, we see them grow up. We have many of the club kids getting married to each other that have been sitting here at the club growing up with each other on their parents’ boats and now they’re getting married and bringing their kids to the club.”
For the future, they have started discussions about expanding their docks and are working on infrastructure upgrades, providing more services to members, while growing the club and sailing community in Kansas City and surrounding metro.
About Perry Yacht Club
Located between Kansas City and Topeka, Perry Lake is a US Army Corps of Engineers operated reservoir and provides the best sailing in Kansas with very few powerboats. Perry Yacht Club was started by three avid sailors and is managed by volunteer officers and a Board of Governors, which are elected by membership. The club has more than 350 members, all new docks with power and water on each slip , 12 club owned boats, plus 45 camp sites. Perry Yacht Club hosts numerous social events and two standing regattas—Firecracker Regatta over 4th of July and Commodores Cup over Labor Day. Members have access to racing, clubs, campgrounds, and social events 1-2 times per month during sailing season.
About Truman Lake
Truman Lake is the largest flood control lake in Missouri. It covers about 55,000 acres. Over 8,000 acres of standing timber were left in the lake to provide aquatic habitat. It has some of the best crappie, catfish, bass, and hybrid fishing year round.
About MariCorp
Maricorp is one of the largest floating boat dock manufacturing and construction firms in the United States, specializing in galvanized steel floating docks and boat lift systems. With projects spanning coast-to-coast, Maricorp provides marina consultation and design, marine construction, repair and renovation, and disaster response and demolition.
Related Links
- Perry Yacht Club Marina Gallery
- Perry Yacht Club Marina Website
- Hurricane Marina Gallery
- Jamestown Marina Gallery
Additional Reading:
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- National Welding Month
- Celebrating Administrative Professionals Day 2023
- Distracted Boating Awareness Month
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