Why Australians love a Floating Dry Dock
Picture the scene: you’ve just returned from a glorious Saturday’s boating off your local coastline. The tide is out and the water line is way too low for you to be able to dock your boat to the pier. Floating docks in Australia have become a big part of modern boating life, because they are the best, easiest and safest solution to this problem as well as many other many challenges involved in owning a marine vessel.
FAB Dock is based on the Gold Coast, where more than 200km of waterways have made the South-East Queensland location one of Australia’s most popular boating destinations. In an area this large, the speed with which you can assemble and reposition our inflatable floating docks has been a game-changer, allowing boatowners to focus on the fun element of boating – to enjoy more time navigating the city’s canals and seaways.
Know Your Boat Is Safe in Our Marine Docking System
FAB Dock founder and CEO Dean Howard has one of the most gratifying jobs in the world, being able to give all his customers the “peace of mind” of knowing their boating investment is safer with our marine dock system.
One of the most common phrases I hear from our FAB Dock customers all over the world is the peace of mind they now have, seeing their boats are safely tucked away and no longer exposed to the ravages of the saltwater environment. Their vessel stays clean and dry inside their FAB Dock marine dock system, until they venture out next time to enjoy their boat.
I feel exactly the same way. Without seeming too biased, I could never own a boat again knowing I had to keep it in saltwater, particularly a stern drive.
After another great weekend on our boat with my wife, we washed her, flushed her (the boat, not the wife), covered her up and now I am off for another few weeks in the United States to attend various boat shows [see our article on The Docks Expo in Nashville].
I’ll also meet with other dealers and install more FAB Dock marine dock systems, this time in Florida as the knowledge of how amazing our product is spreading rapidly overseas. All this time I’m away, I’ll be happy in the knowledge that my boat will be as clean and dry when I get home as it was the day that I left her.
If you value your boat and your time spent enjoying it, consider what that’s worth to you then include the value of our in-water marine dock system and you know it’s the right investment for you.
Dean Howard, FAB Dock founder & CEO
Still using antifoul? For the love of the ocean, please stop.
Humans are waking up to the consequences of plastics in our oceans. But what about the consequences of antifouling or bottom paint? Just because we can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not hurting our marine creatures – and us.
You might have seen this viral video of a turtle getting a straw pulled out of its nose. Those images caused such outrage that they led to bans on plastic straws. Or you may have seen the pictures of seabirds lying on the beach, with bottle caps spilling out of their guts or the poor dead whale where 40kg of plastic bags were pulled out of its stomach. If you have, chances are you feel pretty bad about it. Those images probably make you think twice about the way you dispose of trash. Hopefully you’re not be the kind of person who would chuck a plastic bottle over the side of your boat or throw a plastic bag full of rubbish into the water. Because you love the water – that’s why you have a boat, isn’t it? A boat that takes you out into clear, blue seas and wide, open spaces. A boat that leads you to coral reefs where you can snorkel, dive and explore the wonderful underwater world. A boat that allows you to share in some of the planet’s most precious places – lakes, rivers and oceans.
Electrolytic Corrosion. Or, how come my prop dissolved?
Uh oh. You know you’re in trouble when one (or more…) of these things happens:
If you have an aluminium or steel boat:
- Blisters start appearing under your paint
- Pits form on the underwater areas of your boat
- Blisters pop up in lines along sharp edges such as chines and keels
- Corrosion appears, or white calcium deposits
- Paint peels off in sheets
- Metal components literally dissolve – sometimes in days.
Annapolis Boat Show 2019 – FAB Dock proves why an Inflatable dry dock will be the best investment you ever make!
We all know that FAB Docks will keep your boat clean and dry and eliminate the need to apply toxic, poisonous antifoul, but a FAB Dock will also protect your boat in other important ways. All of our customers have found how easy a FAB Dock makes berthing their boat because of the 300mm (12 inch) tubes that they have to bounce their boats into. Well, those big bouncy bumpers also protect your boat should a storm whip up in your local area.
Why an inflatable dock makes sense for your boat
Anyone who’s owned a boat will know just how hard and costly they can be to maintain. Not only are you faced with the constant battle of keeping the hull clean and barnacle-free, but the wear and tear that comes with berthing your beloved vessel means expensive repairs are a constant risk.
Fortunately, you’ll find a time and money-saving solution in the form of FAB Dock, a revolutionary inflatable dry dock system that’s proving a must-have for marine craft owners.
The Best Dry Docking Solution For Your Boat
FAB Dock is a dry docking method by which boats are protected from the harsh, saltwater environment when not in use. Operated using only the 12-volt on-board battery (or even solar power), it inflates quickly and safely upon the vessel being manoeuvred into position.
The ‘ramp rage’ and docking dramas that have plagued traditional berthing methods can be a thing of the past, as the soft, forgiving target provided by FAB Dock allows even novice navigators to bump their craft into its floating home with ease. You can avoid the damage associated with hazardous berthing, which aside from detracting from the aesthetic appeal of your boat, can negatively impact the resale value.
Environmentally Friendly Alternative to Antifoul
Perhaps the biggest draw for the FAB Dock, however, lies in its ability to do away with the need for a yearly recoat of antifouling solution. As sea growth formation is naturally inhibited by dry docking, owners avoid altogether this ecologically harmful, messy, and time-consuming practice of painting with antifoul.
You’ll save more than cost when you don’t have to haul your boat out of the water, paint the hull, replace anodes, and clean the submerged components. The cost savings can roughly equate to paying off your individual dry dock in as little as three years, all while keeping your pride and joy in a condition that’s sure to maximise fuel efficiency and performance.
Offering a level of convenience, ease of use, and affordability scarcely seen in the maritime industry, FAB Dock makes sense for boatowners everywhere.
To preserve your vessel with an inflatable dock system of your own, give the friendly team at FAB Dock a call on 1800 254 088.
Is Antifoul that bad for the environment?
The scourge of seafarers everywhere, barnacles can seriously affect the performance, resale value and appearance of your marine vessel. Faced with this prospect, boatowners have consistently turned to antifouling solutions as a method for keeping pesky sea growth at bay but this, too, comes with its own host of issues. So is this common coating really that bad and, if so, what are the antifoul alternatives available to those heading out on the high seas?
5 reasons why you need to ditch the antifoul or bottom paint
It’s time to ditch the antifouling and discover the non-toxic, low maintenance FAB Dock Docking Solution.
360′ Coverage
FAB Dock = 180′ Coverage
FAB Dock + Boat Cover = 360′ Coverage
Owning a boat like the beautiful Cabriolet Royale you want to make sure that your boat is fully covered.
That you are not only protecting the hull but also protecting the gorgeous trimmings and finishes of the boat.
Clean as a whistle
After recently visiting the gorgeous shores of Port Coogee, we wanted to share a story on how a FAB Dock protected a beautiful Cobalt R5 boat. The owner of this boat had only been able to take his stunning Cobalt out twice in the last 16 months but thank fully due to being protected by our world class FAB Dock the hull came out looking like new. The photo shows what the hull looks like after 16 months of being in a FAB Dock with minimal use. No matter how often you use your boat the FAB Dock will protect your prized possession all year round.
FAB Dock – All year round protection
We have to take this opportunity to say we had a fantastic time in Western Australia, we got to see many of our valued FAB Dock clients and had the chance to meet new faces at the Hillaries Boat Show. We will be back soon!