Back in December 2022 we hauled the L. A. Dunton and blocked the vessel up near the entrance to the shipyard for the duration of a long-awaited, multi-year restoration. We’ve built stairs up to the top deck so that visitors can come aboard and see the work we’re doing, and we’ll also be installing a small elevator up through the hull to make the boat accessible to all!
But wait, is the vessel just sitting up on the land? Can the ground really support the weight, especially so close to the edge of the water?
Good question. Glad you asked!
The short answer is, no, there’s no way the vessel could just be placed on blocking on the ground, especially that close to the bulkhead. Much of the shipyard is constructed on fill, and while that’s great for most things, it would not do well with such a concentrated load. So, to make sure that the Dunton had a rock-solid foundation below, we built a special platform beneath all of the keel blocks and side supports.
It started with a shallow trench, shaped like a long line with wings coming out along its length. We hired a local company that specializes in driving dock pilings, and they drove long pressure treated pilings deep into the ground throughout the trench.
Once they were driven in, the tops were cut off below the eventual surface of the pad.
After that, a crew came in to set up forms, rebar, and pour the concrete.
You can see the Dunton tied up in the background, waiting for haul out day. Or if you were a drone…
While the vessel was patiently waiting, a group of Coast Guard cadets came by and helped to offload all of the movable lead and concrete block ballast.
They were super energetic and the crane and forklift could barely keep up with them.
A team of shipwrights built blocking and set up poppets on top of the concrete pad to support the weight of the vessel. You can also see the massive lifting gear and one of the cranes brought in to lift the vessel out of the water and onto the blocking.
Oh yes, the lifting gear.
Lifting a boat the size and age of the Dunton is a tricky operation. Early on we recognized that a single crane would not be a feasible option, given the limitations of the site and the depth of the river. A lifting setup was designed that relied on two massive land-based cranes.
And so, by first week of December 2022 the L. A. Dunton was riding high in the water, ready to be moved to a new home for the next few years. It’s not readily apparent how much work was involved to arrive at this moment, and that’s usually the sign of good planning.
