What's New at Seaview

[Seaview Boatyard Fairhaven] - We at Seaview Boatyards appreciate The Working Waterfront Coalition in accepting an invitation to visit our Seaview Fairhaven location and see the new and improved Boatyard facility. During the visit, we discussed updates regarding ongoing projects at Seaview North and had a general discussion of Seaview Boatyard's policies, both in Seattle and Bellingham, that we’d like to share with our community. 

The Seaview Fairhaven Boatyard, courtesy of the Port of Bellingham and grant program, recently completed a nearly six-month major Stormwater Infrastructure project that has been in the planning phase for a considerable amount of time. It was phase one of the Fairhaven Marine Industrial Park (FMIP), and the second phase will probably commence sometime in 2025 or 2026.

Since Seaview took over the Boatyard (2007) at FMIP (formerly Padden Creek), we have battled with periodic flooding primarily in the fall & winter months as a result of storm surge and King tide events. Unfortunately, we could not operate the Boatyard as a result. We could only operate as a storage facility while not allowing any work to be performed on the exterior of the vessels, or risk heavy fines from the EPA/DOE & third-party entities. As a result, our emphasis at this site was, and continues to be, the four work bays & Building 3 where we perform major repairs, renovation, specialty wood projects & top-house construction. Additionally, we store and work on large vessels in our temperature-controlled buildings. The bottom line is that we are very grateful to be able to operate as a Boatyard after 18 years of being in business here. It will truly be a game-changer for us!

As for Seaview North, we continue to improve the facility. In recent years, we have demolished Buildings #3 & #2 and are slated to demolish #1 this coming summer/fall time frame. So far, this has resulted in a net gain of 12 boat stalls, depending on the size vessel. It's important to note Seaview North handles in excess of 1,000 boats each year, which includes one-way & round trip haul-outs. With the removal of Building #1, we should realize an additional 10 boat stalls. 

That brings us to the prospect of a new building. Over the years, we have looked at two different models of building(s), one being strictly a repair building, and the second being a stack-storage/ repair building. Unfortunately, at this time due to the current inflationary pressures & interest rates it has been shelved. We remain motivated to construct a building, possibly in a phased-in approach, and/or a stand-alone stack-storage structure. These models have been, and are being, actively pursued at a considerable expense. 

We would like to reiterate we are an open Boatyard that allows boat owners and independent contractors to work on their vessels both above, and below, the waterline. There are caveats to these activities that occurred in 2019, so we believe it's important to bring attention to why, and what is or is not permitted. These permissions are driven by the State of Washington Department of Ecology (DOE) Boatyard Permit. Specifically, the DMR's (Discharge Monitoring Records ) that currently are held are extremely strict. Copper levels, for example, are 44ppb and Zinc levels are 90ppb. To put that in perspective, if you put a bucket into the Ship Canal in Seattle and drew it out of the water, you could not dump that bucket back into that body of water. 

In order to comply with these limits, as of 2019 we restricted all bottom-paint related activity and zinc-replacement to be able to remain the above DMR levels, and in compliance. Additionally, it has always been our policy that no sand-blasting or spray-paint application is allowed other than by Seaview personnel in order to remain above the legal levels. 

There is, however, still bottom-work that can be done. Here is a quick overview of what is currently, and has always been, allowed: 
Topside work: All topside maintenance which includes washing & waxing. Topside repairs and topside roller/brush applications are also allowed. Note: all sanding must be performed with a vacuum-sander. 

Below-Waterline Work: All phases of woodwork (plank/frame), fiberglass work, thru-hull replacement and running gear. All the above work will require a ground tarp and full containment, and all work areas must be cleaned up daily. Debris can be hauled off-site or a fee will be assessed for disposal.

The bottom line is that the Boatyard is responsible for any and all waste streams. To maintain our compliance, it's imperative to keep all the boat stalls clean to mitigate any waste stream getting to the receiving waters of Washington State, as per the Boatyard Permit. 

We will soon be celebrating 25 years in Bellingham operating as a full service boatyard, and allowing boat owners and outside contractors to work on vessels. We look forward to helping you with your upcoming projects, and if you’d like more information, please refer to our website: 

www.seaviewboatyard.com 

We look forward to working with you all in the future. 

Best Regards, 

Tiel Riise   &  Phil Riise

President        CEO