Palm Beach Yacht Club Breakwater

The Palm Beach Yacht Club is a unique marina with all of the facilities, including a restaurant and corporate offices in the Intracoastal Waterway. The Club was chartered in 1911 and is currently the oldest established business in West Palm Beach. The existing breakwater was installed to protect the boats moored at the Yacht Club Marina, but it deteriorated beyond its usable life span. Breakwater systems are unlike seawalls in that the materials are installed surrounded by water and must dissipate forces without stopping the water flow completely.

WGI developed a unique solution to this problem by installing custom prestressed concrete king piles with keyways to allow the concrete sheet panels to fit between the piles, securing the panels without fixing them to the concrete cap. This approach allows the water to flow through the sheet panels while stopping the wave forces from reaching the boats. WGI also utilized high strength concrete and galvanized reinforcing to extend the life of the new breakwater.