Godthåb Bådeforening
About
Godthåb boat association has 1,733 meters of boat bridges divided into 21 bridges and a total of 239 sections.
The bridges are built very solidly, but daily use as well as weather and wind all contribute to wear and tear on the bridges, which therefore do not last forever. Every year, 15-20 sections are replaced and the construction of new sections takes place during most of the winter in the association’s hall.
One section has the following dimensions (725cm x 244cm x 35cm) and weighs a total of 1500-1600kg. They are built up from a frame of heavy beams and closed at the top and bottom with plywood sheets. The buoyancy agent is flamingo and to make the bridge non-slip, boards are laid on top of the bridge along the length of the sections. The sections that are built in the boating association’s hall are handled due to their weight with a hoist and subsequently with the boating association’s rubber goat, where they are transported to a suitable storage location.
Since the boat bridges represent a price of approx. DKK 35,000. per section, they are of great value to the boating association. It is therefore important that there is a constant focus on looking after the bridges. This is done i.a. by ensuring an optimal mooring of the boats so that they do not physically collide with the bridges and thus rub on the woodwork. There is also a great focus on which bridges can handle having the largest boats take wind pressure and waves into consideration during bad weather.
Every year the bridges are taken up at winter time and there are several reasons for this. In part, the harbor basins freeze and thus make sailing difficult for the members. In addition, the winter storms are extra hard on the bridges that are attached to the seabed with chains attached to solid anchors. Snowfall and icing of the bridges also load the bridges with more weight than the buoyancy material can support and the result can cause the bridges to be lost. The footbridges are also at risk of being destroyed due to uneven loading and twisting in the fittings between the foundation, footbridge and the bridges. It therefore makes good sense to secure the bridges before winter sets in and therefore the boats must be removed no later than the second Wednesday in November at 08:00.
Every year, new boats are added to the association. It can be in the form of new members or members who simply replace the boat with a new and usually larger boat. This creates new challenges for the association, finding space for the new boats. As larger boats continue to arrive, there is less and less room for new members, as larger boats take up more width and thereby take up more space on the bridges. It can therefore be a bit of a logistical task to get space for all boats and unfortunately also to make all members completely satisfied with their assigned boat space.
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