The redevelopment of a Lake of the Ozarks resort was in jeopardy until the development team learned of the new ShoreMaster floating breakwaters.

In 1998, the father/son duo of Tom and Mark Kelly began to explore the possibility of purchasing and renovating the Compass Pointe property. The St. Louis based developers had been active in the Lake of the Ozarks area for many years and were well aware of the site, its problems and its potential.

“The Compass Pointe site is an ideal spot for a lake oriented development,” said Mark Kelly. “The problem is boat wakes from heavy boat traffic.” Based on lake patrol counts, the point is subjected to the wakes of up to 3,000 boats in each direction or a total of 6,000 boats on busy weekend days.

The resort had failed under the three previous owners because they had been unable to provide protection for boats moored at the property. Without adequate boating facilities, the resort was not able to compete.

“If we had been unable to find a tough enough breakwater, we would have passed on the project,” explained Kelly. After reviewing the breakwaters available, the Kelly’s decided to install a ShoreMaster Model 855 floating breakwater.

The secret of the ShoreMaster Model 855’s strength is its connection system. Unlike conventional systems, the ShoreMaster system is connected with cables that run the length of the pontoon and are hydraulically post-tensioned. The cable is sheathed in plastic and run through PVC tubing molded into the pontoons to protect the cable against corrosion. In addition, polyurethane spacers are placed between the sections. As the cable is tensioned, the spacers compress and form an air tight seal that keeps the cable area free from the corrosive effects of water. As the system moves, the majority of the force is absorbed by the cable and not the concrete.

The ShoreMaster connection system was created by Rixo-bryggan of Brastad, Sweden after studying the use of cables to support concrete suspension bridges. In 1993, a patent was awarded protecting the use of cables in connecting sectional floating concrete docks and breakwaters. ShoreMaster is the North American licensee of the patent.

ShoreMaster has been manufacturing boat lifts, docks and related waterfront equipment for over 25 years. ShoreMaster also manufactures and distributes a complete line of 12”, 16”, 20” and 24” rotationally molded floats. ShoreMaster is based in Fergus Falls, Minnesota.