Tenant Spotlight: Transpac Marinas

January 19, 2023 | News

Transpac Marinas’ specialized docks support workers, industries, and communities around the Northwest and beyond

If you’ve ever marveled at a custom-built, state of the art, floating dock, chances are good that it was designed and built right here at the Port of Anacortes. Transpac Marinas has been changing the game for floating docks since 1984, when its founder, Dave Rytand, crystallized his goal of creating float systems of the highest quality that could withstand extreme environmental conditions. Every single floating dock system that Transpac Marinas has sold since then has been custom-built and custom designed for the location and conditions for which it was bound. A large portion of their portfolio can be found in Alaska and on Lake Chelan, both of which boast highly variable conditions in wind, weather, and tides or water levels, and have varying needs for installation, durability, maintenance, and safety. Transpac Marinas works to meet all of these needs and partners closely with their clients to design a floating dock system that will stand the test of time while meeting the specialized needs of its users. Designed and built at the Port of Anacortes, the docks are then towed on a barge to their destinations, either via truck through the Seattle barge terminal, or directly out of Anacortes.

So, what makes it all possible? Transpac Marina’s relationships with the Port, their neighbor tenants, and their large network of clients are the driving force behind the company’s success. Because the dock systems can be built year-round in and out of the water at the Port, Transpac Marinas keeps busy year-round. Their team of seventeen works around limited installation windows in the remote destinations for their floats, first visiting new locations to ensure their understanding of the location’s needs and challenges by working with both their client and the community who will use the docks. The next step is to design and build a custom float system that will check as many boxes as possible while remaining in budget for the client. Building on trust and mutual understanding with clients and the communities their docks serve is paramount to the success of each project, and it’s made Transpac Marinas highly sought after, with design and production scheduled through 2024.

Their location at the Port is also ideal for the growth of the business, as Transpac Marinas can partner closely with Port leadership and their neighbor tenants to schedule and accommodate larger projects, and they are ideally situated to deliver their floats once completed. This is especially important when building larger dock systems, such as for cruise ships, which is a growing industry in Alaska and is likely to continue to draw in new business for Transpac Marinas. An example of this grew from a highly successful project in Icy Straight Point, contracting with Turnagain Marine Construction to create a dock system for Hoonah Cruise Ship Dock, owned by the Huna Totem Corporation, which works to advance the economic aspirations and culture of the Xúna Kaawu and has been developing the cruise tourism industry to bring jobs and economic growth to smaller villages. Because of the demonstrated quality and success of this project, Transpac Marinas was able to continue working with this client and contractor to build floating dock systems in other locations.

In the future, Transpac Marinas is looking forward to continued growth, building on their relationships and tapping into industry growth and increased government infrastructure funding. In continuation of their highly successful business model, they look forward to choosing carefully what projects they pursue, working closely with their clients, and designing thoughtful solutions for the environmental conditions, maintenance needs, and uses of the dock systems they build. We are glad to have Transpac Marinas call our Port home and look forward to even more fruitful partnership in the years to come