The iconic Pier 66 Marina in Ft. Lauderdale is undergoing its first renovation since the yachting center’s launch more than five decades ago, just in time to return as an additional venue next month at the 55th Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show.
“They knocked down the marina from the 1950s and built a brand-new, state-of-the-art marina,” Show Management senior vice president and chief operating officer Andrew Doole told Trade Only Today. “So not only is it added back into the show, but it’s a brand-new marina, which will enhance the show. It’s another opportunity for us to accommodate some very large yachts.”
Show Management produces the Ft. Lauderdale show, which will be held from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3 this year. Active Interest Media owns Show Management and PassageMaker.
Phase one of a two-phase, $20 million project is complete and fully occupied, covering a section of more than a half-mile of new parallel dockage along the Mercedes River and the Marion Canal. The new venue will allow the number of yachts exhibited to expand, including superyachts as large as 200 feet, and will allow exhibitors to offer sea trials, which had been a challenge in the past.
Upgrades to the 127-slip, deep-water marina include new bulkheads and a new Marinetek floating dock system equaling more than 3,600 linear feet of parallel dockage and fixed docks.
“This marina is known worldwide and is at the center of one of the busiest yachting hubs in the world,” LXR Luxury Marinas vice president of marinas Kevin Quirk said in a statement. “With the new layout and upgrades we can now host three times more large yachts than before, which also benefits the local businesses that provide services to these vessels.”
The entire electrical infrastructure is being replaced with new power distribution, new dock pedestals and an electrical capacity that will include 480-volt, 400-600 amp, three-phase power able to meet the needs of superyachts.
A new dockmaster’s office and captain’s/crew clubroom will be located on the Intracoastal Waterway.
The new marina layout will accommodate 16 superyachts as large as 150 feet, up from six prior to the redesign, and it has the deep-water capacity to accept yachts larger than 300 feet.
The project is scheduled for completion in October in time for the Ft. Lauderdale show, for which the new marina will serve as a host location.
