Pine Island Canopy
Start Date 1997
Completion Date 1998
Design By Steve Taylor
Builder Steve Taylor Builder
Engineer FTL
Fabric Fabric Structures Inc
Owner Steve and Nellie Taylor
Location Pine Island
BOAT CANOPY- PINE ISLAND, N.Y.
An image of svelte timbers and taut sails
by Steve Taylor
The Pine Island boat canopy provides a covered mooring for two boats along side a dock that lies parallel to the shoreline of the island. The one-acre island lies just inside U.S. waters along the Canadian Middle Channel of the St. Lawrence River.
The design entails a row of six curved laminated wooden columns supporting curved and tapered laminated beams that cantilever 12 feet over the water. The 60 foot wide structure is covered by a tensioned weatherproof fabric that shelters both the dock and moored boats.
Achieving the desired light, graceful appearance was made possible through laminating the wood'members. We relied on the expertise of Gougeon Brothers Inc., manufacturers of boat building epoxies, to guide us through the fabricating process. We needed to achieve a compromise of making the wood components limber enough to bend to the desired shape yet stiff enough to obtain even clamping pressure. In the end, we opted for l inch thick laminations resulting in eight layers for the columns and 13 for the beams.
To imply the sculpted lines of a boat hull, we wanted the beams and columns tapered in profile. This challenge was met by tapering the individual laminations after they were scarf joined, to create full-length pieces, and before gluing and clamping. Gougeon Brothers came up with a simple way to plane each laminate so that all were tapered exactly the same.
The curved beams are anchored to the rock outcroppings. We used two 61 galvanized shear plates (one each side) for the steel to wood connections and epoxy anchors for the steel to rock connections. The column to beam connection is made with wood flanges and wood pegs, set with epoxy. A built-up (glued) horizontal strut, engaged and pegged, to each column provides lateral stability and outriggers for the fabric at each end.
The pieces fit together beautifully on site so that complete construction
took only 10 days, the support structure for the dock having been built the
previous Fall.
This project won an Award of Excellence at the International Achievement Awards
competition at the Industrial Fabrics Association International's (IFAI) Expo
1998 in the Single Family Residential Awnings and Canopies category.
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