Category: Marinas & Floating Infrastructure
Location: New Fairfield, CT, USA
Type of Project: Marina
Products Used: Hazelett Elastic Mooring Systems + anchors
Publicly Identified System: Hazelett DockMaster elastic mooring systems + Helix helical anchors
Details of Installation: Conversion from an aging chain-and-block dock mooring layout to a pre-tensioned elastic mooring arrangement intended to reduce dock wear and lifecycle cost.
Challenges Overcome: Chain system instability, dock wander, shock loading, and maintenance burden associated with traditional chain moorings.

The New Fairfield Marina project is a technically important marina retrofit because it was not a simple dock replacement. Public trade coverage and Hazelett’s own project write-up identify the site as the New Fairfield Town Marina on Candlewood Lake, where an aging chain-and-block mooring system was replaced with Hazelett elastic moorings. Marina Dock Age described the facility as a 156-berth marina, while the current Town of New Fairfield parks page lists 150 annual slips, which together indicate a substantial public marina rather than a small private dock field. That scale matters because instability in a chain-based system multiplies across every connection point, anchor leg, and dock section.

Technically, the core problem behind the New Fairfield Marina project was chain system instability. Traditional chain moorings can allow a floating dock to wander when the line loses effective tension, then transfer a sharp snatch load back into the dock structure when the chain comes taut again. Hazelett’s DockMaster literature describes this failure mode directly: chain-anchored floating structures can wander when water level drops and then jerk violently as loads build. For a public marina on Candlewood Lake, that kind of motion translates into higher stresses at dock-to-line and line-to-anchor connections, faster wear at metal contact points, more uncomfortable dock motion for users, and more maintenance labor over time.

The New Fairfield Marina project addressed that problem by converting the marina to an elastic, pre-tensioned mooring layout. Hazelett says the DockMaster system is typically installed under pre-tension so that loads are shared throughout the mooring lines instead of concentrating at one windward connection. Product literature for the DockMaster family states that one rode provides 6.5 kN of force at 80% stretch, that systems can be configured with up to 12 rodes, and that paired double and triple 3 meter assemblies provide published working loads of 60 kN and 70 kN respectively with 240 kN break strength. Those are system-family capabilities rather than confirmed installed quantities at New Fairfield, but they help explain why an elastic system was a logical engineering choice for a busy municipal marina.

The New Fairfield Marina project also benefits from Candlewood Lake’s operating environment being more dynamic than a typical static pond. Candlewood Lake Authority notes annual drawdown cycles plus defined summer and winter operating ranges. In practical terms, that means marina infrastructure has to tolerate seasonal and operational water-level variation in addition to wind-driven wave action from a large recreational lake. Hazelett’s dock-system materials specifically position the DockMaster for projects with water-level variation and significant wave action, which aligns closely with the marina’s real operating conditions.

From a lifecycle standpoint, the New Fairfield Marina project is strong because the conversion targets wear mechanisms, not just holding capacity. Hazelett’s technical brochure says its elastics absorb energy, reduce peak forces by 30% to 80%, minimize forces at dock connection points, and greatly reduce metal-to-metal connections prone to rust and wear. The same brochure cites a 30-year design life, UV inhibitors, and resistance to abrasion and biofouling. Hazelett’s product coverage in Marina Dock Age separately states that the DockMaster can reduce point loads at connection points on average by 50% by keeping all lines in constant tension. Taken together, those published characteristics explain the client brief’s claim that the New Fairfield Marina project reduced dock wear and lifecycle cost.

The New Fairfield Marina project also carried environmental and installation advantages. Public project coverage says Hazelett supplied Helix helical anchors along with the DockMaster system, and Hazelett’s New Fairfield materials note that the upgrade would help protect sensitive underwater ecosystems. More generally, Hazelett describes its elastic mooring systems as floating above the bottom with a smaller footprint than conventional chain systems, while public installation commentary on the New Fairfield job notes that helix anchors reduce bottom crowding and create more space for strategic line placement. Even in a freshwater lake environment, that is an important advantage for a public marina that has to balance performance, maintenance, and stewardship.