Hydro Engineering & Mapping, Inc.
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Hydro Engineering & Mapping, Inc.
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 JASON NUTTLE jason.nuttle@scripps.com |
Hydro Engineering & Mapping surveyor Rob Corbett, in the rear of the boat, adjusts the GPS survey antenna as Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center Executive Director Mark Perry helps with the wiring as the crew sets out to map the St. Lucie River. |
An avid boater, Brian McMahon has seen a number of vessels run aground while trying to navigate the Treasure Coast's shallow waters.
And Alan Shirkey is more than familiar with boaters' frustrations when it comes to seeking out fishing hot spots.
The two Stuart engineers — along with a number of other specialists — have joined forces to establish a new firm dedicated to generating in-depth, up-to-date regional boating charts. Members of the months-old Hydro Engineering & Mapping firm in Stuart are hoping the ambitious effort proves to be a cash cow down the road.
"There are about a dozen local incidents each day of people damaging their boats or spending $300 on a tow," said McMahon.
"In the boaters' defense, it's not just carelessness but a lack of current up-to-date information on where the low spots are. In coastal areas, the bottoms change all the time. Our goal is to develop good maps of areas of high importance and eventually create a boating guide that we can sell to the public."
Armed with about $100,000 worth of high-tech equipment, the firm's nine shareholders — most of whom work for Stuart-based Engineering & Water Resources — already have begun creating "points of interest" maps, or charts featuring popular local boating spots.
Although they don't cover as much geographic territory as those produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or other agencies, Hydro Engineering officials say their maps are more detailed and accurate when it comes to reflecting current water depth.
The problem, they say, is most of the charts now sold to boaters rely on old data — sometimes collected as far back as fifty years ago. And while some water surveys are in the process of being updated, tightened purse-strings mean the focus is on the nation's larger commercial boating areas — such as the Mississippi River.
This is where Hydro Engineering comes in.
Utilizing high-tech mapping software and global positioning system equipment, the team has been hitting the local waters the past month to determine bottom depth statistics.
"It's just phenomenal the amount of data that is collected," said David Green, another Hydro shareholder. "With the tools we have today, we can gather more data more precisely than we were ever able to do."
In two days time, employees are able to chart out and process approximately 10 square miles of water. McMahon said they may wind up mapping some places repeatedly, in order to study the shrinkage or growth of various shallow spots.
Once they get through Martin County, the team will turn its attention to other parts of the Treasure Coast and South Florida. In addition, they plan to work closely with groups like Florida Fish & Wildlife and Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center on environmental mapping.
McMahon said sales of the charts, which probably will run about $15 each, could begin within a week depending on support from marinas, ship stores and bait and tackle shops.
"Our biggest hurdle is getting the word out and finding local marine-oriented businesses willing to help us market the charts," he said.