downdrift beaches. In most cases heavy construction equipment, often barge mounted, is necessary for
breakwater construction.
Floating Breakwaters
Wave Height Range: Below five feet.
Floating breakwaters can be constructed of virtually any buoyant material such as rubber tires,
logs, timbers, and hollow concrete modules. Floating breakwaters are particularly advantageous where
offshore slopes are steep and fixed breakwaters would be expensive because of deep water. They can
also be used where the tidal range is large and fixed breakwaters would be subjected to widely varying
degrees of submergence. Floating breakwaters are also excellent for temporary installations, such as
where vegetation requires protection while becoming established.
Floating breakwaters have several disadvantages as well. They are effective only against short-
period waves (less than five seconds), which are those most commonly present in sheltered locations
where low cost protection is most appropriate. Also, they may regarded as eyesores in some areas, they
tend to collect floating debris, and they may require more maintenance than fixed breakwaters.
Rubber Tires. Two possible arrangements are shown on Figure 60. The upper configuration,
known as a Wave-Maze, is patented and cannot be used without payment of royalties (See Other Help
Section). The bottom configuration was developed by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for
promotional purposes and may be used without royalties. The use of other configurations is limited only
by the imagination of the designer.
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