Floating Breakwaters
Floating breakwaters can be constructed of virtually any buoyant material, such as rubber tires,
logs, and hollow concrete modules. Floating breakwaters are particularly advantageous where offshore
slopes are steep and fixed breakwaters would be too expensive because of water depths; where the tide
range is large and fixed breakwaters would be subject to widely varying degrees of submergence; and
where temporary protection of vegetation is required.
A disadvantage is that floating breakwaters may be regarded as eyesores in some areas. They also
tend to collect floating debris and often require more maintenance than fixed breakwaters.
Two possible arrangements of scrap-tire breakwaters are shown on Figure 36. 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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