Boat owners' arguably most tasking challenge is to ensure that their vessels—often docked miles away from home—are secure and protected against harsh weather conditions, tide changes, and other risk factors. In 2002, prompted by a personal need, Dimitri Lemonides conceptualized and developed PileMate, a durable, versatile sleeve that provides an all-year solution for boats, docks, and pilings.
The environmental and cost-saving advantages of PileMate have been recognized by marinas from all over the world. For instance, Sag Harbor, an iconic boating destination in Long Island, New York, furnished all its pilings in its sleeves, quickly reaping the benefits.
This mooring pole and pile line device is available in 12", 15", and 18" diameters, depending on the diameter of the piling, and is 10 feet long with two feet below the waterline, protecting every harbor from storm surges, ice jacking, marine borers, and other forces of nature. With a 10-year guarantee and PileMate's first iterations still in use, this solution's simple mechanism—sleeves floating up and down with the tides while protecting the vessels—is where its ingenuity and success lie.
PileMate's fruitful collaboration with Sag Harbor attests to the device's potential. It started over two decades ago when Dimitri met the dock's master while traveling to Sag Harbor. To test his invention, the founder installed two sleeves in front of a famous marina restaurant for free. With the master impressed, PileMate was recommended to the harbor's clients, and the company gradually grew and expanded its impact. Now, Sag Harbor utilizes hundreds of PileMates, enabling its clients to enjoy a worry-free, convenient marine experience.
The power of PileMate in Sag Harbor is prominent, especially in wintertime. During temperature transitions, docks, boats, and pilings are vulnerable to damage from occurrences like ice expansion and ice jacking. When water freezes and expands, it applies pressure to any object placed in water, risking damage. Ice jacking, on the other hand, creates vertical pressure on pilings when ice forms around them and water levels rise, the pilings are lifted out of the sea bed.
The most common countermeasures are hiring contractors to re-install piles into the ground in the spring or bubbling—propeller fans blowing warm water from the bottom up, which keep an area ice-free. Both are costly and environmentally harmful—these solutions leave much room for improvement. PileMate alleviates ice jacking without the use of electricity, providing an environmentally—and economically friendly alternative as the seasons change.
Constructed from recycled, rust-proof resin, PileMate eliminates the need for finger docks, providing a tie point directly at the piling, regardless of tide changes. With that, boats are secured using the full piling strength, all while keeping lines parallel to the vessel without scope issues. Additionally, as PileMate rises with the boat, it keeps docks and boats protected during surge storms, allowing the boats to remain secure with no need to adjust the lines.
Other than storms, tide changes, and temperature shifts, boat owners are daunted with borers—small, persistent water-dwelling worms that chip away at the dock piling wood, resulting in skewed or collapsed structures. PileMate removes the food and sunlight supply, ensuring these creatures—which thrive between low and high tides—can't live on covered pilings. At the same time, PileMate provides an estuary for marine life on its own plastic below the waterline instead of on the piling itself. Moreover, for marina development, the PileMate system has no effect on seagrass, allowing building permits to be issued without environmental concerns as opposed to conventional floating docks.
For over 20 years, PileMate has served thousands of dock masters and boat owners. And though the invention has evolved and improved, the goal remains the same—to provide people with peace of mind. Client testimonials are a clear sign that Dimitri's passion product works seamlessly, with one user sharing:
We use PileMate in every slip of our marina and have found them extremely beneficial. Boats can be tied off much more securely with PileMate, and boaters often feel more comfortable backing into slips with PileMate, knowing they are more forgiving than a solid piling. We at Saybrook Point Marina would highly recommend the use of Pilemate!
From two PileMates installed for free, the company has grown into an industry standard, with governmental institutions and municipalities utilizing Dimitri's invention. "It's a simple solution for a huge problem. All the time, I have clients calling, saying that it changed their lives, and now they can enjoy their free time without worrying about their boats being damaged," Dimitri shares. "With us, the only thing you lose is the excuse to go check on your lines—at PileMate, it's all about ease of boating."
