Only small boats will be able to launch from Coquitlam's Maquabeak Park after the city closed the dock this week for safety reasons.
A city inspector shut down the 35-year-old wooden structure after noticing extensive damage during a routine check-up. Parks manager Kathleen Reinheimer said the floats under two sections appear to have broken away, causing them to sink.
It's believed they were damaged by river debris, "including logs that we've routinely had to remove when they become stuck under the dock," she said.
The city is now looking at options to repair or replace the dock; in the meantime, it remains sealed off and owners of bigger boats are asked to launch elsewhere, Reinheimer said.
Maquabeak Park is heavily used by recreational boaters as it's the only public boat launch on this side of the Fraser and Pitt rivers.
Metro Vancouver is currently in the park to build a water main tunnel to cross the Fraser River; that work is expected to finish late next year.
