The Ipe marine decking boardwalk built at Ocean Beach Park in New London, Connecticut is an example of a community,
its businesses and many good people all working together to create something beautiful and enduring for residents and visitors of this historic seaside locale.
New London, the “Whaling City”, has a rich nautical heritage and a beautiful waterfront, bristling with maritime activity. From the Coast Guard Academy, State Pier, multiple ferry services on the Thames River, the Coast Guard Station to Ledge Light and New London Light house, and colonial era Fort Trumbull to Ocean Beach Park on Long Island Sound, New London owes much of its rich history to the sea.
The half mile long Ipe boardwalk at Ocean Beach Park in New London serves as the main
walkway and connector to the beach, pavilions, café, restaurants, snack bars, video arcade, carousel and rides, water slide, spray park, swimming pool, playground, nature walk, performance area, and much more. Ipe hardwood is often selected for boardwalk construction for many of the same reasons it is prized for backyard decks; it looks great, performs wonderfully and lasts incredibly long. The warmth, beauty and performance of Ipe decking are perfect for coastal applications.
It wasn’t too long ago when the future of Ocean Beach Park didn’t look very bright. In the early 2000’s the old boardwalk was far older than its life expectancy and was in a serious state of disrepair. Loose pressure treated boards were deteriorating. 
It was a rare day when youngsters weren't visiting the nurse's station to remove splinters from their bare feet. Ocean Beach Park Manager Dave Sugrue, spearheaded a team of helpful citizens and local community groups in what was largely a volunteer effort to restore Ocean Beach to its former glory. Ipe decking was used for this project due to its terrific strength and well earned reputation of being decay resistant and traffic and splinter resistant. The result is a beautiful boardwalk featuring 5/4 x 4 Ipe hardwood decking. Ipe decking is known to last for decades with little or no maintenance. Ipe decking weathers to a silvery gray patina in very little time in a shoreline installation. Over 400,000 screws were used to fasten the Ipe decking to the frame of the boardwalk and volunteers were there through the heat and the bitter cold for four years to bring this project to completion.
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