Grant enabled a safe harbour
A finished sauna raft was only half the journey—without a safe place to dock, it couldn’t truly set sail as a business. Thanks to the grant, Veikka Niemikotka could transform a fragile shoreline into a secure harbor, with both physical infrastructure and a seamless booking experience now ready to welcome future guests.
The grant played a pivotal role in advancing the sauna raft project by shifting attention from the raft itself to the essential infrastructure required for safe and functional operations. While the raft was successfully completed, it quickly became clear that the main obstacle to launching rental services was an outdated and unstable dock. The old structure, resting loosely on sharp shoreline rocks, was both unsafe and impractical. It made proper mooring nearly impossible and posed a risk of damage to the raft, especially during storms and strong waves.
Built to last and serve
The new dock was designed with three primary objectives: year-round stability, secure and protected mooring, and safe, accessible boarding regardless of water level fluctuations. The chosen solution was a fixed crib dock, constructed from multiple timber frames filled with stone. Its feasibility was supported by the sheltered location at the end of a small lake and the presence of large shoreline rocks that allowed for solid anchoring. Approximately 7,000 kilograms of granite stones, sourced directly from the surrounding area, were used in the structure. This not only ensured stability but also helped clear the rocky shoreline. The dock itself was built from treated timber, reinforced with heavy-duty stainless steel bolts, and equipped with strong mooring bollards and protective fenders to accommodate the raft’s movement in waves. Its height was carefully determined based on long-term water level data to ensure minimal step height between the dock and the raft, improving both safety and accessibility.
Beyond the physical construction, the grant also enabled the development of a modern website with an integrated booking system. This digital platform allows customers to easily make reservations and access essential information such as pricing, rules, the story behind the raft, and a photo gallery. Together, the physical and digital developments were designed to create a seamless customer experience from booking to boarding.
Additional improvements were made to the raft itself during 2025. Its load capacity was increased with four unsinkable pontoons, and a new dashboard display was installed to provide real-time battery status and usage estimates. Solar energy has proven particularly effective, occasionally generating more power than the motor consumes on sunny days.
HUBS grant greatly accelerated the project: without it, launching operations would have been delayed by years. Now, both the physical and digital infrastructure supporting the sauna raft are on solid footing.
The sauna raft has already attracted significant local interest, both on-site and on social media. However, before officially launching rental operations, the focus remains on ensuring complete safety and usability, as well as full compliance with EU recreational craft regulations. Overall, the grant significantly accelerated the project, turning what could have taken years into a near-ready operation. With both the physical and digital infrastructure now in place, the project is well-positioned to offer a safe, high-quality, and sustainable sauna raft experience to future guests.
English summary of original Finnish text by Veikka Niemikotka.
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