MARION — The situation surrounding an in-construction dock in Wings Cove has gotten a little rocky.

In March, the Marion Planning Board approved a special permit for an 80-foot dock at 122 Register Rd., owned by 122 Register Road LLC,  which juts into the cove.

The board ruled that it would have no impact on recreation for boaters, but many who navigate the waters begged to differ.

As a contractor began constructing the dock, boaters who launch their vessels into wings cove claimed in a series of Facebook posts that the new dock would inhibit their ability to navigate rocky waters in the cove.

The group of boaters organized, calling state and local officials. And within days of the initial posts, the dock’s owner scaled back the project by about 30 feet. 

The area that would be spanned by the dock is a channel, free of rocks that boaters would otherwise need to avoid. But, to make it to and from the cove’s boat ramp, the dock would have forced boats farther to the eastern side of the cove, where boaters say the waters are much more rocky.

Robert Braman, of Braman Surveying & Assoc. and a frequent user of the cove, assessed that navigable waters in the cove are limited to the channel past the proposed dock.

“Everybody that uses the ramp knows where the channel is,” he said. “Or you find out pretty quickly.”

When the Planning board approved the special permit for the dock, it considered recommendations from the Harbormaster, Marine Resources Commission, and Conservation Commission. The board concluded that “the accessory pier will not have an adverse impact on coastal ecology, recreational use of adjoining waters, or the use and enjoyment of the waterfront by adjoining property owners.”

Braman said scaling back of the dock helps with navigation, but it’s unclear whether that solves the issue for all boaters.

“It certainly helps the issue,” Braman said.

Ryan Burke, another user of the boat ramp, said he hasn’t studied the new plans enough to know if the issue is completely solved. 

“It just depends on what their intentions are for the end of the pier,” he said, where a floating dock is planned. 

Braman said he navigated the waters last Wednesday as if the dock were built, and didn’t have much issue making it through the cove.

“It gives us a little bit of space moving through the channel,” he said.

Burke said about a dozen users of the cove visited on Saturday, where the group was split on whether the scale back was enough to satisfy boaters. 

“There’s still a large number of people trying to get the process back to the local level and get it started again,” he said. 

Upon its initial Planning Board approval, Braman said neither he nor other users of the cove were present to voice their concerns, noting that he and others didn’t realize how far into the cove the dock was proposed to extend.

“The public and myself got caught sleeping,” he said.

Sippican Week reached out to Michael Vareika, owner of 122 Register Road LLC, for comment, but did not receive a response.