Boat operators launching near the Coupeville ferry landing should find themselves on better footing these days.

All 12 floats located next to the boat launch were replaced last week by the Washington State Parks marine crew that is based out of Cornet Bay.

The specialized crew spent two days removing the aging, wood-and-steel structures and replacing them with modern floats that the unit constructed themselves.

The new ones are made of Fibergrate decking that meets new environmental standards calling for more light to penetrate through them, which is more friendly to the marine plants such as eel grass below.

The decking rests on plastic tubes that are filled with foam for buoyancy.

“There is a big push for plastic and no wood in the water,” said Chris Johnson, the marine crew manager. “And light penetration is a big deal.”

The unit travels all over the state, installing floatable structures. The float project in Coupeville was overdue, Johnson said, estimating the 20-foot long and 6-foot wide sections were installed in 1993 or 1994.

Some of the wood on the old floats was deteriorating, he added.

For about seven years now, the marine crew has been changing out the older structures and replacing them with ones with newer materials.

“It’s a requirement now for building docks, floats or water structures to have 60 percent light penetration in the footprint,” said Toni Droscher, a State Parks spokesperson. “That benefits the eel grass habitat, which benefits forage fish, which in turn are prey for salmon. So it’s good for the whole ecosystem.”

Considering the better traction, it’s good for boaters, too.