Dock Questions

[als2104]

For those of you in a climate where your lake freezes, what type of dock do you have? Permanent or floating? Do you have a boat lift? Do you remove the dock and lift for the winter? If not, have you had damage from the ice? Do you use a bubbler or other device?

Thanks.

[The_MS]

Hewitt Roll a dock and Roll a rail. No getting wet when putting in or out. Hook up to lawn tractor to pull in and out.

[MichaelGoodman]

Easy dock floating have left in year round for 13 years with no

problems.

[als2104]

Thanks, MS. How does the roll a rail work? Do you pull the boat up on shore after each use?

[Jordan]

Steel framed, floating dock...tow it to a protected area on the lake for the winter.

 

Used to leave in front of our place, even with the steel structure had damage. Builder claimed that it could withstand anything...not quite.

[6balls]

I don't have a lot of shore/yard, so don't want the boat up on it via rail. I have a Hewitt roll in dock and a porta-dock vertical boat lift w/a wheel kit. Put a shore commander power unit on it and it works great. We push it in after ice out, pull it out w/truck in the fall. More cumbersome than difficult.

I like the style of canopy cover used by porta-dock b/c I can put the boat WAY up underneath there. Windshield frame very near canopy frame for great protection from elements...can only see very bottom of boat when all the way up.

[GAJ0004]

Hewitt Roll a dock, and a Shorestation lift. They lower the lake, but I take them out anyway for the winter. In PA we have some winters where the lake fills up with the gate valve open. We just got a set of shore end helper wheels. We have a utility trailer, and a spot to mount and electric winch. We tried pulling them out with the lawn tractor but with all the rain we had the ground was very soft and had not traction. Our shore has a rocky barrier so the wheels are still at the waters edge. My next trip over there I am going to attempt to pull them out the rest of the way with the winch, now that we have the shore end helper wheels. We left them in 1 year when the lake filled up the ice dragged out lift out 15 feet from its normal spot. We were very lucky it was not damaged. I am a strong believer of taking everything out. If I lived in the south on lakefront I would have a 4 stall garage with a single stall door facing the lake, and I would have a track system going from the house to the water instead of a boathouse. wickcraft.com

I don't have a canopy on my lift. It makes it too heavy to take in and our over our rocky shoreline.

[The_MS]

@alski, The rail starts out in the lake and is a track up onto the shoreline. A hoist up on the shore pulls the bunk up out of the water and on to shore. I have a car port on the shore and the boat is pulled up under the port. Great for oil changes, waxing and other maint needs. If you have a level shoreline and gradual slope for water depth it is awesome.

[als2104]

Thanks for the replies. Does anyone have any experience with Wahoo docks? http://www.wahoodocks.com/

[als2104]

Do you roll a dock guys have a single roll in section or do you have a "U" shape?

[The_MS]

Single section. They come in various lengths.

[6balls]

Single section with large L platform section at the end with a built in bench. Well padded on the end w/bungee for over the pylon to parallel park the boat. If I had more $ I would buy extra sections and create a U around the boat lift.

[Chef23]

I have a floating dock made by Candock. I leave it in the water year round. I would like a lift and canopy but I don't think I could get away with the canopy and I am not sure how I would get my lift out of the water and floating lifts are very expensive.

[rq0013]

i install docks and lifts and I like the shorestation cedar sections. No tools required to install/remove. No wear points, like bolts. Leveling takes 5sec. I have a shorestation lift and dock.

[xrated]

Three docks. One old wood section style with wood planks and steel posts, one old steel frame with plywood decking and one Floe aluminum roll in, three sections with a small L. All come out. Old wood and post is hand done, steel frame is hauled out with a Ford 1700. By far the easiest (and it is on a steep bank) is the Floe. Big plastic wheels, no tools (minus a wrench for one post on the L), light and two guys can get it out in under 30. http://www.floeintl.com/

 

We are on the north shore of a lake in MN so everything comes out as the ice can heave up and push shoreline up 5 feet. If you are looking aluminum check out Floe International, lots of options for configuration and a very quality product.

 

We have a Floe lift and have had a Shore Station which no longer goes in. Hands down if you have to take anything out of the water get aluminum and if it freezes I say take it out, ice is a nasty mother who don't care.

 

Steel dock

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg9/yz125x/Fall%20Vacation%202008/IMG_1915.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg9/yz125x/Lake%206-20-23/IMG_1230.jpg

 

Neighbors Floe dock as I have none of ours.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg9/yz125x/July%2011%20Storm/IMG_1372.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg9/yz125x/July%2011%20Storm/IMG_1374.jpg

 

 

 

 

[rfa]

U-shaped system w/ lift in the midle...aliminum frames and composite decking...roll-in by hand in the spring, pull up with hand winch in the Fall. www.shoresidedocks.com

[Chef23]

rfa, don't you have kids to do that for you?

[A_B]

We are in NW Ohio and leave our floating dock in all year. It is wood frame with plastic barrels. Once or twice in 27 years we have had a barrel leak and had to pull out and replace. We also seal the barrels with gunk when we put them in.