Dock questions

[WYTige?]

A real first world problem I've got here, but the wife and I are considering a piece of property on a lake. The beach area is not all that great so putting in a quality dock would be crucial to serve has a place to park the boat but also large enough to have deck chairs etc. As well, the dock can not be permanent so ease of getting in and out of the water would have to be considered. I know absolutely nothing about docks other than what I've seen and in Wyoming, that ain't much. Another thing I would consider is a boat lift. The beach is pretty exposed to waves and I could not stand sitting there watching my baby get battered by the dock. Are those mooring whips any good? Would they keep a boat away from the dock? Any dock brands I should be looking at? Floating vs. non-floating? Any advice, experience would help as we consider this.

Thanks

[Robmc9]

I'd say 60% of our lake (our lake has 50 cabins) all use FLOW docks and boat lifts, with the remaining using a mix of other brands. Flow is by far the best quality and easiest to roll up at the end of the season but you pay for it! Due to the cost of FLOW I went with a simple roll in roll out straight dock with a medium size sun patio at the end (our lake has restrictions of the size of the dock and if I could have, I would have gone 1 size up on the sundeck) but I can still put a 3 or 4 chairs and still have plenty of room for kids running and jumping off the dock. Up here in Canada my set-up with a 5000 lbs electric lift comes to around $20,000 (Can$) but after see'ing every other dock/lift have broken pieces and docks just not fitting or lack of adjustment I'm glad I spent the $. Picture was right after I built the dock and lift so no one else had put there docks out yet as I think the ice had just come off a few days prior.

IMG_0271.jpg

[Dan C]

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[dukesofhazzard]

we have a floating dock, and I now use the whips, obvioulsy a lift is best option, but the whips sure work if you are interested in them.

[bsreid]

What are your water depth like? If they're super deap, floating may be easier. Or if your water levels change a lot you will also need a floating dock, which would also require a floating lift. Depending on how rough it really is you could just make a wide slip and centre the boat in the middle and forget the whips. I would also go check out water conditions, some lakes I would never leave the boat sitting in the water, while others I do all season.

[BCRider]

I used whips for my old boat for a few years and was happy with them. They kept the boat far enough away from the dock and worked well for me. Now Dukesofhazzard has them.

[WYTige?]

What are your water depth like? If they're super deap, floating may be easier. Or if your water levels change a lot you will also need a floating dock, which would also require a floating lift. Depending on how rough it really is you could just make a wide slip and centre the boat in the middle and forget the whips. I would also go check out water conditions, some lakes I would never leave the boat sitting in the water, while others I do all season.

The water depth is pretty gradual so that really isn't a concern, as well, levels do not fluctuate other than decrease pretty slowly as the summer wears on. Winds can and do appear in a heart beat and where we would be the boat would take a pounding as it is on the south shore and the wind normally comes from the north and west. I don't think I would ever keep the boat on the water at night unless there was 0% chance of wind in the forecast and even then, not sure I would sleep well. Winds on this lake could easily swamp the back of the boat and sink it in no time. I could see the boat tied up off and on during the day when not in use and taking it off the water at night.

Dan C. - What brand is that? Love that setup. I do like the idea of having a slip and centering the boat.

[Dan C]

Dock questions

Made by a company here in Quebec Canada
Called "quai Bertrand"

4x10 section (lot more size available)
Easy to install
All aluminium frame
Cedar Wood top
The idea of having boat in the middle is to make the approach easier to dock when windy time.
Especially for my dad with is potoon.

Take a look at quaisbertrand.com


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[IDBoating]

I'll say it again: Air-Dock.

Solves every problem associated with keeping your boat "on the water". A fraction of the cost of cable/hydraulic lifts. No permits needed because it doesn't touch the lake bottom. Protects your boat from winds and high waves. Evenly distributes the weight of the boat over the entire hull surface (just like when it's floating in the water) rather than concentrating it in "bunk" areas. Cannot get stranded because of lake level changes. Everything touching your boat is soft and cushy. The list goes on and on. I liked it so much on my last boat, I bought one for the Tige, AND for the two jetskis.

http://www.airdock.com/

[WYTige?]

I'll say it again: Air-Dock.

Solves every problem associated with keeping your boat "on the water". A fraction of the cost of cable/hydraulic lifts. No permits needed because it doesn't touch the lake bottom. Protects your boat from winds and high waves. Evenly distributes the weight of the boat over the entire hull surface (just like when it's floating in the water) rather than concentrating it in "bunk" areas. Cannot get stranded because of lake level changes. Everything touching your boat is soft and cushy. The list goes on and on. I liked it so much on my last boat, I bought one for the Tige, AND for the two jetskis.

http://www.airdock.com/

I would definitely consider something like this, my only hesitation is the wind. Would the wind and waves push those air bags??

[IDBoating]

Yes, but they are tethered to your dock so they don't have anywhere to go. Check out the website, it has photos and drawings that explain everything. I'll be happy to answer questions, I've had at least of of these for the last ten years.

[ericinmich]

I guess it depends on the lake. On my lake, 10m by 5mi, there can be storms that get waves crashing over the docks for hours, sometimes even moving the docks around. A boat up on a hoist 3 feet will be fine. I'm not sure I would trust my boat on an air dock for long storm with 3+ foot waves. It would be nearly impossible to keep it from moving.

[IDBoating]

We have storms like that quite often. The docks move, etc. But keep in mind that the boat and AirDock lift is tethered to the dock, and they "move" as a unit. If the winds get strong my dock/lift/boat can swing ten feet left or right, but they aren't "going anywhere".

Also, if you had a weather-induced failure of a mechanical dock (say, a supporting strut buckled), your boat could have a catastrophic problem. It could be in the water on one side, stuck up on the bunks on the other. How are you going to get a boat off a damaged mechanical lift without further damage? On an AirDock, if some chamber gets damaged, you just let the air out of the other chambers and now the boat is floating as designed, no damage. In Engineering terms, it "fails gracefully" rather than becoming a huge disaster.

As I said, I've had AirDocks on two boats and two jetskis over the past ten years. During that time we've had some incredible storms that have included 60+ MPH winds, breakers of 3-4 feet, downed/flying trees, severe property damage in the neighborhood, etc. And never once in all of that time have we had an issue with the boat. It just sits there next to the dock, safely above the water, insulated by the airbags.

As always, YMMV. I'm just sharing my real-world, hands-on experience of 10+ years.