A dock extends your waterfront home, and it’s more than just a parking spot for your boat or watercraft. It’s a place you and your family or friends can gather to enjoy the sunset, use it as a diving platform to go swimming, or reel in a few crappies and bass. If you’re thinking of installing a dock to your waterfront or upgrading to a new one, there are several factors you must consider, such as your budget, style requirement, dock type, and usage.
A dock is a big investment and something you’re going to use for years and even decades. Therefore, learning to choose a dock for your waterfront is crucial to getting your money’s worth. In this post, we’ll share some simple tips that will speed up your research and purchase decision.
How to Choose a New Dock for Your Waterfront – 3 Valuable Tips
1. Start by Choosing a Dock Type
You’re going to be faced with hundreds of designs, shapes, and materials when looking online for new docks. To simplify and narrow your choices, you can start by deciding on the type of dock – fixed or floating. A fixed dock is connected to the surface beneath a body of water with pilings and will remain in place. These docks are excellent for turbulent waters or shorelines that experience frequent waves as they’re designed to withstand strong winds and movements. In contrast, floating docks, as their name suggests, are not anchored to the water’s bottom surface or connected to the land.
Instead, they’re designed to float on top of the water and are excellent for areas where the water level changes frequently or the water is very deep. In simple words, a floating dock would be fine for a small, calm lake, whereas a fixed or stationary one would be suitable for a river or seashore, generally speaking, of course.
2. Think About the Initially and Recurring Costs
As mentioned above, there are hundreds of docking solutions available in the market, meaning the purchase and installation cost can vary significantly, depending on the design, build material, company, and built-in accessories. Knowing what you can afford upfront will help you save time and filter expensive (or irrelevant in this case) options. For example, if your budget is $2,000, there’s no point in looking at options starting at $20,000 or higher.
However, keep in mind that spending more on high-quality docks can pay off in the long run in terms of lower maintenance costs and durability. Secondly, you’ll also need to clean and maintain your dock regularly. Depending on the type, you’ll need a professional crew to take them out and power wash them.
3. Figure Out What Docking Accessories You Will Need
Docking solutions often come with various accessories for different purposes, such as getting on and off a boat safely. The most popular accessories you can find are a ladder for quick water access, dock benches, kayak racks, boat lifts, lights, and bumpers. Opting for these accessories is up to your usage and requirement. For example, most people don’t opt for railings unless their docks are strategically made higher for a better view.
Conclusion
At EZ Dock Texas, we offer a vast range of docking solutions for every type of waterfront and vessel, along with hundreds of docking accessors and products, such as railings, gangways, benches, storage boxes, solar pocket lights, and fish cleaning stations, to name a few. By learning how to choose a new dock for your waterfront, you can check our full range of products and solutions, including stationary and floating docks, to help make a more informed decision.
For more information, feel free to visit our website or call (800) 654-8168.
