Do you live alongside a lake or a pond? Do you have a boat dock? All these add to the appearance of your beautiful waterfront property, but have you ever thought about enhancing its beauty? If you have, consider installing rip rap.
How Did Rip Rap Get Its Name?
To understand how riprap got its name, you need to look at each word on its own. The word “rip” has been used for over a century in the nautical industry. When water ripples, it is called rip. The word “rap” refers to a genre in music, but the less common meaning of the word is that it refers to blowing or stroking against something. You also use the word rap for a person knocking on the door. When water ripples, it reaches the shoreline and raps against it, damaging it.
What is Rip Rap?
Most people have seen rip raps installed on waterfront properties, but they are not familiar with its name, calling it rocks or stones put together to create it. But what is it exactly? Rip rap is not the name of the structure, but it refers to a type of stone. Most often, rip rap is made of crushed granite.
These stones are flat and very large, measuring around one foot in diameter. Man-made or natural stones are used to create a rip rap. River rocks have smoother sides and edges and are smaller in diameter than the rocks used to create a riprap. River rocks have a vibrant color and are either wet or dry. Waterfront property owners tend to use both rip rap and river stones.
Why Do Boat Dock Owners Use Them?
Rip rap and river rocks are not just used for aesthetic reasons but are used to prevent land erosion caused by water. You can use large mounts of rip rap and river rocks. You can also create a certain channel to direct water away from the part of land prone to erosion.
How Should You Place Them?
Prior to placing them, you need to place a large specialized fabric on top of the area. This large piece of fabric ensures that sand or any material under the rock remains in one place and does not wash away with water. It protects the structural integrity of the rip rap and river rocks.
Why Should You Get Them?
You should get them if there is an area of land that is constantly eroding and causing harm to the area of your waterfront property or land. Even if an area of land is not getting eroded, you can still get them to increase the appeal of your waterfront property.
Contact EZ Dock Texas at 800-654-8168 for a quote if you live in Texas, Oklahoma, or New Mexico.