Having a dock is a blessing. However, in winter, it’s a nuisance.
You need to ensure your dock is stored in a dry place. The last thing you want to see is your dock submerged in water or floating away and damaging your boat in its path.
Here are some horror stories on leaving your dock unattended in winter.
The Cracked Dock
Having a lake house is a blessing. I love boating and usually have my fill of the activity in autumn when the weather is cool. I love the gentle breeze and calm water of this weather.
My family usually vacations at our lake house, but this time, the boys wanted to go to Disneyland because my sister’s kids were going there. I had to work on an important project and decided to sit out. I told my wife that I would be working at the lake house. It was late December, and the weather forecast said it could snow anytime. I stayed on the boat the entire weekend and had a great time. Due to an emergency, I returned home and forgot to take out my floating dock. When I returned in February, I was met with a horrible sight. The dock was broken and had cracked from the middle. There were thick plates of ice surrounding the dock. The structure itself had frozen in place and turned slightly brittle.
There was no way to fix it. I had to call a docking contractor to remove the dock and install a new one.
Snowfall Submersion
Snowfall brings lots of fun ― building a snowman, sledding, skiing, etc. It also brings many problems, mainly related to your dock. As snow builds on the dock, the weight causes untold damage; this is what happened to my floating dock. This winter, I couldn’t take a trip to my lake house, so I ended up with a rotted dock.
The weight of the snow pushed the dock into the water and loosened its connection points. When I arrived, my dock was submerged in water and banging against ice sheets. The wood had absorbed lots of water, and its strength had been compromised. I called my friends over, and after an hour of maneuvering, we were able to take it out of the water. The damage had been done, though. The dock had been in the water for more than two weeks.
Damaging High Winds
I had to bring my neighbor the bad news that my dock had damaged theirs. I hadn’t given any attention to my dock in a while, and the bolts holding it together had loosened. Usually, I visit my lake house before winter to prepare the dock, but I couldn’t make it this time.
When I arrived, I saw my dock was not in its place. The waves had pushed it closer to my neighbor’s dock. I could see dozens of cracks on my dock’s surface, and the neighbor’s dock didn’t look any better. Though my neighbor was upset, he helped me reel in the dock. Thankfully, his dock only needed a few cosmetic repairs, which I assured him I would pay for. As for my dock, it had to be disassembled and discarded.
Winter is just around the corner, so visit your lake house and take the floating dock out of the water. For decking repairs, visit the website EZ Dock Texas. The company offers different types of boat docks for residential and commercial applications. For more information, call (800) 654-8168.
