The downside of a permanent dock
 

So we've got a permanent dock, and most of our neighbors don't. I understand that it's going to get used by neighbors when opening and closing up in spring and fall, and as long as people respect our property and are careful, I'm OK with it. But the past few years I've noticed abnormal wear and tear on the inner 4x6 support posts and a couple solar LED dock lights were crushed. This morning on my security camera I noticed that one of the pontoon barges owned by an island service company was at our dock, No doubt closing up the 2 neighboring camps, taking out the docks and raft. Our neighbors boats aren't going to cause any damage but a beefy built pontoon barge on a windy day might. Normally I wouldn't mind but as I said, I'm seeing damage in spring that wasn't there in the fall.

Just wondering if anyone else has had this issue and how they dealt with it.

You should definitely call the owner. They should repair any damage.


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Well, I can't really prove they caused any damage. I"m relying on the business owner coming forward and saying "Oops, one of my guys dinged your dock with the barge when we were closing your neighbors camp". To be fair, It could have been someone else. I can't watch 24/7.

I've used these guys a lot for delivery to our place. I should probably ask about it.

I've noticed wear on my post that didn't come from mine or my neighbors boats. One marine construction company in particular has worked for both my neighbors. At first I was a little irked by it but it's not really a big deal for me although it's only cosmetic. I would agree they need to be more considerate

upside
 

Granted the damage is irritating and should be repaired or reimbursed by the barge company.

The upside however is that your neighbors owe you when that inevitable island time comes when you need to borrow a tool or get a hand with something you cant handle by yourself.

As far as the tidy profit goes the question would be how many barge companies
would be there to service island properties if they did not make a profit?

If you look at the wind and wave and icy docks on the lake this time of year when these guys are scrambling to take care of all the closings and dock pulls before ice in I think they deserve any profit they make.

Post a "no trespassing" sign on your dock. It may not keep them from using it but with a picture of their boat at your dock, you will have legal recourse and can notify police.

Call
 

Depending on how annoyed I was I would report it to the police. It does not sound like you are that upset so the simple solution is to call the company and tell them not to use your dock again. Personally I would follow that up with a letter to document the call. I would make sure to inform the owner of the company that you have cameras on your property to assure he/she knows you can monitor.

I understand you could also be a nice guy and say ok use it and fix any damage but i would be afraid of giving permission and the liability that you could incur if something went wrong.

I am certain the this company has other properties that they maintain that they service without using someones else dock to do it. So there is no hardship on the company in not trespassing on your property.

My 2 cents.

I would call the company and explain the problem, along with the photo of them using your dock, and, if it's a company you want a good relationship with, that they can continue to use it if they're willing to reimburse for any damage. Once they know they're being filmed, they might be more cautious or less interested in using it. Also, I would put up a no trespassing sign and one that mentions people are being recorded.

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I think in todays world where almost everyone has cameras on their homes, everyone should always assume they are being filmed...

Just guessing
 

Just guessing:
Your neighbors just said "It's OK", so the barge thinks they have permission
The barge owner doesn't know who you are.
The owner wasn't on the barge
The people who want to call the police don't live on an island
The people who want "No Trespassing" signs don't live on an island

It's hard to make an advance notice courtesy call if the contractor doesn't know you, but you could call, introduce yourself and ask that they give you an advance courtesy call so you'll know what's up when your security system bleeps. PSNH calls us when they want to offload tractors etc. for planned maintenance. Happy to have them and islanders use our docks to help solve a problem.

Island life is quite different, like I said I was irked but the thoughts of calling police, posting signs and even calling the contractor never even crossed my mind, that's simply unnecessary. It takes a lot to be out on the islands, I would go as far to even say it's islander code to allow neighbors and certain people to use your dock if needed. At least that's the way we are on our little stretch of Island, I love my neighbors whatever they need they get - works both ways.

OK, just to be clear, as I mentioned in my original post, this was never about neighbors occasional use.
I never intended calling the cops, or put up a No Trespassing sign. I never want to be that guy.

I've had these guys make numerous deliveries and junk hauling to/from our place.
I may ask the company owner about it if I see any new wear and tear in spring. I preemptively removed all the solar lights this year when closing up just for this reason, and leave a bunch of bumpers on it. A phone call or text would be nice considering they're using our property with a commercial vessel to conduct business but I guess that's too much bother.

We try do to most of the maintenance ourselves. We've reset several 4x6 dock posts that have gotten knocked out of plumb over the years (or maybe the ice moved them over time, who knows). It's not a terrible job but it's not easy either.
If we had the work done by professionals I'm sure it wouldn't be cheap.

Just wondering what other peoples experiences were.

-M

Over time each of our neighbors on Welch have made temporary use use of our dock as we have done of theirs. Wind, ice, extra company, whatever; that is the island way.

As for ISS and the other companies that support us islanders, all hard working folk that earn their pay. Not easy doing close up especially in cold windy days. ISS has done a lot of good work for us at a reasonable price. Suggest a simple call to Chip at ISS explaining the gripe.

Edit did not see last WT post prior to this

Yeah, we're getting a little off track here. I never have a problem with my neighbors using the dock. See original post.

And I don't doubt the guys work hard for their money (so do I) and provide a valuable service for us.
These guys carry stacks of lumber around like little sticks. I tried helping them unload my barn lumber 2 years ago and almost had a heart attack.

I just wish "whoever" would be a little more careful when using the dock. Hey, If I damage someones stuff accidentally, I own up to it. And if someone owned up to it to me, I'd probably say "no problem, accidents happen" (my Catholic guilt).

And yes, I do tend to edit my posts. I just can't leave a participle dangling, or a sentence that wraps around the page.

Thanks all.

Since you've posted a picture of the company barge and named them, a call to them is in order. Sounds like you're not unduly upset with them - being upfront with your concerns should lead to continued positive relations.

Win-Win
 

Why not write the offending companies, and ask that they chip-in to install a dock-long ribbon of (something like) the below rugged plastic/vinyl material? I have a similar coil of tougher 10-inch material, but haven't needed to install it yet.

Bent into a semicircle every ten inches and lag-bolted to the dock to make a long undulating ribbon, it is an effective, long-lasting, tough, and inexpensive way to protect your dock. I'd ask that they extend the attachment points so it is flush with edge of the dock.

That they provide the hardware and install it—indirectly getting "permission" to use the dock—it would be a Win-Win outcome. :)

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....X300_QL70_.jpg

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Unless you can prove these companies caused the damage (remember, the owner probably wasn’t on the barge and there’s a good chance the individuals (may be part timers) who were would not report damage or were not aware of it) no company is going to agree to add protection to a dock. Islanders don’t want to make too many waves because we never know when we may need one of these companies.

My suggestion would be to go to the neighbors, tell them about the problems, and ask them to let the contractors know that there has been off-season damage to the dock and to be careful/add additional bumpers. They might even add the the dock has video surveillance. It gets the message to the contractors and also puts the neighbors on notice that their contractor(s) are damaging your dock. If they are good island neighbors they will get the point and help out.


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Any business that’s using your property without notifying and/or asking permission is pushing it. I would take the photo as suggested and call them to see why they didn’t ask permission first. If they are not curteous I would ask them to stay off it and post the dock. Also mention the damage.