Hopefully, the two pictures are worth a couple thousand words.
The first is from 2004 and represents what our dock looked like since we've had one. It was early January, but that is how the contractor maintained it and we never had dock damage, or spring damage {or geese}.
The second is from 2008, last day of January, and I am standing on the end of my own dock shown in the 2004 picture.
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopo...hp?photo=17551
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopo...hp?photo=17552