Seasonal dock and boat lift

[Garcia]

I am a few years away from a dock replacement but starting to think about it now. Does anyone have a seasonal dock (not a crank up) and a boat lift that can accommodate a boat like a 22' Eastern (I don't have one but that is another thing I am debating)? Most likely I will be paying someone to put it in and take it out but added bonus if I or the kids can manage it in the short term.

As retirement and more time on the island approaches, particularly early and late in the season, I am looking at things I can do that will make island life more pleasant. The dock, boat, and mooring (a rope on a pulley system) works but I saw my parents and others start to struggle they aged. As my parents aged I was close enough to be helpful but work gets in the way during the early and late season so they were here by themselves. I would love it if my kids reman close enough to help me as I age, but it's too early to tell where they'll settle down and if work allows them the flexibility to be reliable and consistent help.

When my grandfather built the house it was used in August. I am hoping to make it my home base from April - November once I retire - and keep using it as long as I am physically able to manage island living.

[Winilyme]

You, Garcia, and I are very much on the same wavelength with this. We're on the mainland in Meredith and live here mid-May through mid-October. We plan to replace our dock and over-water deck soon - next year maybe - and I've reached out to Ian at Watermark. I'll be meeting with him onsite in the next week or so. Goal is to assess our current layout and get ideas. Having retired a few years ago and approaching 65 now, future ease of living is very much on my mind (not only with the dock/deck but all home materials and technology). So, I'm thinking:

- Azek or similar if we choose to maintain our current 30 foot fixed dock on pilings. There are so many decking options these days. What's best in a wet environment. I also want to avoid a hot deck since we face south with little shade late morning and afternoon. I know a lot of that has to do with color but how do the decking materials contribute to heat retention. Also, what offers best slip-resistance.

- Advantages/disadvantages insofar as fixed vs crank-up dock. I love the look, feel and simplicity of our permanent dock and think that once you deviate from that to a new system, there's no going back code-wise. But a crank-up would eliminate the worry of ice floe damage. How can I improve the protection of a new fixed dock.

- Options to make boating as convenient as possible. We currently don't have a boat (jet ski only) but expect to purchase a pontoon at some point (another thing that I too am debating). I suppose we'll consider a boat lift (great convenience) but I imagine a significant cost for someone to install and remove each year. Or, maybe mooring whips are sufficient even though our shoreline has lots of wake action.

- Options to simplify jet ski docking. Our current crank-up is an ordeal to self-store in October and return to the water in May (heavy, cumbersome, no ability to simply drag it onto a beach). I know - we can hire someone to do this but I can't help but wonder if there's a better lift option. Am looking at the EZ Port PWC Lift or similar - https://fwmdocks.com/. This is floating PWC docking anchored to a dock or into the lake bed. However, I'm not sure how these would hold up in our rough water.

- Possible breakwater maintenance.

- Kayaks. Strategies to keep things convenient for launching and storage while limiting impact to dock/deck space.

- Alternate means of access to our dock. We currently have five steps but would a ramp be better or even possible.

And I want to get all this work done for $5,000 (kidding).

[tummyman]

We have an "U" shaped dock that gives us ability to tie 3 boats. Permitted by state as we had 225 ft of frontage. It is seasonal...not taxed. Has been moreand more difficult to install, as I am almost 80 and need my two sons to do it. But it is heavy. Investigated putting wheels on it. All sections are 10 ft long, but one side is 4 ft wide and the other is a full 6 ft wide. Anyway, bought wheel kits on line last fall and installed them this spring. It was an incredible difference. Where it took two people to move a dock section, now it just takes one to wheel it around. Even got a special kit for jet ski lift. That beast took two people to drag it to its usual location. This year, one person moved it like a baby carriage. so I am seven kits installed plus a jet ski. Two sections cannot be modified due to location along shore frontage. Kits...axle, wheels, leg adaptors, etc were about $250 each. But the savings is terrific vs. having the dock folks do the work. My guess it is less than two years payback. Web site is "roll-in-docks.com"....dashes are important in site name.... if interested. I waited until the fall when they are on sale at a nice discount with free shipping. Got the jet ski brackets through HomeDepot I believe...called extreme max boat lift kit. Ordered wheels for it separately from Cabellas. What works for one person may not be the answer to others, but this did work well for me.

[Descant]

Good info Tummyman. I bet your sons love the wheels too. The long range plan, of course, is for grandchildren to like the wheels too.