Dock brands? *need input from cabin owners*

[dobiel]

My parents just bought a cabin in northern MN. They are looking for a quality dock that is easy to put in and pull out and a good design for tying up our boats to during the summer when we're up there. Just wondering what cabin owners like about their docks. We have a Hewitt dock at out family cabin that has been pretty good but I was wondering if there isn't maybe something else out there that is better overall quality or design or maybe even more cost effective. I'd love to hear some opinions. Thanks

[ishy]

We have a Floe and are very happy with it...

[ottertailguy]

We have Newman's docks and a vertical lift that was bought in 2004 and are still good as new. The decking is plastic like the old milk grates and are solid as the day it was bought. Glad we did buy the cedar decking. 2 years ago got the steps and wondered why we didn't get them earlier. The dealer in Royalton on the right as you drive in town from the south are the cheapest and delivered ours for free if within about 2 hours.

The only problem is since Ottertail lake still has ice on it, they are still on shore.

[bturck]

I have a floe lift and dock. Not thd cheapest but great quality. 9 yrs old no problems. Its a long term item well worth the cost

[Walleye Guy]

I have a Hewitt dock. Aluminum frame and aluminum decking. Its ten years old and looks like the day we bought it. Rolls in and rolls out with ease. Plus its completely maintenance free. If you like spending your time at the cabin doing dock maintenance, buy one with a cedar deck.

[IcePro]

Floe Dock.

Easy in and out.

Adjusting the dock height is a piece of cake.

[Tom7227]

Is geography an issue? When I was researching docks I decided that VDock in Forest Lake was an extremely well built/designed system. But if you're in Detroit Lakes maybe that wouldn't work.

[InTheNorthwoods]

I went through all of this last year. I concur with everyone else, skip the wood decking and go with a maintenance free option (its worth the few bucks extra you'll pay). I'd also recommend a roll in if you have the ability at your place.

Personally, I ended up going with a Beach King dock. Main dock is a roll in, and I added several stationary pieces that allow me to vary the design. Beach King had lots of options, welded aluminum, all of the usual decking options, well priced compared to other brands, made in MN (I think they come out of the Detroit Lakes area), and no one I talked to has had any problems with the brand. You can go online and play around with different design options on their HSOforum.

One thing to keep in mind, is that most docks will have to be ordered and that will take at least a few weeks usually. So you might want to make a decision soon or you might not have it for the big summer weekends.

[MNHunter65]

We just went through this process this spring for our new dock. We ended up going with a V-Dock. Made in Forest Lake. Not the cheapest, but the quality is top notch, plus a 15 year warranty. They borrow you a trailer to pick up the dock or they will deliver it for a fee. I believe delivery was quoted around $300 to our place just north of Brainerd. I ended up picking up the dock.

This dock is made per your design, so you can configure it however you want. I'd recommend taking a look at them.

[IcePro]

We looked at th V-Dock but seems like there are a lot of sharp edges under the dock.

Did not look swimmer friendly, that is why we went with Floe plus the Floe looks better built to me.

[DocJpa]

I really like my Floe dock. I rolled in 3 sections last night by myself with no problem, goes in and out with ease. Well built ,nice features.

[dobiel]

Thank you very much for the replies. We definitely want a maintenance free composite or aluminum decking. Right now they are looking closely at Vdocks in Forest Lake and I'm sure they're going to be pricing out a Floe as well as get pricing on a Hewitt, which they already have experience with at the family cabin. Main concern right now is a dock that offers decent depth adjustment and can be adjusted level without getting wet. I like the idea of an aluminum decking mostly because there are no gaps like most of the composite decks. Only drawback being they don't stay very clean, but you don't have to worry about dropping small items that can slip through the cracks. Anyways, gives us some more to think about. Dock will find it's new home in Longville, MN. Gods country and a fisherman's wet dream for angling opportunities!

[delcecchi]

I have cedar decking on my dock and it has been there since the mid eighties. So, 25 years and still good. If you have to remove the decking to pull the dock on shore, see how heavy it is. I have one section I made out of green treated and it is a lot heavier than the cedar. Learned my lesson.

[merkman]

If you have the money V-Dock is top notch.

Good people, Great product, Wonderful customer service, and a MN made product. Super easy to put in and take out with a minimum of people (one or two people is all that is needed).

I just added another 16ft section to my V-dock this spring.

Love it!!!

.

[3andadog]

Quote:

Good people, Great product, Wonderful customer service, and a MN made product.

I was just there today(V Dock) for something unrelated to docks but they helped me out of a bind and were great to work with.I was also watching how they interacted with other customers and you can tell that thay have a great report with people!

[LindellProStaf]

I am on a river so the water level fluctuates. I have a Shoremaster floating dock and love it. I leave it in all winter. I just turn it parallel to shore so the ice can flow past it in the spring. Then 5 minutes and I have it turned back out into the river. I have wooden posts and planks out to the floating dock.

[BriGuy88]

I've done a lot of research on docks over the past 10 years and was finally able to pull the trigger on a new V-Dock this year to replace my old PortaDock with cedar decking. I couldn't be happier with my decision! No more fixing of dock sections every year and no more lifting them off to be able to roll the dock out of the water!

My neighbor has a Floe which is a really nice dock too that rolls in and out of the water with ease. The thing I really like about the V-Dock is that the frame is actually v-shaped aluminum and won't catch any of the floating weeds that used to find their way into the truss frame of my PortaDock. Plus, the whole crew at V-Dock is great to work with!

[dobiel]

I went up to V-Dock today to check out the decking and construction of their docks. I liked them a lot. My parents are up at the cabin now and are heading the Grand Rapids to price out a Floe this week as well as a few other makes. Thanks again for all the replies. Keep em coming.

[Jameson]

My very biased opinion is to go with Crepeau, Niccum, Serva-dock, Fine-Line, Eklof, or any other company that makes the Tonka Dock System dock(most often called Crepeau style dock.)