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Winilyme · 06-07-2026, 02:39 PM

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).

06-07-2026, 02:39 PM	#2
Winilyme Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2019 Location: Ice in = CT / Ice out = Winnipesaukee Posts: 581 Thanks: 168 Thanked 324 Times in 175 Posts	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).