Seasonal aluminum boat dock

[codeman671]

Originally Posted by tummyman

4X30 is too small for a 24ft boat IMHO. You really need to go the full 40 feet which is allowed by State plus do a 6 ft wide dock. A 24ft boat is a lot of weight and you might even go for a bigger boat down the line. Do the job correct in the first place. We have used whips, etc, but the screw anchor into the lake bed with a ratchet strap to the dock plus diagonal bracing makes all the difference in the world. If you get a lot of wave/boat action, also use snubbers on the direct lines from the boat cleats to the dock. They take the shock stress off the ropes. I am a true believer in snubbers ! They really work and are worth the investment. I now have an U shaped dock and I use snubbers on aft and bow lines on both sides of the boat. Never get any shocks that rock the dock.

The law actually states that if you have under 75’ of frontage you can only have a 4’ x 24’ dock no matter the size of the lake. If less than 1000 acres and 75’ or more for frontage you can have a 6’ x 30’. Larger lakes and 75’ or more frontage gives you the 6’ x 40’ option you mention.

https://www.des.nh.gov/organization/...ents/wb-19.pdf

[CaptT820]

We have a 4-ft by 20-ft FWM dock as going longer in our case would require floating the dock. As it is we are 7-ft deep and dropping at the 20-ft length. As with all of these questions its all about money, go as wide and long as the law allows and you can afford.
FWM allows several easy add-ons to their docks which require no drilling such as whips, ladders, built in fenders, lights, etc. I would say as others have to go wider with the dock if possible to provide additional stability.