Frequently asked questions

Three. Wahoo Docks for custom aluminum floating docks, engineered for your site and installed by our crew. EZ Dock and Patriot Docks for do-it-yourself kits you assemble and set in place yourself. We are an authorized dealer for all three, so you have one local place to ask before you buy and years from now.

It comes down to how the dock is made and who puts it in the water. A kit comes in set layouts and sizes with a price you can see up front. This is a do-it-yourself kit: you assemble it and set it in place yourself. A custom dock is engineered for your shoreline, your layout, decking, roof, and railing, and our crew installs it. Kits suit a pond, a fishing spot, or a first dock. Custom suits a waterfront you plan to keep.

We are a dealer and installer. The docks are factory-built. For a custom dock we help you choose and buy it, then install it on your shoreline. For a DIY kit we handle the order and the kit ships to you to assemble and set in place yourself. Either way our work is the fit: the right dock, configured correctly, on the right water.

No. The 20-year limited factory warranty on the custom floating docks we install applies to docks installed by a qualified representative and specifically excludes do-it-yourself kit docks. Each kit brand carries its own factory terms instead: EZ Dock's are in its section below, and Patriot publishes its own written policy, which we will walk through with you before you order. If a long factory warranty on the structure matters to you, that is a real argument for a custom installed dock.

Factory warranty documents

It depends on the configuration, site access, water conditions, and any permitting. A straightforward floating dock goes in faster than a multi-section run with a gangway and a roof. We'll give you a real timeline for your site once we've scoped it.

It depends on the body of water and who has authority over it. A private pond you own is usually the simplest case; docks on shared or public-authority lakes can require a permit or approval before installation. We'll flag what your site is likely to need as we scope it, but the permitting authority makes the final call.

Start with the water, not the catalogue. Depth at the shoreline, how far the level swings between a wet spring and a dry August, what the bottom is made of, how exposed you are to wind and boat wake, and what you want to keep on the dock all narrow the field quickly. A pond that barely moves is a different problem from a lake that drops several feet. Tell us about your shoreline and we will tell you honestly which way to go.

Very little. Aluminum has nothing to rot and no finish to reseal each spring, so upkeep is mostly a rinse-down. Built and installed correctly, one of these docks is a decades-long structure. That is the whole reason we work in aluminum.

CAT5 is Wahoo's premium residential floating dock system, and it is what we install. Every dock is individually designed by an in-house engineer and tested in the factory's own analysis software before a piece is cut. A 9-inch aluminum mainframe, welded gusset reinforcements, and a 6-inch channel give the frame its rigidity without diagonal bracing, and the patented interlocking frame lets the dock support significantly more than its own load.

Factory CAT5 specifications

Marine-grade 6061-T6 aluminum for the frame, stainless steel for every fastener, and HDPE and UHMW-PE bushings wherever metal meets metal. Aluminum does not rust, rot, warp, or need resealing each spring; it oxidizes into a hard outer shell that protects what is underneath. The bushings are what keep a Wahoo dock quiet underfoot, even on a rough day.

Factory CAT5 specifications

Four: AridDek aluminum, Ipe hardwood, composite, or concrete pavers. AridDek is 6005-T5 marine-grade aluminum with a slip-resistant powder-coated finish, the lightest of the four at about two pounds per square foot, and it runs cooler underfoot than the other options. Ipe never needs painting or sealing. Composite comes from the AZEK and TimberTech lines. Pavers suit heavy water and heavy loads. We will walk the options against your sun and how barefoot your family is.

Factory decking specifications

Covered docks use R-panel metal roofing in eighteen colors, from Regal White to Matte Black. Each panel is 26-gauge Galvalume with a Kynar 500 finish that resists fading and chalking, backed by the panel's own 30-year limited warranty. Gable roofs can be built to any pitch, which helps with a taller boat or a lift. Hip roofs are built at a 5:12 pitch and are the more rigid of the two.

Factory roofing specifications

Four. Aluminum picket rail and a two-line rail are the quiet, low-maintenance choices. Glass rail uses tempered panels with beveled edges in a 42-inch height, framed by aluminum top and bottom rails, and it is the one to choose when the view is the whole point. Steel cable keeps sightlines open with a different look. We match the railing to the frame and to who is actually on the dock.

Factory railing options

Layouts start from a handful of footprints and go wherever you want from there: a single slip, a double slip, a personal watercraft side slip, or an open platform for fishing, swimming, and lounging. Double slips are the most common residential layout and often carry an upper deck. Fully custom layouts are the factory's specialty, from several slips of different sizes to a fully enclosed floating structure.

Factory layout gallery

That is the case for floating rather than fixed. The deck rides with the water, so it stays at a usable height whether the lake is up or down instead of stranding you high or underwater. Anchoring is what makes that work, and it is chosen per site: cable and winch, pole and sleeve, pile slides on UHMW-PE rollers, or stiff arms up to sixty feet. We weigh depth, distance to shore, seasonal swing, wind and wake, and local rules before recommending one.

Factory anchoring guide

The factory's Limited Residential Warranty runs 20 years on the CAT5 dock for the original owner, covering manufacturing defects in material and workmanship, broken structural components, and broken welds under normal use. It applies to docks installed by a qualified representative; do-it-yourself kit docks are specifically excluded. Warranty claims go through us as your local dealer, and we will walk you through the current published coverage before you buy.

Factory warranty documents

It starts with a conversation about your shoreline and how you want to use the water. We scope the site, help you choose the layout, decking, roof, railing, and accessories, and confirm the design and a timeline. The factory builds it and our crew installs it locally from start to finish. You have one local team from the first call through the finished dock.

The kit arrives disassembled with the aluminum frames, the floats or support legs for that layout, the decking you chose, and every bolt needed to build it. Anchoring is the one thing not in the box on a floating kit. Floating packages include piling sleeves you can build an anchoring system around, but the pilings, anchors, chain, or weights are bought separately, because the right system depends on your water. Ask us about it before you order.

Patriot Docks product FAQ

Your bottom decides it. Patriot says floating docks work with all bottoms and are often the best answer where the ground is exceptionally mucky or rocky, because nothing has to stand on it. Stationary docks work very well on sandy bottoms and suit soft or rocky ground as long as the flat bases can find firm footing and sit level. Tell us your depth and what the bottom is like and we will steer you.

Patriot Docks product FAQ

Both stand on legs on the bottom; they differ in how you change the height when the water moves. On a jack dock you turn the hex head on each jack with a socket wrench or a cordless driver, and the dock does not have to come out to do it. On a pipe dock you loosen the set bolts on the pipe holder, lift or drop the frame by hand, and retighten at each leg.

Premium floating kits add side stability floats down the outside edges of the dock. Patriot's floating dock instructions state that premium packages include them and standard packages do not, and that more floats mean more stability and weight capacity. The frames, the decking choices, and the lengths are otherwise the same, so the choice comes down to how steady you want the deck to feel with people standing along its edge.

Patriot compares it to an erector set. Each 4 ft by 8 ft frame takes about 30 minutes and 18 bolts, so a 32 ft straight dock is roughly two hours of bolting on land, and one person can do that part with a cordless drill, a rubber mallet, common sockets, and gloves; every bolt ships in the kit. Setting the dock in the water is a two person job. Leave the tractor parked: Patriot says trucks, ATVs, tractors, and winches can damage the frame and void the warranty.

Patriot Docks product FAQ

All three drop into the same frame, and every panel is 4 ft by 4 ft. Patriot calls aluminum the lightest, longest lasting, and most rigid, at about 26 pounds a panel. Poly is maintenance free and cool to the touch, with a textured, slotted surface, at about 33 pounds. Cedar is the economical, naturally weather resistant option at about 35 pounds; it comes kiln dried and ready for stain or sealant, and unsealed cedar will gray.

Patriot Docks product FAQ

Yes. Everything is built from the same 4 ft by 8 ft frame, and Patriot states the dock is modular, so you can change the design if your needs change, though some designs need extra supports or parts. New frames are a direct mount to Patriot frames of any age and are usually added at the shore end. A separate hinge kit lets a floating section articulate off a stationary pier.

Patriot Docks product FAQ

On floating kits, yes. Patriot counts the shore ramp inside the marketed length, so a 40 ft straight floating dock is an 8 ft ramp plus 32 ft of floating sections. Worth knowing when you are working out how far you need to reach. For tying up a boat, Patriot puts the usable depth at two to three feet, with four to five feet better.

Patriot Docks product FAQ

Kits ship disassembled on a shrink wrapped pallet by freight truck, and that truck is what the shipping line on the price covers. The carrier calls ahead to set a delivery time. Someone needs to be there to inspect the pallet for damage, note anything wrong on the paperwork before signing, and unload it by hand. Patriot puts that at five to fifteen minutes and roughly ten to twenty five pieces, none heavier than 50 pounds. The pallet does not fit a liftgate.

Patriot Docks shipping policy

Patriot rates its docks at 40 pounds per square foot with a maximum span of 16 ft between supports, and says the frames have been load tested at over 1,000 pounds at the center of a 16 ft span. Each floating dock float carries 390 pounds. For heavy traffic or a large boat, Patriot recommends adding supports, which shortens the span and raises the capacity.

Patriot Docks product FAQ

Rotationally molded polyethylene, in one piece. EZ Dock describes 100 percent virgin linear low-density polyethylene molded with no seams, extra-thick walls, and a slip-resistant surface pattern. The deck and the flotation are the same part: the underside is molded into hollow chambers and pylons that trap air, so there is no frame, no separate float, and no decking to buy. EZ Dock says the sections will not splinter, rot, or need painting.

EZ Dock section specifications

EZ Dock builds for both. A non-skid texture is molded into every section, and grooves channel water off the surface, so footing holds when the deck is wet. The light color helps keep the deck cooler than most dock surfaces. The polyethylene is UV-stabilized as well, which EZ Dock says keeps it tough in the sun and gives it a longer useful life.

EZ Dock factory FAQ

Sections join with EZ Dock's rubber couplers, bolted through pockets molded at even spacing around every edge. EZ Dock makes the couplers from recycled rubber and pairs them with composite nuts and bolts that will not rust or corrode, and says the connection lets sections move independently while the dock as a whole stays firm. Because every pocket is the same, more sections and accessories can be added later.

EZ Dock coupler specifications

Two people, for most of it. EZ Dock says most docks can be installed in a day with just you and a helper, and its Texas distributor says a day or two. The owner's manual has you bolt pairs of sections together on shore and push the dock out as you assemble, never moving more than two coupled sections at once. Couplers joined on the water need EZ Dock's in-water coupler tool, so ask us about it before you order.

EZ Dock factory FAQ

Pipe anchoring, and yes, it follows the water. Each kit is quoted with four standard-duty pipe brackets, four 20 ft galvanized pipes, and caps. EZ Dock calls pipe its most popular method and says it lets the dock move up and down with most water fluctuations. EZ Dock rates that bracket for water up to about 12 ft deep and waves under 2 ft, so tell us your depth and we will check the anchoring against it before you order.

EZ Dock owner's manual

EZ Dock rates its 60 inch by 10 ft section at 3,000 pounds and its 80 inch by 10 ft section at 4,000 pounds, and publishes 62.5 pounds per square foot across a standard-profile dock, dead load included. Crappie Cove is built from two of the narrower sections. The other three kits use the wider one: two, three, and four of them.

EZ Dock section specifications

EZ Dock warrants the dock sections for ten years against cracks, breakage, leaks, and ultraviolet deterioration caused by defects in material or workmanship. Hardware, anchoring, connection kits, and accessories carry one year. Coverage runs to the original buyer from an authorized reseller, and EZ Dock asks you to register the purchase within 30 days. Storm damage, ice impact, and improper installation are excluded.

EZ Dock limited warranty (2023)

Very little. EZ Dock says a brush or broom, a mild cleaning agent, and water will clean the deck, and a power washer works when convenient. Algae at the waterline is normal and does not harm the section. Beyond that the manual asks you to check now and then that couplers, gangways, handrails, and attachments are still tight, and to look over the anchoring for wear.

EZ Dock owner's manual

The price covers materials only. EZ Dock of Texas quotes each kit that way and states that it does not include installation, delivery, or tax, which is why every kit reads plus shipping and taxes. Shoreline Products is an authorized EZ Dock dealer and writes orders by hand, so tell us the kit and your water and we will confirm the current figure before anything is ordered.