Do you own property with a boat dock in Michigan, Indiana, or Wisconsin?
Piling driven commercial docks are built to withstand ice flows, but most residential aluminum boat docks need to be removed.
If your dock is left in the water in the winter, there is a good change that costly parts will get destroyed! To save yourself the headache of costly repairs and maintenance, consider these tips:
· Ice freezing around a dock does not usually cause the majority of dock damage. In the spring when the ice starts to flow and move across the lake is when your dock or anything else near the shore is in real danger. Ice flows can not only destroy a dock, they can move boulders, boat lifts, and basically anything else in its path. It is very common in northern Michigan or similar climates to have ice pile up several feet high on the shore and that generally causes damage to anything that was too close to the edge of the lake.
· A select few situations may allow someone to leave a dock in the water in a northern climate. Generally these will be on ponds and backwaters were ice flows are not an issue. As a rule of thumb you should use galvanized steel tubing if you are in one of these situations. It is much less prone to rupturing if the ice freezes around the pole.
If you have doubts as to whether you can leave a dock in or not it is usually wise to ask neighbors that may have a similar situation.
Many larger lakes, public and private, also have ordinances or DNR rules that prohibit leaving anything in the water due to the danger posed to snowmobile traffic in the winter.
Alumi-Span Can Help Protect Your Aluminum Boat Dock!
We’ve got the parts that you need to keep your boat dock safe and up to code, and the experts to provide advice about winterizing your dock.
Consider our Perma-Augers – like our famous “Big Foot”, Perma-Auger is heavy duty and designed to be left in the water under the ice line year round. To find out if this option will work for your application, give us a call today.
Right now we’re offering free UPS shipping for orders over $150.00 (excludes items that cannot ship UPS). If you’re in Michigan, Northern Indiana, or Northern Ohio, call us at 855-523-2444 for a quote. We deliver in many of these areas with our own trucks!