Choosing The Right Boat Dock For Your Needs! Part-2

In Part-1 of "Choosing The Right Boat Dock For Your Needs" we gave you an intro into Stokes Dock Co. & the how to assess the water conditions at your waterfront project destination. Now that we have those results, we can now choose what type of materials can be used for your application.
Boat docks have been built out of many different materials throughout history. Until recently, the common materials used were wood, steel, aluminum & concrete. While each 1 has its benefits, each 1 also has its liabilities as well! Knowing both of these will not only allow you to choose the right materials for your project, it could also prevent you from wasting money on the wrong products or major repairs that end up costing you 2 or 3 times the original amount just because you wanted to save money! The worse thing that you could prevent from occuring is the danger that you, your family, your friends &/or your guests could be placed in due to your decision so making the right decision should be very important!
However, you can avoid all of these mistakes & more by simply listening, asking questions or better yet, utilize the expertise of Stokes Dock Co.'s Professional Sales Team to help you make that right decision! This is how we earned the great reputation that we have today & we hope to add your project & your compliments to that ever-growing list of clients!
Now, back to the subject-at-hand. With today's major advances in science, designs & technology, we are able to offer you materials that were never known until the last decade or so! For example, Stokes Dock Co., Inc. has teamed up with X-Treme Marine Concepts, Inc., X-Treme Marine Dock Systems & Strongwell, Inc. to introduce a new Marine-Coated Fiber Material that is light-weight, non-conductive & non-flammable! Also, pound for pound, this special-fiber material is stronger than aluminum, metal, fiberglass, stainless steel & carbon-fiber while still remaining structurally rigid in order to provide a stable-base & solid substructure to build from! This is just 1 of the many new & exciting products that we are researching & developing for our residential & commercial clients all over the nation!
While that product is still in the R&D stages, most boat docks are built from either wood, composite wood, aluminum, fiberglass, steel, concrete, plastic &/or the combination of the products. The type of water (Saltwater, Freshwater or Mix) will also determine what products you can or can't use. For example, Saltwater conditions will limit you to products that won't corrode, rust or become structurally harmed by the harsh conditions that the saltwater produces. The coatings you choose will help delay the process, but in the end, saltwater will corrode just about every product except for concrete, fiberglass, plastic & composite. However, these components have their weakness as well! For example, while concrete may seem like a good product to use in any water conditions, it's actually 1 of the worse products to use! While concrete may seem solid & indestructable product, it's actually more vulnerable than people think. Not only is concrete a porous product by design, it's also a very weak product. This is why we use steel inside the concrete! The steel skeleton is used to reinforce the concrete so that it doesn't crumble, crack or fail! However, since concrete is a porous product, the saltwater can now corrode or rust the steel away to nothing, making the concrete a complete structural-failure! Concrete floating docks & breakwater systems are becoming more & more popular! Again, because the concrete is a porous product, it not only damages the internal steel-structure that makes it strong, it's also very harmful to the foam locked inside the shell of the concrete! Depending on the type of chemicals & compounds that are found in your water, the foam will basically start to absorb the chemicals & begin to sink! This proves that each component has its strengths, but it also has its weakness that could prove disastrous to your waterfront project! Take your time & make sure to research every component, material, application, water condition, etc. before you make your final decision! It will definitely save you time, injuries, headaches & money! Don't rely on a sales pitch when you can have the best dock for your waterfront application! Stay tuned for Part-3 of "Choosing The Right Boat Dock For Your Needs" where we will start to discuss the different types of structures & what will work best for your application! For more info, please visit us at http://www.stokesdock.com or feel free to email me anytime at: shane@stokesdock.com
(Don't rely on Dock Companies that have used the same design, same materials &/or same techniques for decades now! We use the latest or most advanced technology & best materials in the industry in order to provide you with products & services for today's waterfront rather than yesterday's problems! This is just 1 of the many reasons why we are considered by clients all over the nation to be the industry-leader in quality, durability, advanced technology, proven techniques, versatility, performance, innovation & overall client satisfaction! Come see today what a difference Stokes Dock Co. can make to your waterfront experience!)

Choosing The Right Boat Dock For Your Needs! (Part 1)

Choosing the right boat dock is just as important as choosing the right boat for you & your family! What makes it difficult is that there are literally hundreds of different options available & new options arriving every year! Because of the vast amount of choices, this blog may take several posts for you to review, but hopefully by the end of this series of blogs, you will know exactly what type of dock & dock accessories that you need for your dock & it just so happens that we here at Stokes Dock Co. have the right products, components & techniques that you will need to customize your very own unique boat dock system! ;-)
For a preview, I'll provide a really, really quick bio on the company! Stokes Dock Co. was established in 2000 by Shane Stokes w/ a creative vision to build the best all-around boat dock service company in the nation! Within a few quick years our company expanded our product-lines & service lines to become a more versatile dock company for our clients! With the additions of boat lifts sales & service, our huge selection of dock accessories & our creative yet effective techniques & services, allowed us to gain our well-renowned reputation that we're known for presently! We are considered by many clients all over the nation, to be the Industry-Leader in Quality, Durability, Advanced Technology, Performance, Versatility, Maintenance-Free Products, Proven Techniques & Overall Client Satisfaction! However, we could not be in this position if it wasn't for all our trusting & loyal clients nationwide who chose to believe in everything we stood for rather than listen to some other dock company's sales pitch!
One of our many company mission statements says it all..."We Provide Solutions For Yesterday's Problems Using Tomorrow's Technology...Today!" This means that we use the most advanced technology to fix other dock companies products that still use the same technology that they used 20+ years ago! Today's boats, boaters & waterfront enthusiasts have much different wants or needs than they use to 20+ years ago! However, w/ the largest selection of dock accessories in the nation, only Stokes Dock Co. can guarantee you that we will have the right products & services to fit any of your unique wants &/or needs! Now, let's get started!
We start w/ the water type & elemental conditions that you experience at your waterfront location. 1st, your water type is defined as Freshwater, Saltwater or Mixed (Fresh & Salt). Each water type will dictate what materials &/or components that we can use to construct & customize your own unique dock system out of! Freshwater is the most versatile type of water which allows you to use just about any type of materials, but Saltwater & Mixed-water types limit your options to materials that possess non-corrosive properties.
The elemental conditions refer to the type of weather that you would experience at your waterfront location. We use factors such as wind capacity, wave capacity, weather history & overall location to these conditions to help determine what type of yield-strengths that we will require! For example, lets say that you are located on a private lake in the Midwest where many tornadoes occur or the threat of high-capacity winds occur, it doesn't mean that you need an armored-tank built for your location. You have to use all of the conditions combined in order to determine the right components or the right dock for the right location! While most dock companies use the same design, same materials & same techniques for every location, we prefer to find methods that still provide quality, but help save you money as well! We are proud to say that we have saved clients nationwide w/ thousands of dollars & we hope to keep that tradition going w/ our new technologically-advanced products & services! Stay tuned for Part-2 of our series on "Choosing The Right Boat Dock For Your Needs!"