For waterfront homeowners in Southwest Florida, a well-designed dock can elevate your boating experience and add value to your property. At Stokes Marine, we know that the right dock is more than just a pla ce to tie up your boat—it’s about convenience, safety, and enjoying your waterfront lifestyle to the fullest. Here’s some tips to ensure your dock is exceptional.

Getting the Slip Dimensions Right:

Ensuring your slip dimensions are correct is crucial for easy docking and preventing damage to your boat. If you plan to upgrade to a larger boat in the future, it’s smart to design your slip with extra space now, both for length and width. This foresight can save you from costly modifications later.

Mind the Water Depth and Obstructions:

Southwest Florida’s tidal changes and varying canal depths require careful planning when designing your dock. At Stokes Marine, our dock designers consider water depth and obstructions to prevent grounding and protect your boat lift. Properly setting your lift’s control limits can also help avoid issues like slack cables, which can lead to serious damage.

Proper Piling Penetration and Balancing Your Boat’s Center of Gravity:

A well-designed dock considers your boat’s center of gravity, ensuring stability and safety. Proper piling length and penetration are the critical foundation for a marine project's long-lasting life. Our specialized equipment allows us the ability to “rock punch” in adverse soil conditions that our area commonly has. Properly balancing your boat on the lift minimizes the risk of imbalance and makes boarding safer. Our full-time Service Department fine-tunes this balance for optimal safety and performance.

Access to Both Sides of Your Boat:

Accessing both sides of your boat makes loading, unloading, and maintenance much easier, especially for larger vessels. If space is tight, our design team can help you maximize your dock area, possibly by positioning the dock closer to the seawall to create more room on the other side.

Smooth Egress and Ingress:

Safe and convenient entry and exit from the dock are vital, particularly in tricky docking situations. Stokes Marine carefully plans the best path for egress and ingress, helping you avoid accidents and ensuring a smooth boating experience every time.

Preserve Your Scenic View Corridor:

A dock should enhance, not block, your waterfront view. At Stokes Marine, we use 3D CAD design to ensure this. Our low-profile lifts, like the GatorVator, provide easy boat access without obstructing your view. As Southwest Florida's exclusive Golden Boat Lift dealer, we offer innovative solutions for your next project.

Call our Stokes Marine Team today at 239-489-DOCK to help you design and build your waterfront dream!