Floating Docks
Floating Docks are ideal for deep or fluctuating water conditions. A big advantage of a floating dock system is it stays at a constant height above the water which is ideal if you keep a boat moored to it.
Choosing a Floating Dock Size
When choosing a floating dock it is important to have an idea what you plan to use it for. Just looking for a small dock to get out to your boat and do most of your relaxing on shore? You may be content with a 6′ wide system. If you are planning to spend some of your relaxing time on your new dock you will want to consider one with more stability such as an 8′ or 10′ wide dock.
The way to think about it is like this: Think of the difference between standing up in a canoe, and standing up in a pontoon boat. The pontoon boat is always more stable and this is mainly due to the difference in size.
Choosing a Design
When it comes to designs, you are really only limited by your imagination. Most clients, however, find one of a few common designs to be very practical for their needs.
Straight – This simple design allows for multiple mooring locations and keeps cost and complexity to a minimum
P Shape – Our most common design, this is great if you want to have an area for some chairs but only need a smaller walkway back to shore. The P Shape allows you to save some money closer to shore and spend it where it will have maximum use.
L Shape – Similar in design to th P Shape, the L Shape creates up to 3 spaces for mooring boats
T Shape – Commonly used in smaller rivers where you don’t want to extend your dock too far out into the water. The T Shape allows one bigger mooring location with easy access and a couple protected locations for smaller craft like canos & kayaks.
U Shape – This design offers great protection to your boat and leaves two other spots open for additional boats or visitors. Typically one side of the U is small and used just for boat access. The other side is large enough for chairs and entertaining.
Winterizing Your Floating Dock
Floating docks can commonly be left in the water over the winter, but not all locations are suitable. Every dock built by On the Water Designs is capable of being frozen and thawed but damage may occur if your dock ends up down the lake, or up on shore in the spring.
The key is to understand your ice conditions. If you are in a somewhat sheltered area like a bay where the ice just freezes and thaws you shouldn’t expect any trouble. If, however, you find a lot of ice movement in the spring either flowing past or piling up on shore you would be best to relocate the dock or remove it.
Dock Installation
A typical floating dock installation includes securing the ramp to shore using either bedrock hardware or attaching to a concrete pour or an existing structure. Anti-sway cables are attached for additional stability. Each floating dock section typically has a set of anchors and chain crossed below the dock in an X to reduce side to side sway.
Many clients choose to have a floating dock installed professionally the first time but find they can maintan their systems on their own after that.
Classic Series Floating Docks
Wooden docks have been built for centuries and survive today in the Classic Series Wooden Dock. Traditional construction techniques matched with extruded aluminum structural hardware creates a system that will blend with the beauty of your shoreline for years to come. The Micro Pro Sienna Treated Docks are handcrafted by experienced carpenters using quality Canadian materials at the factory in Muskoka. Every Classic Series Wood Dock utilizes very reliable foam-filled plastic PermaFloat dock floats. The full range of float sizes allows us to choose the right float to fit your design.
High-Performance Box Floats
Box floats are the industry standard for dock floatation. They are more durable & longer lasting than blue foam floatation, and more stable than pontoon-style floats due to the flat bottom design keeping more material in contact with the water and creating more stable displacement. Add in the flexibility to build with over 50 standard float sizes and you have the most suitable flotation for almost any conditions.
Pressure Treated Wood Frame
The Classic Series Floating Docks are primarily constructed from Micro Pro Sienna Pressure Treaded Lumber, chosen for its durability and suitability for use with our specialized steel & aluminum structural hardware. For those interested in the most natural-looking dock, Western Red Cedar is also available
Decking & Skirting
While the internal frames are most commonly PT lumber, decking & skirting can be PT, Cedar, or PVC materials to give you the best look to fit your unique shoreline.
Warranty
Classic Series Floating Docks come with a 3 Year warranty and are expected to last 10-15 years under typical conditions. The Box floats are warranted for 15 years
Want to get an idea of pricing for a Classic Series Floating Dock? View the Classic Series Floating Dock Price List
Not sure what type of dock you need? Contact Jim Lawrence Jr. he will be happy to help you out!
Contact him at (705) 752-2520 or harpersmarina@yahoo.com
Designer Series Floating Docks
The Designer Series Floating Docks are handcrafted by experienced welders using the highest quality Canadian materials at the factory in Muskoka. Each section utilizes marine-grade aluminum framing and stainless steel fasteners to ensure a completely rust-free design. Decking choices include Western Red Cedar, Solid PVC, or Aluminum. A Designer Series Floating Dock from On the Water Designs makes a very durable and elegant centerpiece to any waterfront.
Every Designer Series Floating Dock utilizes very reliable foam-filled plastic PermaFloat dock floats. The full range of float sizes allows us to choose the right float to fit your design. Most residential applications are designed for 25 lbs / SqFt, while docks typically holding more people are upgraded to 40 lbs / SqFt. The standard designs float at 14″ off the water, but we also have designs that can float at 18″ to make it easier to step from your dock to a pontoon boat.
Designer Series Floating Docks come in a variety of standard sizes including 4′, 6′, 8′ & 10′ Wide and 10′, 15′ & 20′ Long. Custom sizes and designs allow for additional flexibility where needed. All frames include decking support stringers every 16″ allowing for almost any choice of decking both now and in the future. The exclusive deck panel clips clamp decking securely to the frame.
Best Warranty In The Business
Your dock is exposed to the harshest conditions mother nature has to offer. Hot, Cold, Storm Winds and High Waves. All before your family arrives for a weekend of swimming, skiing, and relaxing on the water.
You want a dock that is ready when you are.
Every company claims to build the best, most durable dock available but the truth is easy to uncover.
Just Ask About the Warranty
On the Water Designs has a warranty on your dock frames for a full 10 Years. The warranty is NOT prorated meaning you aren’t responsible for 10% of the cost in year 1, 20% in year 2, etc. With docks from On the Water Designs docks, you have the same great coverage at year 10 as you did the day you bought the dock. They are able to offer the best warranty in the business because most of our clients never need to use it. To us, that is the mark of a great quality dock system.
Want to get an idea of pricing for a Designer Series Floating Dock? View the Designer Series Floating Dock Price List
Not sure what type of dock you need? Contact Jim Lawrence Jr. he will be happy to help you out!
Contact him at (705) 752-2520 or harpersmarina@yahoo.com
Titan Series Floating Docks
Perfect for commercial applications, or a lifetime at the cottage! The Titan Series Floating Dock combines the best features of all our docking systems into a single, long-lasting, high-performance dock.
Your choice of Wood or PVC Decking sits above a durable aluminum frame. Our rugged reinforced pontoon system ensures the dock stays safely above the water and waves. Like all On the Water Designs docks, our Titan Series Pontoon Floating Dock is fabricated by skilled welders and carpenters to ensure your dock lasts a lifetime. Our aluminum frames come complete with a 10-year warranty and our reinforced pontoons carry a warranty that is more than a lifetime – 100 years!
Durable Pontoon Floats
Pontoon floats create a rigid structure underneath your dock frame creating great structural support for rough conditions like consistent wave action from boat traffic or mother nature. The rugged nature of this style of floatation is not simply due to the materials used, but also in the design. After the thorough design, testing & redesign at our onsite testing facility, we landed on the ideal welded box style design which includes cross members between the main pontoons. This not only makes the frame much more durable in rough conditions but also adds flotation where it is needed most—at the outer ends of each dock frame. Walking on a dock with separate individual pontoons is an entirely different experience which, while much less expensive to produce, created a much less stable experience we were not comfortable providing to our clients.
Aluminum Frame
The 100% unique feature of the Titan Series is our welded aluminum upper frame. During development, we asked ourselves “why match a pontoon float with a 100-year warranty with a wood frame that might last 15 years”? Our aluminum frame answers the need for low maintenance, long-lasting docking solution. This frame was modeled after our proven Designer Series frame but beefed up with thicker, heavier supports to ensure ideal performance in rough conditions.
Best Warranty In The Business
Your dock is exposed to the harshest conditions mother nature has to offer. Hot, Cold, Storm Winds and High Waves. All before your family arrives for a weekend of swimming, skiing, and relaxing on the water.
You want a dock that is ready when you are.
Every company claims to build the best, most durable dock available but the truth is easy to uncover.
Just Ask About the Warranty
On the Water Designs has a warranty on your dock frames for a full 10 Years. The warranty is NOT prorated meaning you aren’t responsible for 10% of the cost in year 1, 20% in year 2, etc. With docks from On the Water Designs docks, you have the same great coverage at year 10 as you did the day you bought the dock. They are able to offer the best warranty in the business because most of our clients never need to use it. To us, that is the mark of a great quality dock system.
Want to get an idea of pricing for a Titan Series Floating Dock? View the Titan Series Floating Dock Price List
Not sure what type of dock you need? Contact Jim Lawrence Jr. he will be happy to help you out!
Contact him at (705) 752-2520 or harpersmarina@yahoo.com
Commercial Series Floating Dock
DuraDock is the latest innovation in commercial quality pontoon floating dock systems. The unique framed paired with rugged 18″ or 24″ fully welded HDPE pontoons provides maximum design flexibility and durability. This is achieved by our exclusive designed and engineered crosser platform found only on our DuraDock system.
The DuraDock platform is designed using the most durable, products and materials. The goal is to create a commercial level quality design, customizable dock system for residential and business use.
HDPE Pontoon 18″ vs 24″ and Crossers
We measure both these sizes into 4 critical categories, it’s capacity, its Wall Thickness, the Weight it can manage, and the Freeboard.
The 24″ Pontoons offer additional capacity, higher freeboard, weight per square foot, and has a thicker wall (please see price list link below for these details)
The pontoons have a Double End Cap Bottom giving a 1″ thickness and are double welded to prevent ice damage.
A proprietary HDPE crosser system creates a rugged connection between upper and lowers structural frames without sacrificing the flexibility to create limitless designs.
Warranty
DuraDock offers a wide range of customized sizes to accommodate even the most unique design layouts.
The Pontoon Frame comes with a 25-year warranty and the Upper Frame comes with a 3-year warranty.
Options and Accessories
Deck Trim Colour
Available in 9 standard colors, DuraDock offers a deck trim to match your boat, water toys, plane, or your dock furniture. For marine/business use, this can be used as an identifier for clients as to what block of docks they canpark (ex: Red section, slip 12). This small premium detail will make your dock truly unique.
Wood Frame Designs
You have 2 natural wood frame designs available, Standard and Picture Framed
Trim Rail
Installing Yellow Trim Rail along the length of the pontoon gives visibility to the dock perimeter while also doubling as a safety handle when in the water.
Want to get an idea of pricing for a Commercial Series Floating Dock? View the Commercial Series Floating Dock Price List
Not sure what type of dock you need? Contact Jim Lawrence Jr. he will be happy to help you out!
Contact him at (705) 752-2520 or harpersmarina@yahoo.com