More than a place to park your boat
It doesn’t seem so long ago that docks and piers were for storing boats, casting fishing lines and as a practice platform for kids who dreamed of belly-buster dives as an Olympic sport.
But 2025’s piers and docks are bigger and can be designed to be another entertainment space for waterfront homeowners.
They aren’t your grandparents’ docks anymore.
And from an economic perspective, trends in the industry include not only traditional treated lumber. PVC and the use of composite decking materials “are providing the best long-term investment for the homeowner.
Treated wood is not lasting as long as it used to, making homeowners switch to “a better option,” said Eric Mackey, owner of Mackey Docks in Ragland.
New treated, long life, low maintenance wood makes for ideal pilings. “I’ve been able to find a great source for the pilings that support the whole dock and also framing options on treatment that will make the docks last a very, very long time.”
There are also a variety of options to jazz up your dock. Personal watercraft/kayak ports make it easier to get in and out of the water. Aluminum dock ladders can also take on the colors of your favorite teams, Mackey said.
Other options include flip up seats, benches and stools that attach to the dock without taking up much room. It’s the same story for kayak and paddleboard racks that attach to the dock.
Dock bumpers also protect boats from damage from rough weather and water as well as bad drivers.
For Joey Fortenberry, who along with his cousin, Jodi, owns Marine Worx in Gadsden, the commitment is to quality.
“We just build good stuff,” he said. “Our work stands out from everybody else. There’s more craftsmanship.”
Double-deckers are becoming a hot item in 2025, Fortenberry said.
“They’ve been around for a long time, but they’re getting more popular in our area,” he said.
The new composite materials, like Owens-Corning’s WEARDECK decking, are wood-free material that stays cool, even on the most sizzling summer days.
“It’s the only one that I know of that you can put on the water, and it’s got a cooling technology, and it just doesn’t get hot,” Fortenberry said. “I’m promoting it highly because it’s so good.”
Decks can range in price from $40,000 to $180,000.
Marine Worx also builds or bolsters protective seawalls, particularly in the late fall and winter, when Alabama Power lowers lake levels on Logan Martin and Neely Henry. As every waterfront homeowner knows, those seawalls protect against property erosion.
“Every five years, they really drop it (the water level). That’s when we get a lot of seawall requests. It gets really crazy, and we only have about a month to do it. We’re working six, seven days a week that time of year trying to get all those done.”
While seawall materials may not change from year to year, there have been changes in technology.
“We use an erosion cloth behind the walls. We put gravel and the drains in, and we use tie backs (an anchor point to make the wall more secure).”
Some dock builders have expanded their businesses. Unique Waterfronts now does homebuilding, clearing property and also works with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in disaster relief, according to Chelsea Isbell.
“We’re really excited about growing and expanding the company and having it more like a one-stop place for people wanting a new house, a pool house, a boat house … We’ve been blessed with work and have been able to expand our business.”
Like other area dock builders, Unique Waterfronts uses composite materials, and it also builds double deckers, like the Castle House Air B&B at Logan Martin’s Alpine Bay area. Unique Waterfronts uses the Trex Brand of composite material. As for seawalls, the company uses GeoStone, as well as wood and other materials.
The company also offers a variety of options and strives to live up to its name. “We want every project to be unique,” Isbell said.
At Shoreline Creations, Margaret Isom is optimistic about the future. Waterfront populations are growing, which means seemingly boundless opportunities for new construction and restoration.
As far as trends, she looks to consumers. “We’re seeing educated clients who are value and budget-focused,” she said. Customers are also looking to alternative materials for dock construction, like composite and PVC decking.
“While both composite and PVC decking are low maintenance options, the key difference is that PVC decking is made entirely from plastic, offering superior longevity and resistance to temperature fluctuations.”
For Xtreme Docks owner Daniel Okonski, things are looking up – literally.
“We have a lot of new things in the new year,” he said. “But the biggest thing for us is we’re starting to go up. You can have the lower half of your dock for boats and stuff, and we’re adding platforms up top that you can actually use for entertaining. It’s a really neat concept. Basically you can end up with 2,400 square feet on the lake. It depends on where you live, but most of the time you have 1,200 square feet.”
But beyond construction, Xtreme offers jumping platforms and dock hammocks that give kind of a catamaran feel. Hammocks are custom made for Xtreme.
With an aging population, accessibility is an important factor. Xtreme offers lifts that make life easier for older lake residents or residents and visitors with disabilities.
While he uses traditional treated wood and aluminum in construction, as well as Trex composite decking, Okonski, it seems, has an eye on the future of docks and piers. And that future is vertical.
As an aside, he uses his own deck as an exhibit for potential customers. “Take the dock and turn it into an entertaining spot.”
The dock as more than a place to store boats may be sign that the waterfront communities have emerged from the pandemic and are returning as a happening place to be as it was in the early days of Logan Martin and Neely Henry.
“If you think about it, people are entertaining more,” Okonski said. “The lake is becoming a hot spot again like it was in the 60s and 70s. There were hotels and restaurants, everything. And I feel like it’s getting back that way.”
