Carrollton, West Point Lake & Lake Carroll
Dock Repair and Boat Lift Service in Carrollton, GA
Rotted boards, sagging framing, worn lift cables, new PWC lifts. We tell you what is worth repairing and what the lake's rules say about it.
Mon to Fri 8am to 6pm, Sat 8am to 1pm, closed Sunday
CompletedThe short answer
Most docks can be repaired. Some should not be.
Yes, we repair docks and service boat lifts around Carrollton and the lakes nearby. Most calls are rotted boards, a soft stretch of walkway, a split facial board or a lift cable that has gone bad. If the framing under the boards is sound, a repair or a full re-deck is the sensible job, and we will say so instead of selling you a new dock.
Two things change the answer. Framing that has rotted through is a rebuild, not a patch. And on West Point Lake, a repair to an older dock can pull the whole dock under today's rules. We check both before we quote, so you do not buy lumber for a dock the lake will not let you keep.
What we fix
Boards, frames, lifts.
Rot and decking. We pull the rotted boards and framing, set new joists on galvanized hangers, and re-deck in pressure-treated or composite with a new facial board. On one recent dock we replaced all the rot and re-decked it, then waited on the electric wave runner lift so it could go in next.
Rebuilds. When a dock is too far gone, we rebuild it, sometimes with extra length and Trex all the way around under a facial wrap, and we add rails, gates and ladders.
Boat and PWC lifts. We install lifts, reinstall them on a rebuilt dock, and replace worn cables. See the full dock lineup for new builds, or seawalls and riprap if the bank is moving too.
In progress
Completed
CompletedRepair or replace
What to look for.
Repair it when
The rot sits in the boards, the facial board or a joist or two. The walkway is level and does not bounce. Hardware is rusty but still holds. A lift works and only the cable is frayed.
Rebuild the section when
A screwdriver sinks into the joists or stringers without effort. Posts are soft at the waterline. A sag returns after a patch. The structure that carries a lift has cracked or pulled loose.
Lift warning signs
Frayed or kinked cable, a boat that rides crooked, a lift that strains or stops partway, or a motor that hums and does not move. Stop using it and describe it in a quote request; Ambrose may ask for photos when he replies.
Why wet wood is the whole story
The Forest Products Laboratory's Wood Handbook says serious decay needs wood above the fiber saturation point, about 30 percent moisture on average, and that decay already in dry wood does not progress. A dock never dries out where the boards meet the framing, so that is where we look first.
Rules that change a repair job
What your lake says before the first board.
West Point Lake: old fixed walkways
An older permit with fixed walkway sections renews until "major repairs are required," then the facility has to comply with the current plan. New walkways are floating and hinged. Ask the park office before a big repair, because it may decide the dock's future.
West Point Lake: what goes back in
Treated lumber, cedar, redwood, cypress or marine-grade materials, with no creosote, arsenic or penta. Galvanized or stainless hardware. Flotation that does not waterlog. The plan names wood, composite decking and metal as suitable materials for joists, rafters, studding and decking of private floating facilities. Decking must be 5/4x6 boards, 2x6 boards or 3/4 inch marine plywood with a slip-resistant surface, so a composite re-deck is allowed within those sizes.
Source: Shoreline Management Plan, sections 10f, 10g and 10n
West Point Lake: lifts and power
A jet-ski (PWC) lift counts toward the facility's size limits, and at the largest size every lift has to sit inside the slips. New electrical service must be certified by a state licensed electrician, which matters for a powered lift.
Source: Shoreline Management Plan, Exhibit VII and section 14
Lake Carroll: a damaged dock comes out
The shoreline may not be altered without written consent and a permit from the city building official. A damaged or unsuitable dock has to come out, docks stop 20 feet from the shore, and docks and decking may not be cleaned with soaps or solvents.
Source: Carrollton Code Sec. 70-58
Fairfield Plantation: lifts go inside the slip
A dock is a revocable license from the association. Lifts sit only inside a covered slip, in non-corrosive metal with no canopy, and a PWC lift tops out at 1,000 pounds. Approval comes first.
We found no written exemption for swapping boards on either lake, so ask the office when in doubt. Our lake pages cover the full rules: West Point Lake, Lake Carroll and Fairfield Plantation.
How it goes
From photo to finished walkway.
Describe the damage
Tell Ambrose about the walkway, the underside if you can reach it, the lift and the name of the lake or neighborhood.
We look at the frame
Boards are the easy part. We check the joists, posts, hardware and lift mounts, then tell you plainly whether it is a repair or a rebuild.
Check the rules
The lake or association decides whether the repair needs approval. Where it does, nothing starts until you have it.
Repair
Rot out, new framing on galvanized hangers, new decking and facial board, and the lift work if your job includes it.
Stain it
A new wood dock holds up better with a stain on it. The same crew does dock staining, once the boards have dried.
Questions
Dock repair questions.
How much does dock repair cost?
It depends on how much framing is bad, how long the walkway is, wood or composite, and whether a lift is involved. We price from photos or a visit, and a number quoted without seeing the dock is a guess.
How do I know if my dock needs replacing?
Look at the framing, not the boards. Joists or posts that are soft, a walkway that sags again after a patch, or lift mounts that have loosened point to a rebuild. Rot in only the boards is a repair.
Can I repair my dock without a permit?
Ask first. West Point Lake's shoreline is federal land and Lake Carroll's is city-controlled. A repair that changes the size, layout or walkway type gets a different answer than swapping a few boards.
Can a boat lift be repaired?
Cables, installs and reinstalls are regular work for us. Give us the make and model from the lift's label so we know what we are working with before we talk about parts.
Can I re-deck my dock in composite?
At Fairfield Plantation the association's rules allow pressure-treated or composite decking. On West Point Lake the plan names composite decking as a suitable material for private floating facilities, in 5/4x6 or 2x6 boards. See composite vs pressure-treated decking.
Tell Ambrose what the dock is doing.
Send Ambrose a quote request with what the walkway and the lift are doing, and the name of your lake or neighborhood. That tells us which rules apply.