Customer Reviews

Dock Designs, Volume 1 (Residential Series)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I was extremely disappointed with this book when I saw how little real information it contained. The author is a licensed contractor who's designed and built an unspecified number of docks and wished to pass his knowledge along. Unfortunately, he doesn't give more than a very high level overview and doesn't provide enough information to enable anyone to actually build any of the docks he talks about.

The deck plans provided in the book do come with materials lists but the drawings are too complicated for an amateur to understand. The chapter on hardware would have been better if the pictures were clear enough to see (ever see a copy of a copy of a copy?) and we don't get to see the hardware being used. The deck drawings would have been easier to understand if he had provided some perspective drawings showing the construction details.

The biggest downfall for me was the almost non-existent information on the hardest part of deck construction: the connection of a floating deck to the shore.

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This book is very basic and provides only a very abbreviated overview of dock construction. It may help the reader with framing the dock and a materials list but the help stops there. This book provides no specifics on securing the dock, attaching the gangway to land or accomodating fluctuating lake levels. Save your money or you will be disappointed.

This book might be okay if you are building a floating dock. I wanted to build a stationary dock and it was of no help. It only detailed building the decking, not the difficult parts -- how to secure in water, etc.

I wish I had this book before building my first dock, I would have spared myself a lot of misery. I learned so much about my lake, the soil conditions and how to anchor the dock. I buiult design one, and it came out great. The assembly instructions were helpful and the materials listing spared me from making several trips to the lumber yard. Excellent guide!!

I must say I was concerned after reading one of the reviews mentioning the lack of information regarding stationary docks. However, I took a chance and I was able to find in the hardware section and the opening chapters enough info to guide me on the framing and the leg sets. It would be better though if the author spent a little more time to clarify. We built the dock shown on the cover and it looks great! All things considered it was worth every penny.

This book helped me design and build a old style crib dock in the North Country of Maine. It gives you good, easy to follow suggestions. It starts of by explaining different lake conditions and how they react to your structure. This section will help you design and build a dock that will last for a long time. Many examples of different types of docks along with material take off`s will help the novice builder be successful. Great instructional book

I found this book helpful in designing my waterfront. Living near the water is new for me and I appreciated his insight into considering water level fluctuations. The information was clearly presented and easy to read. The blueprints were well done, however if they could be made larger that would be nice. All in all it was worth the money and I have no regrets in purchasing the book.

This book contains practical construction tips, detailed designs, materials listing and clear step by step instructions. I found it to be a tool that helped me decide the proper hardware for my lake conditions and the style dock that matched my waterfront activities. A well done and thank you to the author!