The Dock Manual: Designing/Building/Maintaining (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Basic residential dock building is not a difficult process - certainly much easier in my experience than constructing, say, a staircase..." (more)
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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The Dock Manual is the only book devoted exclusively to residential docks. Written by award-winning author Max Burns, author of the best selling Cottage Water Systems and long-time contributor to Cottage Life Magazine, The Dock Manual covers all aspects of residential docks, including assessing your shoreline, choosing the right dock for your needs, repairs, winterizing, ramps, boat lifts, marine railways, construction tips and techniques, plus 10 complete plans with lists of required materials. If you own waterfront property, you need this book.

From the Author

My writing of service and how-to journalism has always been guided by the belief that given the reasons why, folks are more likely to do the job right than if simply told how to go about some esoteric task. Knowledge converts the drudgery of work into understanding. Understanding puts you in control, which is where you should be as the owner/operator of your very own water and sewage system. So in common with my other how-to books and articles, The Dock Manual is not just a how-to book, it's also a "why?" book. I also believe that no matter who the reader--from novice to expert--that person should enjoy the read and learn something. "How-to" books are about work; reading the book shouldn't be. So while ensuring that my writing is jam-packed with good information and tricks of the appropriate trades, it's important to me that the book (whether one of mine or one I am reading) also be a good read. Respect for the environment, too, is another theme that runs through my service journalism. Not the trade-car-for-bicycle or eat-only-lettuce-fertilized-with-natural-gnats'-poo sort of radical stuff, but most definitely there are ways any member of humanity can minimize his or her impact on earth while still maintaining a lifestyle compatible with comfort and convenience. And this holds particularly true for that sensitive interface between land and water that is so important to our survival yet so easily damaged (and so easily preserved, for that matter). The Dock Manual explains how to take advantage of all that your shoreline has to offer while minimizing the disruption to existing surroundings.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC (January 4, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580170986
• ISBN-13: 978-1580170987
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #132,648 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an excellent book on the basics of dock design/construction, February 10, 2002

By	Ahmed H. Hassan "Ahmed Hassan" (Dubai, UAE) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is for sure a very good "do it yourself" book. There is no doubt that it is a "must have" for those building their own dock/jetty. The author, Max Burns, has written an excellent book on the basics of dock design and construction that is surprisingly comprehensive but still practical. It is one of the two "only" books I have ever seen on recreational/residential dock construction. I think the way the book was able to streamline and summarize the various technical bits and pieces, although being targeted at the beginner to intermediate designer/builder, does not stop it from being a very useful and informative book to most people. Each chapter is short and readable; the subject matter is directly applicable to real life situations and is not written in a typical textbook manner. I think Sections 2 and 3 on dock types and building provide a hard-to-find and up-to-date overview on various related issues. The graphs and drawings are easy to interpret, and I believe are essential to understanding the key points. Coming from a construction/environmental background I found the inserts/information boxes on the environmental impacts and construction considerations to be written in a way that is very easy to understand and quick to pick-up. Yes, this for sure a very good book to have on the subject of dock design and construction. It is also a model for writers to follow on how to simplify a technical subject, which in many instances can be gruesomely complex, to an easily "digestible" read so people from different walks of life can enjoy it in a practical way and put it to use.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Building a dock? BUY THIS BOOK!, August 2, 2001

By	Thomas McSally (Norwalk, CT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"The Dock Manual" tells you everything you need to know about designing, building and maintaining a small residential dock. It is an extremely well written and enjoyable book to read and is loaded with beautiful line drawings and photographs.

There are extensive sections on the different types of docks, materials, tools, hardware and building techniques. The section on connecting your dock to the shore was worth buying on its own! The section on designing your dock was short but there are pictures and drawings of various types of docks scattered throughout the book.

I've gotten many "do it yourself" type of books from Amazon and I think "The Dock Manual" is one of the best! If you have a dock, are planning on building a dock or just dreaming of it then you will LOVE this book!

39 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good basic dock building book - Expected more based on titl, September 20, 1999

By	"mchook" (North Richland Hills, TX United States) - See all my reviews

It is a good book for the beginner or intermediate do it yourself dock builder. Well-written overviews and common sense practical advise on materials, types of docks and their applications. This book offers good general-purpose advice and light instruction for anyone looking to build a simple dock or have one built for them. The book should be a great help to most people and I would leave a copy on some of the ratty looking docks around our lake if I could afford it. The book would be much improved with a more accurate title, a well-rounded source list, better illustration and or a good web site forum to visit. I must also say - Max burns the serious do it yourselfer (Pun intended) and the book has a very misleading and overly boastful title. "THE DOCK MANUAL" DESIGNING-BUILDING-MAINTAINING sounds real authoritive, like you're about to hear from the master's master and learn it all. This book would probably be more accurately titled "DOCK BUILDING " A SOLID OVERVIEW IN BASIC DOCK DESIGN, BUILDING AND MAINTENANCE. This book totally skips subjects such as plumbing and lighting as two examples. And this probably was not in the scope of this book, but there sure were lights on the cute little dock on the cover of the book and not one word about them inside. The book barely touches on subjects such as boatlifts and then tells you to buy a kit. An essential part of docks these days are a building such as a boathouse or cover of some type, which is nowhere to be found. Whether or not you would rather call someone for an off the shelf product such as a boatlift kit or have someone do the heavier work such as pile driving, it seems rather rude of the author to assume what is and what is not within the realm of a competent do it yourselfer. I thought the idea of a do it yourself book was to teach and show how it is done and let the reader decide when it is time to call the contractor. In most good home building books, they at least show you how to build the forms for a foundation and let you decide whether or not to be the he-man with a wheelbarrow or call a cement truck. Don't short your audience,I know most people aren't going to run out and rent a barge or pile driving equipment, but I do think it benitfits your reader to have the knowledge. Let the reader decide what they can or cannot do. Can't wait for "Dock Building" The rest of the story. Perhaps the title of this book should have been "THE DOCK, THE BASIC DOCK AND ONLY THE BASIC DOCK" as illustrated in the books "10 Complete plans for stationary and floating docks". Michael C. Hook - Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas.