However, this is a more difficult question than you may think considering the options available! Rubrail, post bumpers, harbor cushions, corner cushions, back-stops, dock rollers, slip-guides, dock wheels, super cushions, poly-bords, hydro-guards, boat lifts, pwc lifts, boat cushions & much more! For those of you who have the combination of spontaneous creativity & Inspector-Gadgets Go-Go Dock Tools, leaves me to wonder how many other items have been created to help protect your boat with! Now, for those of us who only get to rely on the dock products available on today's market, I'm afraid that short-list given at first are the only items we get to work with! However, it still isn't that simple to choose what's right for you & your scenario or application! For example, just in the rubrail category alone, there are well over 20 different styles to choose from!
One thing I have learned over the years is that there are rarely 2 issues that are the same so please don't be disappointed when I don't call out your name or your issue! I'm just going to give you a few examples, techniques, helpful hints, etc. of what we found to be effective over the years to a certain situation. Floating docks will be different from stationary docks or a covered roof vs. an uncovered roof & likewise, cuddy cabins will be different from pontoons or tri-toons, which will be different from a go-fast, yada-yada. Now let's get started!
Rubrail is the simplest form of protection that every dock should have! It's small in size but has saved countless boats from beating against the side of their dock whether it be metal, wood, etc. It usually borders the entire perimeter of any traffic-areas & won't mar or scar your boat. It's 1 of the most economical forms of protection, but is a lifesaver when it comes to directly banging your boat on the frame. It comes in many shapes, sizes, lengths, etc. & depending on your application, could be all that you need!
Post bumpers are becoming the most universal product on the market today! Their main purpose is to be applied to your roof posts as a protective barrier that keeps your boat from hitting the roof posts &/or underwater brace legs. However, we have found that they have many other uses, such as backstops, boarding-posts, lift-guides, corner protection & much more! Most post bumpers are made to fit a post anywhere from 2" - 4" wide & usually only 3' - 6' tall. They are relatively inexpensive & some are made to last you for years depending on their use. We came up w/ the backstop idea so that boats could back into their slip & bump these rather than beat & destroy the dock or the boat. Depending on your freeboard level or waterline to the top of the deck will determine what size of backstops you would need. We have made backstops for 6' paddle boats, 20' runabouts up to 60' Aft-Cabin Cruisers!
The boarding-post idea was for swim platforms & docks that didn't have any type of roof system, but still needed that extra protection that the rubrail just doesn't provide! They allow a boat to pull-up next to the side of the platform to park or they serve as protection for boats that are simply dropping someone off on their dock. You can even have cleats installed on them which works really well for Gas-Dock Applications! Now the cleat isn't a trip hazard like so many of them are! You can use multiple amounts of them on the inside of your uncovered slip so that they can bump into the post bumper rather than your dock, decking, etc. B/c post bumpers are made from polyethylene, they are guaranteed not to mar or scar your boat! It's these properties that make polyethylene so valuable to the marine industry & most of the products made on the market today are made strictly from polyethylene! X-Treme Marine Concepts, inc. has teamed up w/ Stokes Dock Co., Inc. in order to utilize the new Poly-bord system which is made entirely from recycled polyethylene, replaces the need for rubrail & lasts a lifetime! It's truly a unique product that will become the new thing of the future for the marine industry!
Harbor cushions, corner cushions, super cushions & such are used primarily for larger boats to use as a cushion or protection when simple rubrail just won't do the trick! They came in many different shapes, sizes & forms, but they all are made from polyethylene & are durable enough to withstand the force from a 20,000 lbs. boat or 75,000 lbs. cruiser! When you consider that they are only $60 - $90 each & most minor gel-coat repairs could cost you starting out at $2500, it's pretty much a no-brainer for most of us to have it installed immediately!
The dock rollers, dock wheels, slip-guides & such are simply items that help guide you into your slip w/out damaging your boat. There are many different versions of these dock roller type items, but they all have different applications that they can be applied to. X-Treme Marine Concepts, inc. is designing a new innovative system that will provide protection & help guide you into as well as out of your slip w/ simple ease!
More & more companies like X-Treme Marine Concepts & Stokes Dock Co., are coming out with products that serve multiple purposes in order to make the boating experience more enjoyable rather than more expensive! Some companies, like Stokes Dock Co., are going the extra mile in order to have everything that a boater needs for his/her special application! One of their most important company mission statements says it all..."We Provide Solutions For Yesterday's Problems Using Tomorrow's Technology...Today!" Most of all though, we not only want to earn your business, we want to earn your trust & your loyalty! If you need help choosing the right product then please feel free to email us, call us or leave a question in your comment & 1 of our friendly-knowledgeable sales staff will respond or contact you asap! Come see today what a difference Stokes Dock Co. can make to your waterfront living experience! We are currently in the stages of developing a new state-of-the-art website for residential & commercial clients all over the nation that is packed full of product info, helpful hints, simple techniques, ideas & solutions for your dock, your issues & your convenience! For updates, Follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/stokesdock or simply stop by at http://www.stokesdock.com. Stokes Dock Co. - Protecting Your Boat...Coast to Coast!
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