[MAK]

I’ve had a CanDock setup for over 4 years and am still very happy with it.
I keep my Key West 1520 and kayak on it.
I think you are going to have to learn to live with some scratches though…

 

[MAK]

I would definitely trailer my boat during a surge. But, Are you saying every floating dock was lost? I don't see my dock going away during a 3-5 foot surge as long as the poles are long enough to sustain the extra height. And if the poles are driven in appropriately at least 10 ft, it should withstand the 6" chop. Literally a 6" chop is what I got with 60mph winds. It's on an Intercoastal creek with lots of trees. Maybe I'm missing something?

Yeah, I too am wondering what he meant by “zero that made it”. Open bay or area with potential big waves I could see would be a problem but then so are docks at that point. Not sure I would want a floating dock in those situations but I’ve seen several regular docks and walkways around here that received significant damage from the surge because the pilings or decks “lifted” with the high waters, no waves or fast moving water involved. Those pilings must not have been driven deep enough.
I think our surge with Nicole was about 5’, slightly higher than Ian just prior. Irma was the last bad flooding and the worst we ever had, and was maybe a foot higher. This picture was about 6” below the peak elevation I saw from Nicole. The mouth of our canal is about 100 yards from the ICW. The canals around here and even the narrow ICW hasn’t had waves or water moving fast enough for me to worry about losing the dock or boat during a storm. I just deal with the days of nail biting while watching the increasingly higher tides as water gets closer to the house…. Quite a few floating docks in the canals near me that weathered Irma, Matthew, Dorian, and the two recent storms without issues.

 

[MAK]

I'm ok with some scratches. I mean it's NE Florida. There are already oyster bed scratches on the bottom. Hopefully it won't chip off the gel coat. Waiting on a Candock quote but what did you pay for yours 4 years ago and how many cubes and 1/2 cubes?

Mine was just over $6k installed. Had planned to assemble and install myself but he delivered and did it for me for only $500. Original plan was to add on to the existing dock and do a traditional lift or an elevator style lift against the sea wall, but I called everyone in the book from Jax down to Daytona and couldn‘t get anyone…. Finally got a few call-backs, only one actually showed for a quote and then never got back for the install…. In the end I‘m glad I ended up with the floater.

 

[MAK]

@MAK - Love it. Looks perfect for my Micro. Can’t wait to get a quote from them. Is there any standing water in the trough that touches your boat bottom and causes barnacles? How long are your poles? Do you know how deep he drove them into the mud? Yeah, I would be all over a $500 install.

No, the slide/trough doesn‘t sit low enough with my boat on it that water is against the hull. I suppose all that varies depending on how heavy the boat is and how much of a V shape the hull has. The trough does get some barnacle growth on mine toward the very back where it is below the water when the boat sits on it. I don‘t have any photos showing that. I occasionally scrape them off when the boat is off but I do t think they are located where the hull would rub hen it is going in or off. I’m not concerned with it anyway, it’s an old boat that occasionally gets intimate with the local oyster beds and I don’t baby it in the least.
I think he went about 8’ deep in the mud with the poles. The pic below is all I could find that shows how low it sits from the back with the boat in place. I don’t know how your Beavertail compares weight-wise with mine. After the initial install he came back and we removed two of the back corner blocks so that it didn’t sit so high with the boat in place.

 

[MAK]

Thanks @MAK for the additional detail. I think my boat is lighter than yours since it says it weighs 400lbs. Not sure if that includes the 30hp but even if not let’s call it 600lbs if that. So I don’t think I’ll have much of a problem but I wouldn’t want barnacles constantly scraping if I can avoid it. Good tip. Since we’re both on Jax intercoastal, I’m thinking it’s going to get scraped up pretty bad on the bottom anyways.

Where do you live?

 

[MAK]

Neighborhood is called Queens Harbor. On a tidal creek off the intercoastal waterway on the west side.

Oh ok, I didn’t know if you were all the way in in Jax or somewhere down my way.

 

[MAK]

Did you leave your boat on the floating dock during the hurricanes?

Yes, but I had the boat and the dock tied with multiple ropes to my large permanent dock pilings. If I was dealing with as much a wind event from a direct hit, then my prep would be different depending on the situation. So far flooding has been my concern.

 

[MAK]

Is that a Key West with a side console? I don't think I've ever seen that before.

Yes. The “Explorer” model they made for a few years.