3 Accessories that Make Your Dock Safer

Interested in making summer fun on your boat dock safer? Making updates to your dock to keep your family safe this season? Looking for dock accessories that will improve your safety?

If you have a boat dock and a family to look after, dock safety is probably one of your top concerns. Doing more for your family’s safety than using caution and keeping an eye on them could be as simple as adding a few dock accessories to your waterfront!

Take a look at our top 3 accessories for improved dock safety:

1. Lighting:
   
   The importance of sufficient, quality lighting on your dock can’t be overstated. Even if you never intend to use your dock when sunlight isn’t in full force, things happen and you should be prepared. A well lighted dock will be better protected from accidents with other boaters using the water way at night.
   
   Solar lights are your best and work in most circumstances. Make sure you reference a good guide when you install the lights to guarantee proper placement, or consult a professional!
2. Ladders:
   
   If your dock is used by swimmers, boaters, or people enjoying other water activities, a ladder is a key safety accessory. It will make your dock easier to use and safer in both emergency and everyday situations.
3. Corner Sections:
   
   If you have one or more slips or any ninety degree angles on your dock, a corner section is a smart dock accessory to consider for safety. Adding corner sections will discourage people from jumping the corners, which can be dangerous, and it will give you more room to move on the dock.

These dock upgrades are quick and easy, but they can make a big impact on improved safety. If you have any questions about these dock accessories or your family’s safety around the water, give us a call today!

How to Enjoy Your Dock and Keep Your Family Safe!

Want to up the safety factor of your boat dock this year? Wondering about dock improvements that will make your family safer? Want to enjoy your dock and make your family more safe and comfortable?

We understand that owning a waterfront space with a dock and having a family to look after puts a lot on your plate. Your main concern may be safety, but you want you and your family to be able to enjoy time by the dock, too! A few safety tips might be just the key to help you find the right balance between safety and fun. Check out our tips below!

• Dock Accessories for Safety: Quite a few dock accessories are available to you that can improve the safety of your dock for your family. One example is solar lighting. Adequate lighting for your dock will keep you and your family safer when you use the dock in the early mornings or evenings and can prevent waterway accidents. Other examples of dock accessories that improve safety are stairs and ladders, corner sections, and bumpers.
• Family Safety Policies: Setting up consistent rules or policies about dock use can help keep your family safer, especially when you can’t keep an eye on everyone every minute. An example of a good policy is that younger kids must put on life vests BEFORE stepping onto the dock. For older kids consider a policy of a curfew for dock use, or always requiring they notify you when they intend to use the dock.
• Preventative Maintenance: Maintenance tasks will help keep your dock a safer space for everyone and can allow you to avoid heavy expenses for repairs. Preventative maintenance includes cleaning your dock, regularly checking cables, replacing damaged or over-worn sections, storing loose items, and covering your boat.

After reading those tips, we bet you feel safer already! Safety is a big issue, but addressing it on your boat dock can be quite simple. If you have more questions about family safety on your boat dock or you want to know about dock accessories, give us a call today.

Buy a Boat and Accessories without Sinking Your Budget

Are you looking forward to winter ending and boating season beginning?

Do you already own a boat, or are you dreaming of making that big purchase?

Did you know that there are lots of accessories available that can not only make your boating experience more enjoyable, but also protect your investment?

At Alumi-Span, we offer a variety of unique dock accessories that add convenience and function to your boat dock. In addition, most of the accessories we sell are items that we manufacture designed around our boat dock system.

We believe in giving you the highest quality materials to make your boating experience the best it can be!

If you’re still waffling about making that big purchase, try asking yourself these questions before going shopping:

1. What will you use your boat for? According to The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), the top reasons people buy a boat are fishing, cruising, and sailing. To save money, buy the simplest, cheapest boat for your use.
2. Do you really have time to enjoy your boat? Avoid purchasing a large boat if you think you’ll only be able to enjoy it once a month. If you love boating but don’t have a lot of time for it, consider renting.
3. Think you need a bigger boat? The NMMA says that ninety-five percent of U.S. boats on the water are 26 feet or less. Consider how many passengers you want to carry, and if you need room for just cocktail hour for friends, sleeping quarters, or simply a place to sit as you fish. Remember, the bigger the boat, the larger your cost is to operate.
4. Where will you keep the boat? The bigger the boat, the larger and stronger the trailer and car or truck you’ll need to pull it. Additionally, as size increases, you may find yourself needing to extend your boat dock, or get additional permits.

Once you’ve asked yourself these questions, it’s time for the fun part – shopping! Once you buy your boat, make sure to call Alumi-Span for all your boating and dock accessories!

We can help you install a great boat dock that will protect your investment by keeping your boat scratch and dent-free. To find out more about our accessories including dock lighting, stairs and steps, and boat dock bumpers, visit our website!

Which Boat Dock Bumper is Right for Your Boat?

Have you recently purchased a new boat?

Have you had a boat for years, but you’re tired of seeing it take a beating each time you dock?

Are you looking to improve the overall look and feel of your boat dock?

Boat dock bumpers are a great addition to any aluminum boat dock.  Our popular torpedo post bumpers as well as the Alumi-Span exclusive dock post bumper extensions are a great way to protect your investment.  Dock post bumpers cover the connection between your cross arm and the upright pole.  Best of all you can use these items on any post style dock system.  There are several advantages to using post bumpers.

Torpedo post bumpers come in a variety of colors and sizes to suit your needs.

Protection:

Even if you have a boat lift, it’s common to pull the boat up directly to the dock.  Loading passengers, launching wake board equipment, or transporting heavy coolers is much easier with the boat right next to the dock.  Dock post bumpers give you something to bring the boat up against.  They will protect your jell coat and also protect the dock.  If your boat has a high rub rail like a pontoon boat torpedo post bumper extensions can also be a great product to use.  With the correct bumper system you can pull your boat into the dock without worry.

Beautification:

A carefully chosen bumper system will add protection to the dock and will also beautify it! You can color coordinate post bumpers and extension bumpers to match your side stringer bumpers.  This not only gives you full coverage of the dock but also looks great.  Side stringer bumpers also work great at protecting small boats that may get bushed under the dock.  Many customers even match the color of the post and side stringer bumpers to their boat covers as well.

Universal:

Alumi-Span dock post bumpers are universal for all post style dock systems.  You don’t need to have an Alumi-Span Dock to utilize many of our dock bumper options.  Post bumpers are commonly used on aluminum, vinyl, and even wood dock systems. 

How Do You Know Which Option to Choose?

For help picking out the best boat dock bumpers for your needs, contact us today! Our friendly technicians have the expertise to guide you when you’re deciding on an upgrade for your boat dock.
At Alumi-Span, we’ve been in the business of making boat owner’s lives easier for over 60 years! We know how much pride you take in having friends and family come out on the water with you, and we want to help you make it a great experience.

Contact us today to get started! Together, we can help you design, install, or upgrade the dock you’ve always wanted.

How to Vet Your Dock Designer

Want to be sure you’re choosing the right pro for your dock design? Need some advice to get through the vetting process? Looking for a boost to your vetting skills before you start meeting dock designers?

Choosing a professional to work on a significant project at your home or property can be a bit daunting. You can start to feel like you need to hours and hours of research to find someone reliable. The truth is if you’re armed with just a few key pieces of advice, you can get through the vetting process more confidently!

Read Reviews Online

One of the great things about today’s internet is that there is no shortage of sources to find reviews for all types of businesses. From Google, to Yelp, to sites like Angie’s List, you can get a snapshot of a business’s reputation pretty quickly. Make sure to dig into reviews a little bit to make sure the company or designer is a good fit for your project.

Ask for References

After you’ve checked reviews online, check in with the designer personally and ask for their references. Hopefully they can give you something a little more specific than blurbs on their website, but if they have lots of those, it’s usually not a bad sign!

Multiple Modes of Contact

One of the major issues and concerns people have when working with contractors is staying in contact. Contractors have been given a bad name by the select few who try and scam clients or disappear. Make sure this doesn’t happen to you by getting one or two contact numbers, emails, fax numbers, addresses, whatever it takes to feel confident. When you have the contact info, test a few out and see what their response time is like.

Ask Questions

When you start to get serious about considering a dock designer, make sure you take one or two opportunities to ask a handful of questions. Don’t be afraid to judge the designer according to their answers and push for what you want. Write your questions down beforehand so you won’t forget anything important!

If a potential dock designer makes it through these 4 levels of your vetting process, you should be pretty confident in working with them on your new boat dock! And if you’re looking for expertise in dock designs, give us a call today. We’re ready to help you design the dock of your dreams!

Top Qualities to Look for in a Dock Designer

Searching for a dock designer and not sure how to make a selection? Looking for a way to make the process easier? Need quick tips to help you choose a reliable dock designer?

Selecting the right person or company to do work for you in your home is not always easy and can quickly get overly complicated and time consuming. To make the process easier in your search for a dock designer, consider a simple list of the top qualities recommended by experts in dock designs.

1.    Experience

Get a sense of a designer’s experience by reading online reviews, checking out their website, and getting references of people they’ve worked with. You can also ask the designer directly about their history and background in the business.

2.    Timeline

If you want to the project done in a timely manner, a thorough timeline is a key quality in your dock designer. Make sure to ask about specific start and end dates with a clear understanding and when they will be on your property and for how long.

3.    Materials

The ability to select and commit to reliable materials is a must-have quality for a dock designer. Find out if your designer has a preference for certain manufacturers, and be sure to do a background check there too.

4.    Contact

Do your best to avoid working with a contractor who is difficult to contact. Secure several ways to get in touch with them including a couple phone numbers, emails, fax numbers, etc. Go the extra mile and test the contacts and response times.

To be confident in your search for a dock designer, keep these top qualities in mind as you talk to potential contractors. With our advice in your back pocket, you’ll be on your way to selecting an effective dock designer you can trust. If you’re looking for expertise in dock designs, give us a call today. We’re ready to help you design the dock of your dreams!

Top 5 Customization Options for Your New Boat Dock

Dreaming of a custom boat dock, but not sure which options to include? Wondering which custom boat dock options will be best for you? Looking for ideas to optimize your custom boat dock?








You’re putting in a new boat dock and you’re going for it: customized! But you want to make sure you include all the essential features in your original design so you don’t have to go back and change anything later. To get it done right the first time, check out our top 5 customization options for your new boat dock:

1. Good Looks: Don’t forget to consider the look of the dock on its own and the whole big picture! You can pick options to make sure your dock goes with the look of your house or other design aesthetics.
2. Storage Solutions: Make sure your design includes attractive storage options to hide your gear but keep it accessible. Without storage solutions built-in, you’re likely to end up with an eye-sore like a plastic storage shed shoved into a corner.
3. Use It for More: Get more use out of your dock by incorporating nontraditional elements like upper decks and metal roofs. These features can help turn your dock into something much more than just a place to dock your boat!
4. Space for Toys: custom-built docks can easily be designed to include space to store and use an array of water vehicles from pontoons, to kayaks, to jet skis.
5. How ‘bout Them Upgrades: running water, electricity, and multiple levels are the kind of features that will transform a boat dock into something much more. If you are dreaming of any of these upgrades, make sure they’re in the design now!

These options should help you design a custom boat dock that won’t be lacking anything! If you have questions about boat dock customization or aluminum boat docks, give us a call today.