Floating Dock vs Boat Lift: Which Suits WA Waters?
WS Docks builds floating docks, not boat lifts, so this guide does two things. It sets out what WS Docks actually offers, in the words and prices on their own website, and it gives you the questions to put to any boat lift supplier so you can compare the two on the same boat and the same berth. Nothing here replaces a written quote for each option.
Which suits WA waters, a floating dock or a boat lift?
For a Western Australian boat owner the choice turns on what your boat weighs, its hull type, your berth, and what each option costs to buy and keep running. WS Docks builds floating docks for boats up to 5 tonne, so get a written quote for each option against the same boat.
A floating dock vs boat lift decision usually comes down to a handful of plain questions. What does the boat weigh? Is it a single hull, a pontoon boat or a catamaran? How often do you take it out? And what will each option need from you after the day it goes in? The sections below answer what the facts on record can answer, and tell you what to ask where they cannot.
What does WS Docks build?
Their services page lists each dock by the boat it is for, with a price beside it:
- Jetski dock, listed at $3,000, to protect a jetski from the harsh salt water environment and keep it in the water year round.
- Small boat dock, up to 1.5 tonne, listed at $5,000, custom designed to the specific boat and described as cost effective and simple to use.
- Medium boat dock, 1.5 to 2.5 tonne, listed at $11,000, using what they call their premium sinking system.
- Large boat dock, 2.5 to 5 tonne, listed at $16,000. They describe the sinking system as a first of its kind, and say it lets them custom make docks up to 5 tonne.
- Pontoon boat dock, listed at $13,000, using their premium rollers.
- Catamaran dock, listed at $18,000, combining the custom rollers and the sinking system for twin hull boats of all sizes.
The same page lists jetty and swim platforms, custom built to suit the space available, and work platforms and walkways, each at $1,000, for the parts of a berth that are not about the boat.
The site prints each price with no period beside it, so treat the figure as the listed price for that dock type and confirm exactly what it includes when you ask for a quote.
What should you ask a boat lift supplier?
WS Docks does not sell lifts, so the details of any lift have to come from the company quoting it. These questions let you line its answer up against a floating dock quote:
- What weight is this lift rated for, and does my boat sit inside that rating with fuel and gear on board?
- Does the cradle suit my hull shape, including a pontoon boat or a catamaran if that is what I own?
- What water depth does it need at my berth?
- What moving parts does it have, what servicing do they need in salt water, and what does that servicing cost each year?
- What warranty comes with it, what does the warranty cover, and who carries out repairs locally?
- Does it need a power supply at the berth?
Write the answers down beside the matching answers for a floating dock. A quote that leaves any of these blank is a quote you cannot compare.
What should you ask WS Docks about a floating dock?
The same discipline applies in the other direction. Before you commit, ask WS Docks:
- Which of their dock types and weight classes fits your boat, and whether a boat near the edge of a class should go up a size.
- Whether your berth suits the dock you are looking at.
- What the listed price includes for your site.
- What their 2 year warranty guarantee covers.
Their site says “We reply within 24 hrs” to email, and one customer’s Google review says they “got back to me within a few hours of receiving my email and were able to quote my dock the next day”.
Salt water and antifoul: what WS Docks claims
Protection from salt water runs through every description on their services page: the small boat dock provides “protection from the corrosive salt water”, and the jetski dock keeps a jetski out of the harsh salt water environment. Their home page also claims “$1000s saved in antifoul per year”.
That figure is their claim, not a number worked out for your boat. If running costs are part of your decision, ask how it applies to a vessel like yours, and ask a lift supplier the same question about theirs, so the two answers are measured the same way.
Heavier boats, pontoon boats and catamarans
Boat type changes the conversation more than anything else. WS Docks lists separate docks for pontoon boats and catamarans rather than asking them to fit a standard dock: pontoon boats get their premium rollers, built so a pontoon boat can stay in the water all year, and catamarans get the rollers and the sinking system together.
For the heaviest boats, the large boat dock covers 2.5 to 5 tonne. If your boat is a catamaran or a pontoon boat, ask any lift supplier the hull shape question above before you compare prices, because the WS Docks figures for those two docks are for docks built around that hull type.
Who is behind WS Docks?
WS Docks is based in Mandurah, with a workshop at Unit 1, 44 Panton Road, Greenfields. Damian and the team grew up around Mandurah, owned dinghies and got tired of launching and retrieving. They looked for alternatives and, in their own words, found floating docks were the most cost effective option.
Their home page lists 200+ custom dock installations and names local marinas among their customers. They build with HDPE blocks engineered to withstand Australia’s harsh elements, custom brackets designed to withstand the toughest conditions and bracing capable of supporting excess weight, and they say they have partnered with fabricators and rope splicing experts in Australia. Their About page says they bring the product to boat owners across Western Australia and Queensland, including the Gold Coast.
Frequently asked questions
Is a floating dock cheaper than a boat lift?
WS Docks publishes a price for each dock type: $3,000 for a jetski dock, $5,000 for a small boat dock, $11,000 and $16,000 for the medium and large boat docks, $13,000 for a pontoon boat dock and $18,000 for a catamaran dock. No boat lift price is on record here. Get a written quote for each, for the same boat, and include each option’s running costs in the comparison.
Can WS Docks build a dock for a catamaran?
Yes. Their catamaran dock combines the custom rollers and the sinking system for twin hull boats of all sizes, and it is listed at $18,000 on their services page.
Does WS Docks repair docks?
Yes, dock repairs are one of their listed services on the services page.
How do I contact WS Docks?
Phone +61 431 149 231, Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, or email wsdocks@outlook.com. Their site says “We reply within 24 hrs”.
Sources
This article draws on the following pages.
