Jan 12, 2021
Why are Welded Boat Lift Frames Superior?
Welds on Vertical Lift Frames
Welded boat lift frames are superior to the typical bolt-together structures found so frequently. There are several reasons for this.
Most of them center around the reduced maintenance, superior strength, and durability of welded lifts and canopy frames.
You spent good money when you bought the boat lift or canopy. Shouldn’t you get the best one available?
Why would you want to spend a weekend checking and tightening the nuts and bolts on your boat lift or canopy? We’re pretty sure you don’t.
In that case, why not purchase a high-quality boat lift or canopy, which has most of its critical components welded together.
ShoreMaster welded boat lift frames and canopies leave you free to enjoy your time away. Why waste any time tightening nuts and bolts. Your time is too valuable.
Quality starts with state-of-the-art welding.
Welded Frames = Less Maintenance
ShoreMaster welded boat lifts save you time because they require less maintenance and give you more strength.
Welded Boat Lift Frames Stay True and Square
Bolt-together boat lifts eventually become loose due to everyday use and prolonged periods of heavy waves striking the frame. Corrosion of the hardware only accelerates this process.
If you neglect to tighten a loose bolt on your boat lift, other parts of the boat lift such as the cables, pulleys, winch, or other components can wear prematurely.
A loose bolt will result in the frame shifting, which may result in a costly repair.
Loose bolts make it extremely difficult for you to discover the source of the failure.
How do you know when you have loose bolts?
A simple test is to push on one corner of the bat lift. If there is excessive movement in the frames, in particular forward and backward, you have one of two situations:
- One of more bolts are loose; or
- The lift is not sitting firmly on the bottom.
What about a canopy frame?
A welded boat lift canopy frame can save you hours in assembly time. Using just five bolts for a welded frame vs. dozens of nuts and bolts makes sense. A welded canopy frame adds more strength and rigidity to the entire boat lift also.
When it comes to assembling a boat lift, or canopy, you’ll be glad that you choose a welded product over a bolt together product.
Also, welded products take less time to assemble than a bolt together product.
Consider for a moment just one person can complete the assembly of a ShoreMaster canopy frame in as little as 30 minutes because the canopy frame includes only four all-welded components; two canopy ends and two canopy sides. Other manufacturers have dozens of parts that need bolting together.
ShoreMaster welded boat lifts do not require replacing frame parts caused by unusual wear due to loose, missing, or corroded welds. A bolt-together frame cannot say the same thing. ShoreMaster adds thick reinforcing plates on the frame structure when using bolts structure.
A Welded Boat Lift Offers Higher Resale Value
Because welds are permanent and require no maintenance, you will find that your welded-together boat lifts are more valuable at resale time. Welds will not rust or corrode like hardware. Potential buyers will be wary of the impending costs to replace worn out or corroded hardware.
Where is Pier & Waterfront Solutions?
Located at 7325 St. Hwy 57, it’s 3 miles south of Sturgeon Bay and 1 mile PAST, Cty MM’s intersection (heading north). Look on the right at the intersection of Idlewild Road and Hwy 57.
ARE WE OPEN?
Pier & Waterfront Solutions remains “open” year-round.
Please use face masks
The virus continues to spread. PWS is conducting as much business as possible by email, text, or phone.
Site visits continue as usual. When in-person contacts are necessary, we follow “social distancing” guidelines as closely as possible.
Our display yard is OPEN 24-7
Red Tag
PWS‘s display area is always open for you to examine at your leisure. All displays available for sale have a numbered, red tag on them. If you want more information or pricing, please reference that number when you inquire.
We provide estimates and quotes by email to make the process faster, safer, and paperless.
What can YOU do?
Please conduct as much business as possible via emails, messaging, and phones. When you see our staff and crews on-site, please practice “social distancing.”
Call, message, or email us with any questions.
Thank you for allowing us to work with you safely.
Let’s all stay safe!
Jan 7, 2021
Hi Jerry,
Enclosed is payment for the pier haul out this fall ….. They (the crew) did an excellent job under difficult conditions.
Will call you next spring for re-installation.
Dave W.
Dec 29, 2020
PIER & WATERFRONT SOLUTIONS
Pier & Waterfront
Solutions LLC
As 2020 comes to an end, we’d like to summarize the history of Pier & Waterfront Solutions.
Dave Kalista and Jerry Englebert started in 2015. Like all new business owners, they were willing to put their futures on the line.
The first “office” consisted of a tiny room that was so small you literally had to walk sideways to get past the table. It was more like a closet.
All-Terrain Forklift
In the first year, installs and removals were done with ATF #1, an All Terrain Forklift, which Dave operated along with Alex, our first employee. Alex is with us today and has his own crew.
The heavy equipment required a truck and a trailer to move it. The first time the trailer was loaded with the ATF and driven just a few miles, one of the tires blew out. Not a good omen.
PWS moved and expanded
Pier & Waterfront Solutions moved out of the “closet” into a one-room office on Hwy 57 (our current location). ATF storage was done in a separate warehouse on the property.
After doing sales and service themselves for a year, Dave and Jerry had a growing list of customers and added a full-time crew.
2016-2020 saw the addition of more ATF’s, crews, and trailers. Five ATF’s to be exact.
The shop has now grown to encompass about 90% of the building. Meanwhile, the one-room office has grown to three offices. We needed more room to accommodate the office staff of 5 needed to run the operation.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?
PWS expanded into our shoreline business, which became part of our “waterfront solutions” name.
Track mounted skid steer
The shoreline business currently has three track-mounted skid steers, along with three excavators for installing rip-rap to protect shorelines. Each piece of equipment meant more crews, trucks, and assorted equipment.
THE GROWING BUSINESS HAS MORE FACETS
Barge with excavator
As the rip-rap business grew, we introduced our 24′ x 45′ barge and pusher boat.
Why such a large barge? The barge allows us to transport the excavator, a track-mounted skid steer, and tons of boulders and rip-rap directly to work sites. It’s more economical for the consumer and gives us access to areas that were inaccessible by land.
Watch for more developments with the barge in 2021.
THE NEXT INTRODUCTION
PWS developed our own line of galvanized steel docks because other steel docks were not doing the job.
Steel 3-Season Pier
The 3-Season Pier was introduced as a heavier, stronger steel pier with oversized features from top to bottom. Even the side platforms went from the normal 4′ x 8′ platform (32 sq. ft.) to a 4′ x 10′ area. (40 Sq. ft.). That’s 25% larger than lesser brands – and it’s the standard size.
Due to its quarter-ton+ weight per section, the 3-Season Pier is able to handle the record-setting high water we currently have. But even more importantly, it can withstand the strong storms we now see frequently on the Bay of Green Bay.
More developments are coming in 2021!!
It’s not all good news.
On a sad note, early 2020 saw the tragic loss of John Engelbert, Jerry’s brother. John was our Service Manager and friend. He passed away due to complications from diabetes. Everyone who knew John misses him.
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HAVE IN STORE FOR PWS?
PWS is not sitting back on its laurels. Our staff continues to seek even more ways to serve our customer needs.
In the coming months, we will be announcing new areas we will expand to serve customers better.
How will you find out about these changes?
The best way is to come back here each week and follow the posts on our website.
Where is Pier & Waterfront Solutions?
Located at 7325 St. Hwy 57, it’s 3 miles south of Sturgeon Bay and 1 mile past the intersection of Cty MM (heading north). Look on the right at the intersection of Idlewild Road and Hwy 57.
ARE WE OPEN?
Pier & Waterfront Solutions remains “open” year-round.
Please use face masks
The virus continues to spread rapidly. The vaccines are arriving and PWS is conducting as much business as possible by email, text, or phone.
Site visits continue as usual. When in-person contacts are necessary, we follow “social distancing” guidelines as closely as possible.
Our display yard is OPEN 24-7
Red Tag
Our display yard is always open for you to examine at your leisure. All displays available for sale have a numbered, red tag on them. If you want more information or pricing,
please reference that number when you inquire.
We provide estimates and quotes by email to make the process faster, safer, and paperless.
What can YOU do?
Please conduct as much business as possible via emails, messaging, and phone. When you see our staff and crews on-site, please practice “social distancing.”
Call, message, or email us with any questions.
Thank you for allowing us to work with you safely.
Let’s all stay safe!
Dec 8, 2020
Does High Water require the 3-Season Pier?
High water over the dock
High water continued again in 2020 and many people looked for a stronger, more durable pier for 2021.
After 2 years of design improvements, the 3-Season Pier was introduced in 2020. It was a hit and sold out quickly.
Looking for a new pier?
In the early part of the 2020 boating season, the number of washed-out docks increased substantially. Storms raged throughout the boating season.
There are many brands of docks on the “Bay”. Every brand was represented in the list of docks & piers damaged or destroyed this year. That is, except the 3-season pier. It also withstood the Lake Michigan turbulent waters.
High water and debris
During 2020, many people saw floating debris during and after the storms. The debris moved along the shoreline. In some cases, uprooted trees and logs were responsible for taking out docks and lifts. The debris continued to move long distances before it finally settled on the shore again.
Now, we don’t represent that a 3-Season Pier will completely stop damage like that. But there is a much better chance of a 1/4 ton pier (per section) with 2″ galvanized steel legs (2-3/8″ O.D.) withstanding the force of the waves. Compare that to the 1-1/2″ leg (1-7/8″ O.D.) used on lesser, lighter docks.
Why did high water prompt a new design?
Over the years, PWS realized that having strong steel legs was not enough for the current situation. We watched helplessly as the waves lifted the dock sections. When the dock section came down, they seldom came down evenly or level.
As waves battered the bottom of the pier, it twisted the dock frames and caused the legs to bend sideways as the dock comes down.
Once the legs bent, the entire structure was subject to rolling over. There had to be a way to reduce the pressure on the docks.
We quickly realized that solid decking was our worst enemy. With solid decking bolted to the frames, the full force of the waves had to be absorbed by the dock.
After research, we found that a deck that allows the water to flow through the decking was the best possible answer. We quickly introduced the ShoreMaster Glacier™ flow-through, open decking on our aluminum piers.
Sunwalk Decking
High water requires Sunwalk Decking™
When the galvanized steel, 3-Season Pier, was introduced, it included Sunwalk™ decking. After securing the decking to the frames with stainless steel screws, the 45% open area allowed most of the energy of the water to flow through the deck harmlessly.
Combining the 1/4 ton weight per 20′ section with a 45% open decking, and you have a winning combination.
Higher Water needed Longer Ramps too!
However, we did not stop there. We also realized that the piers had to be set high to reduce the number of times the waves could hit the decking. This created a problem. The short ramps going to the pier were too steep for people to comfortably walk up.
We designed a 20′ long ramp, thus making a gentle approach to the pier. The shore end includes built-in leg pockets to raise the ramp off the beach. These added legs allow any waves that get to the end to pass harmlessly under the frames.
When should I start looking for a new pier?
Now is an excellent time to research the features of the 3-Season pier and place a preseason order. It’ll be ready when you are in Spring. Don’t forget, we can take trades, too.
The exclusive 3-Season Pier is available only at Pier & Waterfront Solutions.
Conclusion
PWS has the best solution for your 2021 dock.
Call Jerry at Pier & Waterfront Solutions (920-493-4404) for more information.
Where is Pier & Waterfront Solutions?
Located at 7325 St. Hwy 57, it’s 3 miles south of Sturgeon Bay and 1 mile past the intersection of Cty MM (heading north). Look on the right at the intersection of Idlewild Road and Hwy 57.
ARE WE OPEN?
Pier & Waterfront Solutions remains “open.”
We have implemented measures to ensure the safety of our employees and visitors. At the same time, we are working to maintain the trusted service you expect.
Please use face masks
Because the virus has increased its spread, PWS is conducting as much business as possible by email, text, or phone.
Site visits continue as usual. When in-person contacts are necessary, we follow “social distancing” guidelines as closely as possible.
Display yard – OPEN
Our display yard is always open for you to examine at your leisure. All displays available for sale have a numbered, red tag on them. If you want more information or pricing, please reference that number when you call.
We provide estimates and quotes by email to make the process paperless, faster, and safer. Everyone should feel safe with these measures. Let’s get back to normal operations quickly.
What can YOU do?
Please conduct as much business as possible via emails, messaging, and phone. When you see our crews on-site, please practice “social distancing.”
Call, message, or email us with any questions.
Thank you for allowing us to work with you safely.
Let’s all stay safe!
Dec 5, 2020
Thanks Jerry. We’re thrilled with the job that your team did! Tony was great to work with….
Go Pack Go!
Kay J
Response – Thank you. We appreciate your comments and look forward to next year.
