Every project starts with site understanding — shoreline conditions, water depth and fluctuation, flow, exposure, and existing infrastructure. From there we work through your use and access goals, develop concept layouts, align design with your budget, and coordinate with your engineers and designers. This process ensures the right system for your specific site before anything gets built.

Yes. We offer pre-engineering project guidance for clients in the early stages of a waterfront access project. In certain cases — feasibility studies and grant support efforts — we provide standalone advisory services before any product commitment is made.

Most systems require a concrete foundation or bulkhead as the shore-side anchor for the gangway. For sites with an existing seawall or fixed pier, we can often use a bulkhead mounting kit to connect directly to existing infrastructure without new concrete. Our Launch-in-a-Box system includes precast concrete foundation blocks that arrive with the dock, eliminating the need for poured-in-place concrete.

Site work is minimal but must include a means of egress from the parking lot to the proposed launch and a concrete bulkhead to support the gangway and floating dock system. Our team walks through site requirements with you during the design phase.

Yes. Every BoardSafe order includes a design analysis based on the specific use and environment, and PE-stamped engineering drawings are available for permit and construction documentation.

Floating docks are engineered for maximum flotation stabilization based on the size, number, and placement of plastic-encapsulated floats. If pilings are used to anchor the system laterally, they should be driven after the floating dock is installed, not before. Marine conditions including tidal fluctuation, river current, and lake ice are all factored into the design.

Tidal or seasonal water level changes directly affect the slope of the gangway. All gangways meet ADA requirements, and in general a greater tidal fluctuation results in a longer gangway. gangway sizing guides walk through the exact calculation.

An accessible system meets ADA minimum code requirements — slope, handrail height, threshold clearance. An adaptive system goes further, with features specifically designed for users with paralysis, limited mobility, or balance challenges: a boarding bench at wheelchair-transfer height, a pull-out cockpit seat, overhead roll cage with grab bar, hand straps, and a stabilizing kayak cradle. ADA-compliant does not always mean usable for every adaptive paddler.

The launch is designed to serve the widest range of abilities, including wheelchair users, veterans with service-related disabilities, individuals with limited mobility or balance challenges, seniors, beginners, and families with young children. Every feature was developed with input from adaptive paddlers themselves.

Rollers allow the vessel to slide easily toward the water, but they can't hold the kayak securely in place when a paddler with mobility limitations is boarding or exiting. Rollers are also known to damage certain kayak hulls. Our cradle system holds the vessel securely with no sliding, tilting, or unexpected movement until the paddler is ready to launch.

Yes. Canoes up to 38 inches in width can be used in the standard launch configuration.

Our ADA-compliant gangways include a 1:12-maximum slope, minimum 4-ft. clear width, continuous handrails on both sides at 42", an intermediate handrail at 34" wheelchair-gripping height, a non-slip deck surface, and low-rise thresholds with no abrupt edges.

The full adaptive boarding kit includes a pull-out cockpit bench at 16" wheelchair-transfer height with a slideout seat, an overhead roll cage with grab bar, hand straps, a stabilizing kayak cradle, a parallel kayak chute with easy-glide saddles, and instructional signage with a QR code linking to a step-by-step video guide.

We maintain a grant directory of federal, state, and nonprofit funding programs that have funded BoardSafe installations. We also provide documentation and support for grant applications as part of our project-guided design services.

Most BoardSafe systems install in one to three days once components arrive on site. Larger or more complex projects — multi-section combination systems or long-span gangways — may take three to five days. Timeline depends on site conditions, contractor availability, and whether a concrete foundation needs to cure first.

Most systems are installed by a local licensed contractor or the client's parks crew. BoardSafe provides comprehensive engineering drawings, pre-assembled components, written installation guidance, and direct phone or video support throughout the process.

All systems are manufactured at our Fleetwood, PA facility and shipped by flatbed truck to the job site. Components are pre-assembled wherever possible to minimize on-site labor. Larger systems — such as our 100-foot Boston Harbor gangway — ship in multiple loads. Our team coordinates delivery timing with your contractor.

Not necessarily. BoardSafe systems can remain in the water year-round in most freshwater environments provided water levels are stable and no ice pack movement is expected along the waterway. In active river environments with ice, seasonal removal is recommended. This decision should always be made in consultation with both park managers and our team.

Yes. Docks can be ordered with optional skid rails that protect the flotation modules during the removal and reinstallation process.

BoardSafe floating dock systems are made from aluminum, plastic-encapsulated floats, and composite decking, so typically no maintenance is required. We recommend an annual inspection of hardware torque, cleat condition, hinge lubrication, and flotation module integrity — all of which can be performed by your parks crew without special tools or a contractor.

Because our entire product line uses the same modular extrusion system, replacement components integrate directly into existing systems without retooling the full structure. Contact us with your original order information and we'll identify the right replacement part.

Every BoardSafe floating dock is built from marine-grade aluminum with welded connections and stainless steel fasteners, plastic-encapsulated foam flotation modules, Owens Corning Weardeck synthetic lumber with proprietary TimberStrong hidden fasteners. These materials don't rot, rust, or require painting.

Aluminum-welded floating docks require little to no maintenance, won't rot, decay, warp, or twist, and are relatively lightweight while remaining extremely structural and durable. Compared to pressure-treated wood, aluminum's total cost of ownership is significantly lower because it outlasts wood by decades without recurring maintenance costs.

Our flotation modules are closed-cell foam cores fully encapsulated in a high-density polyethylene shell. The encapsulation prevents water absorption, chemical degradation, and physical damage to the foam. They provide precise, calculated buoyancy across a 20-30 year service life with no replacement required.

Composite lumber manufacturers confidently state their products last over 20 years. Pressure-treated lumber in warm climates typically lasts around 8 years, and in northern climates subject to freeze-thaw cycles, roughly 8-9 years. Composite decking lasts longer, looks better longer, and carries a lower total cost of ownership.

Our systems are designed for a 20-30 year service life. The original Leaser Lake floating dock and adaptive kayak launch, installed in 2015, remains fully operational today. Our materials are selected specifically because they don't degrade under the conditions that destroy wood and steel systems.

We offer Owens Corning Weardeck synthetic lumber with proprietary TimberStrong hidden fasteners, perforated aluminum extruded decking, fiberglass grating for open-flow tidal and saltwater environments, and concrete deck panels for high-load commercial applications.

Yes. Our materials contain no rot-preventive chemicals, no paint, and no surface treatments that leach into the water. Our floating systems rise and fall with natural water levels without disturbing riverbeds or aquatic habitat. Our quick installation process minimizes on-site heavy equipment presence.

Our adaptive kayak launch systems range from approximately $30,000 to $55,000 depending on configuration, site conditions, and component selection. A full cost breakdown is available on our website, and our team can provide a site-specific estimate after a site evaluation.

Floating dock pricing depends on size, configuration, decking selection, and site engineering requirements. The best way to get an accurate number is to complete our site evaluation questionnaire or call us directly. We'll walk through the options and give you a realistic budget range before you commit to anything.

Yes. Many BoardSafe installations have been funded through federal, state, and nonprofit grants. Our grant directory lists programs that have successfully funded similar projects, and our team regularly supports clients through the grant application process with documentation and project narratives.

Yes. Phasing is a standard part of our cost and constructability alignment process. We can design a system in phases — installing the foundation and gangway in year one, adding dock sections and adaptive features in subsequent years — so communities can move forward within budget without compromising the long-term vision.

Significantly lower. A wood dock system in a warm climate typically requires replacement within 8-10 years. Our composite decking and aluminum frame carry a 20-30 year service life with virtually no maintenance costs. The long-term savings on replacement and upkeep make aluminum the lower-cost option over the full life of the investment.

We manufacture floating docks, adaptive kayak launches, gangways, rowing docks, fishing piers, pedestrian bridges, and combination dock systems. Every product is built on the same modular marine-grade aluminum extrusion system, so components integrate across product types.

Our clients include park directors, civil engineers, landscape architects, municipal parks departments, state and national wildlife agencies, university rowing programs, marina operators, and nonprofit organizations. Most projects are grant-funded or publicly financed capital improvements.

We go well beyond shipping a prefab dock. Our project-guided design process means every system is engineered specifically for the site, the users, and the budget. We don't have a standard product we fit to every project — we configure the right combination of products for each one.

We've been designing, engineering, and manufacturing commercial waterfront products for over 30 years. Our facility is located in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, where every BoardSafe system is built before shipping to sites across the country.