Cape Coral Dock Builders	May 17, 2012
Topic: Cape Coral Dock Builders Category: Marine Dock Builders Activity: Building Docks & Lifts County: Lee Metro: Greater Fort Myers Region: Southwest Florida

Cape Coral Docks

Yes, I now own a sailboat water home in SW Florida and am ready to gear up for boating. However, the first step is the process of meeting all the dock builders and selecting the best one to build my new boat lift and dock. Wow, what a big process this can be. Since I went through it, I wanted to put a list together for people to easily contact the various Lee County Dock Building Contractors.

Lee County Dock Considerations

Project planning and some homework time are the two keys to having a dock built correctly and to your needs. First do some reading off the internet or book store and learn the key parts to a dock: pilings, stringers, lift, beams, deck boards, rub rails, galvanized steel, aluminum, stainless steel, etc. With this basic knowledge applied, only at this point are you in a good position to call and setup some appointments with a dock building contractor.

Dock Building Questions, Tips, and Considerations

To pass on our experience, I thought it would be helpful to highlight questions and issues with adding a dock, lift, and seawall issues.

• First figure out you maximum boat size you need to explore and enjoy Pine Island Sound, Matlacha, Sanibel Island, Fort Myers Beach, Boca Grande, Charlotte Harbor, Marco Island, Bonito Beach, and the Caloosahatchee river next to Cape Coral. We recommend to not build a dock until you plan your Lee County boating.
• Don't be talked into more dock and lift that you need. Your pre-sales dock person will point out that everyone upgrades. With the gas prices on the increase, the chances of going bigger and bigger is slim. Keep the money in your money market account.
• A wrap around dock will substantially add cost, with a disproportional increase in value. How much time are you really going to spend on the far side of the dock.
• Be sure to visit the marine lumber yard, as this may just be one of the best places to get boat dock builder references. They know who pays on time and has been building docks in Cape Coral and Fort Myers the longest. Shoreline Lumber near Fort Myers Beach has a nice display of wood decking materials to view, touch, and ask questions about.
• Yes, the materials used are a big part of the expected lifetime of your new dock. So, learn about marine dock materials include decking, marine pilings, lumber, and hardware.
• While cheap or low price cape coral boats may sound poorly, a low cost boat allows you to use it more. Fuel efficient boats are the way to go and to spend more time on the Gulf and the Caloosahatchee river.
• Be warned, the dock sales person is just that, a seasoned sales professional. They thrive on your lack of knowledge and will eat you and your wallet alive if you don't prepare.

Lee County Dock Contractors

I spent a couple of months meeting, interviewing, getting dock quotes, and doing dock inspections of around a dozen Lee County dock builders. The list that follows are the dock builders that appeared to be the most genuine and had superior work to display. Again this was only my experience, and this should be a helpful starting point for your own exhaustive review.

American Marine Construction of South Florida

3015 SW Pine Island Road
Cape Coral, Florida 33991-1704
Contact: Arron
Phone: 239-945-7759
Email: arron@bestdock.com

Aquamarine Construction, Inc.

3812 SE 18th Place
Cape Coral, Florida 33904
Contact: Rich Moreau
Phone: 239-243-4011
Email: rmoreau@comcast.net

Rusnell Marine Construction

1005 SE 10th Street
Cape Coral, Florida 33990
Contact: Bob Rusnell
Phone: 239-574-2574

Stokes Marine, Inc.

9340 College Parkway
Fort Myers, Florida 33919
Contact: Brent Stokes
Phone: 239-489-3625
Email: stokesmarine@earthlink.net