Rideau Docks Ltd., Floating and Aluminum Docks, Westport, Ontario

Protected from the wind. Waves from wind do not exceed one foot in dock area.
When the water is at its lowest level the barrels do not rub on bottom or rocks.
When the ice expands, the dock has two feet of room behind it to move.

To Winterize:

Loosen anchor chains, to allow for higher water levels in spring.
Flip up or remove ladder
Remove ramp legs, place skid boards under shore end of ramp or put ramp up on shore/dock
Disconnect all Hard Connections such as hinges to fixed dock, pipe feet bolted to rock
Tie safety line from dock to fixed object on shore.
The idea is to anchor the dock away from the rocky shoreline
Check and tighten all bolts

Always tie a safety line (a chain is best because of muskrats)
to the dock from a fixed object on shore!


The CORRECT Way ramp up on shore	The WRONG Way don't do this
CORRECT - Allow the ramp to sit on top of the shore so that it can move with the ice	WRONG - Do NOT have the ramp jammed straight into the shore bank

Winter Storage: EXPOSED LOCATIONS
Your dock should be towed to a protected bay or taken out of the water if you are exposed to a large, open body of water. High winds could push a large ice mass and crush the dock against a rocky shore.

Option 1
Remove any posts, support legs or ladders and store in a safe place. Disconnect the ramp from the dock and place on shore. Disconnect the chains from the dock, take them to shore, and tie to a tree or similar fixed object. If not long enough to reach shore add more chain or sturdy 1/2”+ rope. (Do not attach chain to floating buoys as the chain can freeze in the ice, then during spring thaw, as the water level rises, the anchors could be lifted off the bottom allowing them to shift away.) Float the dock into a protected bay, anchor it out from shore with cinder blocks and tie it to a fixed object on shore. You want to have the dock free-floating, away from shore and rocks, so that when the ice expands towards shore and the land expands out, the dock is not crushed in between.

It is always better to use chain rather than rope as muskrats have been known to chew through the rope.

It is a good idea to put a sign on your dock stating that it is yours and this is its winter home.

Always tie a safety line to the
dock from a fixed object on shore.

Option 2
If you want to take smaller docks out of the water a boat winch, attached to a tree (or other fixed object), works well. Turn the dock so that the barrels are parallel to shore and place 2” x 8” planks in centre of the barrels. The dock will slide out on the planks. Tie the dock to a fixed object.

CHECK and TIGHTEN
ALL BOLT EVERY YEAR

Rideau Docks Ltd.
Visit our store, The Cottage Place: 9198 County Road 42, Westport, Ontario
Mailing Address: 8619 Perth Rd., Unit 337, RR# 2, Westport, ON, K0G 1X0
Tel: 613-273-2036 Toll Free: 1-877-273-2036
Fax: 613-273-6136