There are extensive sections on the different types of docks, materials, tools, hardware and building techniques. The section on connecting your dock to the shore was worth buying on its own! The section on designing your dock was short but there are pictures and drawings of various types of docks scattered throughout the book.

I've gotten many "do it yourself" type of books from Amazon and I think "The Dock Manual" is one of the best! If you have a dock, are planning on building a dock or just dreaming of it then you will LOVE this book!

41 of 49 found the following review helpful:


Good basic dock building book - Expected more based on titl  Sep 21, 1999
It is a good book for the beginner or intermediate do it yourself dock builder. Well-written overviews and common sense practical advise on materials, types of docks and their applications. This book offers good general-purpose advice and light instruction for anyone looking to build a simple dock or have one built for them. The book should be a great help to most people and I would leave a copy on some of the ratty looking docks around our lake if I could afford it. The book would be much improved with a more accurate title, a well-rounded source list, better illustration and or a good web site forum to visit. I must also say - Max burns the serious do it yourselfer (Pun intended) and the book has a very misleading and overly boastful title. "THE DOCK MANUAL" DESIGNING-BUILDING-MAINTAINING sounds real authoritive, like you're about to hear from the master's master and learn it all. This book would probably be more accurately titled "DOCK BUILDING " A SOLID OVERVIEW IN BASIC DOCK DESIGN, BUILDING AND MAINTENANCE. This book totally skips subjects such as plumbing and lighting as two examples. And this probably was not in the scope of this book, but there sure were lights on the cute little dock on the cover of the book and not one word about them inside. The book barely touches on subjects such as boatlifts and then tells you to buy a kit. An essential part of docks these days are a building such as a boathouse or cover of some type, which is nowhere to be found. Whether or not you would rather call someone for an off the shelf product such as a boatlift kit or have someone do the heavier work such as pile driving, it seems rather rude of the author to assume what is and what is not within the realm of a competent do it yourselfer. I thought the idea of a do it yourself book was to teach and show how it is done and let the reader decide when it is time to call the contractor. In most good home building books, they at least show you how to build the forms for a foundation and let you decide whether or not to be the he-man with a wheelbarrow or call a cement truck. Don't short your audience,I know most people aren't going to run out and rent a barge or pile driving equipment, but I do think it benitfits your reader to have the knowledge. Let the reader decide what they can or cannot do. Can't wait for "Dock Building" The rest of the story. Perhaps the title of this book should have been "THE DOCK, THE BASIC DOCK AND ONLY THE BASIC DOCK" as illustrated in the books "10 Complete plans for stationary and floating docks". Michael C. Hook - Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas.

24 of 28 found the following review helpful:


The one, the only.  Nov 24, 1999 By Charlie Wood
So it's not 2" thick with color photographs. Considering it's the *only* book I have ever seen regarding residential dock construction, I think it's excellent. The book describes different types of docks, how they are constructed,and under what circumstances each should be used. It also warns of pit-falls, which many Do-it-Yourself books lack. I was actively searching for info when I bought this book at list price. Worth every penny.

14 of 16 found the following review helpful:


Something Missing  Feb 08, 2004 By Peter Martin
Yes, this book provides a well-illustrated overview of approaches to dock building and choices of materials. But it doesn't go far enough if you have a significant tidal range or if the wind blows. What's missing is any introduction to engineering. How to make sure the ramp doesn't fall off your float when the tide goes out. How to figure the static forces on your dock caused by 4 knot currents. How to estimate the wave heights and dynamic forces in 80 knot winds. And how to design a dock that will survive this abuse. You might want to involve a professional engineer in these situations, but that can be true of pretty much anything to do with docks. A book with this title should at least introduce you to these subjects and provide references for the gory details. Like some others, the author believes books like this should be peppered with jokes. Personally I find this annoying, but I must admit his jokes are above average. So if you want a funny introduction to building docks in gentle places, this book is for you.

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