Dock & Boathouse Wiring.

Why dock wiring is its own discipline

Stray current in water around a dock can incapacitate a swimmer at levels far below what trips a standard breaker — which is why modern code demands ground-fault protection, meticulous bonding, and specific equipment for docks and boathouses. We build to that standard and test it, every time, and we’ll tell you honestly when an older dock’s wiring should simply be retired.

The full waterfront scope

Shore-power pedestals for the boat, lift and hoist circuits, boathouse sub-panels, path and dock lighting that respects the lake at night, and seasonal disconnects that make fall shutdown a five-minute job. Buried lake-run feeds get the conduit, depth, and drainage details freeze-thaw country requires.

How we assess an existing dock

A dock assessment is an afternoon: we inspect every visible conductor, connection, and fixture; verify GFCI protection exists and actually trips at spec; check bonding on ladders, lifts, and metal structure; and test for current leakage into the water — the measurement that matters most and that almost no dock has ever had taken. You get a clear verdict: sound as-is, specific fixes needed, or wiring that's earned retirement.

We'd rather clear a dock than condemn one, and plenty pass with minor work. But the ones that don't pass are exactly why the assessment exists — because this is the single corner of residential electrical where an unknown isn't neutral. It's the hazard.

Building waterfront power that lasts decades

New dock and boathouse electrical gets built for a hard life: marine-rated everything, connections engineered for a structure that ice will move every single winter, seasonal disconnects that make fall shutdown a five-minute ritual, and feeds from the house buried with the depth and drainage that freeze-thaw demands. Lifts, shore power pedestals, boathouse sub-panels, and warm dark-sky-friendly lighting complete the system.

Then it joins the seasonal rhythm: dock circuits get tested at every camp opening and properly killed at every closing. Waterfront electrical isn't a one-time install — it's a maintained system, and ours are maintained.