swimming dock and lift question

I have a contract on our first lakehouse...looking to buy a 22 or 24 ft pontoon boat for skiing and cruising. The water depth ranges from 20 inches to 30 inches at our current dock. We are going to build a dock...Is this deep enough to put a lift in and store the boat?

Also, we have a older grandfathered permit to take the dock out to 200 ft...it is currently 156 ft long. The water depth only changes about a foot if we take it to the 200ft. Our dream was for our kids and grandkids to be able to swim and play near the dock. Is it worth the $ to take the dock out 44 ft for another 1ft of depth? Unfortunately...the water doesn't get 5 ft+ deep till 240 feet out. We are considering making some sort of a floating dock to extend the dock to 240ft. We are going to apply to take the dock to 240ft...however it will probably get rejected. Does anybody have any experience with situations like this?

Thanks!

Re: swimming dock and lift question

I have a contract on our first lakehouse...looking to buy a 22 or 24 ft pontoon boat for skiing and cruising. The water depth ranges from 20 inches to 30 inches at our current dock. We are going to build a dock...Is this deep enough to put a lift in and store the boat? As long as the water level doesn't fall below 20 inches, you should be fine.

Also, we have a older grandfathered permit to take the dock out to 200 ft...it is currently 156 ft long. The water depth only changes about a foot if we take it to the 200ft. Our dream was for our kids and grandkids to be able to swim and play near the dock. Is it worth the $ to take the dock out 44 ft for another 1ft of depth? IMHO, yes. Especially if there is a chance that the level may drop more than your estimate.

Unfortunately...the water doesn't get 5 ft+ deep till 240 feet out. We are considering making some sort of a floating dock to extend the dock to 240ft. We are going to apply to take the dock to 240ft...however it will probably get rejected. Does anybody have any experience with situations like this? You should check with neighbors to see how to best accomplish your objectives.

Re: swimming dock and lift question

EGlideRider said:

I have a contract on our first lakehouse...looking to buy a 22 or 24 ft pontoon boat for skiing and cruising. The water depth ranges from 20 inches to 30 inches at our current dock. We are going to build a dock...Is this deep enough to put a lift in and store the boat? As long as the water level doesn't fall below 20 inches, you should be fine.

Also, we have a older grandfathered permit to take the dock out to 200 ft...it is currently 156 ft long. The water depth only changes about a foot if we take it to the 200ft. Our dream was for our kids and grandkids to be able to swim and play near the dock. Is it worth the $ to take the dock out 44 ft for another 1ft of depth? IMHO, yes. Especially if there is a chance that the level may drop more than your estimate.

Unfortunately...the water doesn't get 5 ft+ deep till 240 feet out. We are considering making some sort of a floating dock to extend the dock to 240ft. We are going to apply to take the dock to 240ft...however it will probably get rejected. Does anybody have any experience with situations like this? You should check with neighbors to see how to best accomplish your objectives.

Click to expand...

Thanks alot...Our neighbor's docks were built before TVA decided to be strict and restrict docks. I have a feeling...this will not be allowed.. gotta love governmental intervention.

Re: swimming dock and lift question

I too am on a TVA lake, and I've found them to be very reasonable on dock and seawall modifications/permits. Written regulations can be found @ http://www.tva.gov/river/26apermits/minor.htm

My permit dates back to 1974 when we built our first boathouse, and I added a 9' x 19' second slip to the boathouse last year for another Waverunner. I can just relate to what I went through a year ago.

I don't think any dock permit is "grandfathered." The new owner of any lake property with a seawall, dock or boathouse must pay TVA $200 for a name change to the original permit, and he can also make additional dock/boathouse/seawall modifications without additional charges at that time. You'll want to check with TVA to see if any previous owner had a permit that might help you with the documentation.

Every new TVA approved dock permit also has a relatively short duration. You must post a "building permit" on your dock while it's being worked on. After completion, TVA furnishes a permanent license plate with the TVA permit/dock number to be placed in a visible location.

(c) Docks and walkway(s) shall not extend more than 150 feet from the shoreline, or more than one-third the distance to the opposite shoreline, whichever is less. That's not good news for you.

Pontoons don't especially require much water, but engines stick down almost 2' underwater. I'm very hesitant to run in water less than 4' deep. Waverunners even take more than 30" of water to keep rocks out of the pump. You may have to raise the motor by power trim, and come in and out with a trolling motor when in water less than 4'.

The Sea Leg lift system built into the bottom of the pontoon boat may be an option. It has 4 legs hydraulically actuated, and it lifts the boat completely out of the water. See http://tandmmarine.com/accessories/Sea-legs/index.php

I'm sorry that your water is not deeper, as your options are limited. Good luck to you.

FYI: Most boathouses currently being built on our lake have concrete roofs (over the boats), and concrete decks 2'-3' off the water with ten 4" steel pipes driven down to bedrock. Our neighbor's 15' x 30' boathouse with a 10' x 30' deck cost $58K. His Harris pontoon boat w/150 hp Verado cost $38K. Ouch!

Re: swimming dock and lift question

Thanks alot Bama...Have you heard of Tva making exceptions on dock length? I saw where the 150ft rule is written. We are on the Tn river on the main channel where it is about 1200 ft wide. All of the docks around us are longer than ours. I really hope tva will look outside the box and let us extend. I am going to write in the permit request our reasons for extra length are:

1. We are deeded a 50' x 150' island 75 ft off the shore of our lot and that island is now 1ft x 1ft due to erosion. We think this has contributed to our lack of depth. Our neighbors depth drops off at 220ft....where there current dock ends. Ours drops off at 240ft.
2. There is alot of milfoil around our dock at 20-30 inches.
3. We want to boat/jetski and for our kids/grandkids to swim safely in deeper water.
4. At the requested 240 ft, we would not be close to blocking any traffic in the main channel due to the river being 1200 ft wide.
I have considered walking away from the house bc of this...however it is a great deal. I just know that at my friends lakehouse's, it is very convenient to cool off and swim at your dock. If Tva rejects our request for 240 ft, is it worth spending the $ to extend the dock to 200 ft(44ft further) to gain another 6"-12" of water. We have a 30k dock budget and need a covered boat slip and a decent size sundeck. We are not sure the sundeck will be used or needed if we cant extend to the deeper water.
Or should I walk away all together? Thanks for your feedback!

Re: swimming dock and lift question

Strizzle said:

Thanks alot Bama...Have you heard of Tva making exceptions on dock length? I saw where the 150ft rule is written. We are on the Tn river on the main channel where it is about 1200 ft wide. All of the docks around us are longer than ours. I really hope tva will look outside the box and let us extend. I am going to write in the permit request our reasons for extra length are:

1. We are deeded a 50' x 150' island 75 ft off the shore of our lot and that island is now 1ft x 1ft due to erosion. We think this has contributed to our lack of depth. Our neighbors depth drops off at 220ft....where there current dock ends. Ours drops off at 240ft.
2. There is alot of milfoil around our dock at 20-30 inches.
3. We want to boat/jetski and for our kids/grandkids to swim safely in deeper water.
4. At the requested 240 ft, we would not be close to blocking any traffic in the main channel due to the river being 1200 ft wide.
I have considered walking away from the house bc of this...however it is a great deal. I just know that at my friends lakehouse's, it is very convenient to cool off and swim at your dock. If Tva rejects our request for 240 ft, is it worth spending the $ to extend the dock to 200 ft(44ft further) to gain another 6"-12" of water. We have a 30k dock budget and need a covered boat slip and a decent size sundeck. We are not sure the sundeck will be used or needed if we cant extend to the deeper water.
Or should I walk away all together? Thanks for your feedback!

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Judgeing by your comments, I doubt if you will be happy with this house and arrangement even if you are allowed the extra dock length. Swimming nor boating will be especially fun in such shallow water and I would be concerned that the level may drop during the time of your ownership. IMHO, I would walk away and keep looking. It's a buyers market for home buyers.

Re: swimming dock and lift question

I don't know what lift you are looking at. I would assume the beams are at least 6" and the bunks 10". These figures must be subtracted from the water depth.

Good Luck!

Re: swimming dock and lift question

The house is a done deal as of today...the inspection is done. It has gorgeous mtn views and 200 ft of water frontage with a great back yard and deck and only 35 minutes from Chattanooga. We looked all around for 4 months and this property seems to be a bargain. Everything else this close to the city is a half million and up.

I checked the water depth again today and it was up 8 inches...now 30 inches at the current dock at 156 feet from the shore...was 22 inches deep yesterday. I talked with the neighbors and they said yesterday is the lowest the water gets. They said it goes up 12-14 inches max. I checked the depth at 200 ft out from the shore and it was 38 inches today. We want to buy a waverunner and have a pontoon boat. It sounds like the extra 8 inches of water depth is needed for these. Is there a certain type of lift that works better in shallow water for pontoon boats?

We are going to apply to extend our dock to 240 ft to get to deep water...if not 200 ft will be all we can go.

Re: swimming dock and lift question

I see that in the TVA regs that dredging is possible. Is this a viable option?

Re: swimming dock and lift question

+1 on above. Maybe dredging would be a reasonable option. I don't know if there are any such marine contractors around that do that work. If neighbors are built out so far, maybe TVA will be reasonable for you. Call'em on the telephone to feel out their position on such projects.

You're right about the houses just above Chattanooga. Bargains are few and far between. I have a friend with a big log cabin NW of the nuclear plant, and he bought the property reasonably due to shallow water. Great lakes in the middle of large cities are rare.

If you think Chattanooga's expensive, you ought to see the properties on Lake Burton--on the other side of Hiwassee, GA. The cheapest lots are $450K, and a shack is $1 million. Some of the houses appear to be 20,000 square feet and $250K boat houses are common. The local YMCA summer camp is running 10 Mastercraft 23' inboard ski boats @ $115K each. Tornadoes damaged 115 houses this Spring--and set one in the lake.

Good luck to you.

Re: swimming dock and lift question

We would consider dredging if this wasnt too expensive. I called tva and they werent very helpful. They were very vague and just said to apply and see what happens....after saying we have to apply for a permit....they read the 150 ft dock restriction rule. Doesnt sound good..

Re: swimming dock and lift question

Just some food for thought. Chickamauga's level is currently at 678.87 ft above sea level. Summer operating level from about mid-April to mid-September is 682 ft above sea level.

If you keep your boat on a lift and don't boat during the winter, you'll have no problems. Just my .02.

Hope it helps.

Re: swimming dock and lift question

The lakes around Houston really fell this year. People were having wreckers pull and load their boats on trailers. But there is always a bright side, at least it doesn't flood. http://www.hendrenplastics.com/ for floating docks. Fixed docks, they rent hand held Hydraulic over air pole drivers. They will drive 3 to 4" pipe.
Use structural metal studs and U clamp to the post for the support structure. Treated 2 x 6 for the deck. You can lower or raise if really needed. I know how it is being Grand parents, When your not here, the thought of your family enjoying the fruits of your life is special. Sounds like you have a beautiful place. Happy Holidays.

Re: swimming dock and lift question

I am going to tell Tva we are needing more depth due to us buying a large boat with a deeper draft..

Re: swimming dock and lift question

They drive these smaller excavator on to a work pontoon down here. Digging you a 6' channel should not be to costly. But they would need to take the dirt with them or something else. I love the area around Chatta

Re: swimming dock and lift question

Strizzle,
I replied to the PM, but thought I'd post this information for others that might find it useful.

TVA maintains a website that has daily updates and prior year comparative graphs for the observed water elevations.

Here is the link for TVA Reservoir information:

http://www.tva.gov/river/lakeinfo/index.htm

Select the lake you want, then scroll down and click "See the operating guide for this reservoir, including observed elevations for last year and for current year to date."

They also have an app for iphones and Droids. I use it pretty regularly during the winter and seasonal changes.

Hope this helps,

Re: swimming dock and lift question

The water level dropped quite a bit yesterday. The depth off our dock has now ranged from 12 inches to 30 inches. Surely tva will make an exception and let us take the dock out to where the water is 4 ft+. I have heard thar dredging can be a temporary fix...the bottom of the river can erode and fill in the dug up portion.

Re: swimming dock and lift question

Strizzle,
What kind of response have you recieved from TVA? I'm curious. I have heard varying reviews from folks on LAke Chickamauga.

Re: swimming dock and lift question

We close on the house this Thursday. I have spent a good bit of time preparing info for tva for the dock. We are submitting our request online to go out to 245 ft after we close. It takes 45 days to get an answer..I will let u know..

Re: swimming dock and lift question

hey bata, this is a family website, we dont care about your escort business,