James Marine
Boat Docks

Boat Docks

James Marine is the East Texas boat dock builder for Cedar Creek Lake, Lake Tyler, Lake Palestine, Lake Athens, and Richland-Chambers — fixed docks, covered slips, and boat lifts engineered to each lake's pool, fetch, and bottom. We pre-clear every design with the right authority (TRWD, AMWA, UNRMWA, or the City of Tyler) and pull the permits in-house, so you sign one contract and we run the agency loop.

Licensed & insuredIn business since 2012100+ projects completedPermits handled in-house

Pricing

What Affects the Price

Every boat docks project is different. Here are the main factors that determine your final cost — and what we look at first when we walk your site.

$

Cost Factors

  • Dock size, shape, and total square footage
  • Decking material — pressure-treated, composite, or aluminum
  • Number and type of pilings (wood, steel, or concrete)
  • Boat lift size and capacity
  • Water depth and bottom conditions

Scope of Work

What's Included on Every Boat Docks Job

Every contract spells these out so you can compare quotes apples-to-apples — and so there's no debate about what we owe you at completion.

  • Site visit with water-depth and bottom-condition assessment
  • Lake-authority permit submittal (TRWD, AMWA, UNRMWA, City of Tyler, or USACE as applicable)
  • Piling installation driven to refusal with marine-grade hardware
  • Framing with galvanized fasteners and stainless connectors
  • Decking install (material per your selection)
  • Electrical rough-in for lighting and lift power
  • Post-completion inspection and homeowner walkthrough

Materials & Options

How to Choose

The single biggest decision on most projects. Lifespan, maintenance, and cost tier laid out so you can pick honestly.

Pressure-Treated Southern Yellow Pine

$

The traditional residential dock material. Boards run $1.50–$3 per linear foot at construction-grade.

Pros

  • Lowest material cost
  • Easy to refurbish board-by-board
  • Familiar look on every Texas lake

Trade-offs

  • Splinters and weathers — needs annual sealing for full life
  • Gets hot underfoot in July
Lifespan
12–20 years per board
Maintenance
Re-seal annually; replace individual boards as they cup or split.

Composite Decking

$$

Wood-plastic composite boards. Mid-tier price, mid-tier maintenance, looks engineered.

Pros

  • No re-sealing required
  • Color-stable for 10–15 years
  • Splinter-free for kids and dogs

Trade-offs

  • Higher upfront cost
  • Gets hot in direct Texas sun (some brands more than others)
Lifespan
25–30 years
Maintenance
Rinse seasonally; no sealing required.

Marine-Grade Aluminum

$$$

Extruded aluminum decking with non-skid surface. The premium long-life choice.

Pros

  • Outlasts the structure underneath it
  • Stays noticeably cooler underfoot than wood
  • Completely splinter- and rot-proof

Trade-offs

  • Highest upfront cost (~2.5× pressure-treated)
  • Less traditional appearance
Lifespan
40+ years
Maintenance
Effectively none — rinse if dusty.

Permits & Compliance

We Handle the Paperwork

Every waterfront project touches at least one permitting body. We run the submittals, follow up with the agencies, and coordinate inspections so you sign one contract instead of running three application processes.

See full permitting FAQ
  • Lake-authority dock permit — TRWD (Cedar Creek, Richland-Chambers), AMWA (Lake Athens), UNRMWA (Lake Palestine), City of Tyler (Lake Tyler), or USACE (federally managed waters)
  • TCEQ submittal where construction touches a regulated waterway
  • HOA architectural review where covenants apply (common on Cedar Creek and private impoundments)

FAQ

Common Questions About Boat Docks

Everything you need to know before your project starts.

Texas dock permits depend on which body of water you're on:

  • Cedar Creek Lake — Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD). Typical cycle: 3–6 weeks.
  • Lake Athens — Athens Municipal Water Authority (AMWA). 2–4 weeks; strict cap-elevation rules.
  • Lake Palestine — Upper Neches River Municipal Water Authority (UNRMWA). 3–5 weeks.
  • Lake Tyler — City of Tyler shoreline office. Pre-clearance required before fabrication.
  • Richland-Chambers — TRWD (same as Cedar Creek, different shoreline plan). 3–6 weeks.
  • Private impoundments — Usually no agency permit, but HOA architectural review still applies.

We pull every permit as part of the contract — you sign once and we run the agency loop. Full breakdown in our permits article.

Three serious options:

  • Pressure-treated pine — cheapest upfront. Requires annual sealing. Most common.
  • Composite — mid-tier price, no sealing, color-stable for 10–15 years.
  • Marine-grade aluminum — premium. Stays cooler underfoot, lasts 40+ years, splinter-free.

Families who walk their dock barefoot in July almost always upgrade to composite or aluminum on the second dock. If you'll only own the house for 3–5 years, pressure-treated is the right call.

Yes. We build covered single-slip docks, double-slip boat houses, and open T-head docks. Covered structures need additional permitting on most lake authorities (TRWD on Cedar Creek and Richland-Chambers regulates roof height and cap elevation tightly) — we package that into the application.

If you're considering adding a roof later, tell us at the design stage. Adding a roof to an existing dock often requires structural retrofit of the pilings, which is more expensive than building it covered from day one.

Standard residential dock build, on-site work:

  • Piling driving — 2–4 days depending on bottom conditions
  • Framing — 2–3 days
  • Decking and hardware — 2–4 days
  • Electrical and final — 1–2 days

So 1–2 weeks of on-site work for most residential dock builds. The real timeline driver is permitting — see the permits question above. We schedule construction to start the week the permit clears.

Honest ballparks for East Texas lakes:

  • Basic 12×16 ft fixed dock — $14,000–$22,000
  • Add a covered roof — $24,000–$38,000
  • Add a single boat lift and slip cover — $40,000–$65,000 all-in
  • Floating dock systems (lakes with major level swings) — $35,000+ to start

Full pricing breakdown by piling type, decking, and lake authority is in our cost article.

Want your exact number? We walk your shoreline and write a firm dock quote you can compare against any other bid — free, no obligation.

We're the East Texas dock builder for Cedar Creek Lake, Lake Tyler, Lake Palestine, Lake Athens, and Richland-Chambers, with each design engineered to that lake's pool, fetch, and bottom. We pre-clear every design with the right authority, whether that's TRWD, AMWA, UNRMWA, or the City of Tyler, and pull the permits in-house so you sign one contract and we run the agency loop.

We use wood, steel, or concrete pilings depending on your bottom conditions and dock size, and every piling is driven to refusal so it bottoms out on solid material. Above the waterline we frame with galvanized fasteners and stainless connectors, and we rough in the electrical for lighting and lift power. The site visit includes a water-depth and bottom-condition assessment so we spec the right piling before fabrication.

Every quote starts with a free site visit and a water-depth and bottom-condition assessment. From there the build includes lake-authority permit submittal, pilings driven to refusal with marine-grade hardware, framing with galvanized fasteners and stainless connectors, decking in your chosen material, electrical rough-in for lighting and lift power, and a post-completion inspection with a homeowner walkthrough. We walk your shoreline and write a firm quote you can compare against any other bid.

Pressure-treated pine and some composites get hot underfoot in July, which is why families who walk their dock barefoot almost always upgrade to composite or aluminum on the second dock. Marine-grade aluminum stays noticeably cooler than wood and is completely splinter- and rot-proof. If a cooler deck matters to you, tell us at the design stage and we'll factor it into the decking recommendation.

Yes. Building the lift and dock together cuts mobilization cost versus retrofitting a lift later, and we package the lift permitting into the same dock application. Adding equipment after the fact often means a structural retrofit of the pilings, so if a lift is even a maybe, we'd rather engineer the dock for it from day one. The same logic applies to a roof, which is far cheaper built in than added later.

For lakes with major level swings we install floating dock systems, which start around $35,000. Because we engineer each design to the specific lake's pool and fetch, we account for how far your water rises and falls so the dock stays usable and safe across the season. We'll talk through whether a fixed or floating system fits your shoreline at the free site visit.

On the public reservoirs you'll deal with a lake authority, but on private impoundments there's usually no agency permit. Even then, HOA architectural review still applies and is common on Cedar Creek and private impoundments. We assess which approvals your specific water body needs at the site visit and pull whatever's required as part of the contract, so you sign once and we handle the agency loop.

Portfolio

Boat Docks Projects

Custom residential boat dock on a lake
Covered boat dock with boat lift
View all projects

Process

How It Works

Simple, transparent, and stress-free from first call to final grade.

01

Request a Quote

Call or submit the form. We respond within one business day.

02

On-Site Assessment

We visit your property, evaluate the scope, and give you a firm estimate.

03

We Get to Work

Equipment on site, timeline agreed. We work until the job is done right.

Ready to Start Your Boat Docks Project?

Get a free, no-obligation estimate. We'll come to your site, assess the scope, and give you a straight number.