Rating: 
Summary: Building a dock? BUY THIS BOOK!
Review: "The Dock Manual" tells you everything you need to know about designing, building and maintaining a small residential dock. It is an extremely well written and enjoyable book to read and is loaded with beautiful line drawings and photographs.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!
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Summary: The key to getting the most out of your waterfront property
Review: Building, restoring, and maintaining these shoreline structures can be a breeze with the help of The Dock Manual -- the only book devoted entirely to planning, constructing, and keeping residential docks. You'll refer to The Dock Manual throughout the year to: * Make repairs and upgrades * Winterize your dock * Build angle, roller, and stair ramps * Paint, stain, and treat your dock * Deter and repair decay to wood and plastic * Incorporate design options like trims and colors Max Burns is an accomplished writer and do-it-yourselfer who has authored two books and numerous articles on dock building. He has also won seven Canadian National Magazine awards for his writing.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent DIY dock reference
Review: I gave up trying to find any useful information on dock building and then happened across this book not long ago. Max Burns has written a very comprehensive reference book that covers almost any imaginable dock/shore situation including the one I was looking for . If you're thinking of building your own, add this book to your library!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent DIY dock reference
Review: I gave up trying to find any useful information on dock building and then happened across this book not long ago. Max Burns has written a very comprehensive reference book that covers almost any imaginable dock/shore situation including the one I was looking for . If you're thinking of building your own, add this book to your library!
Rating: 
Summary: Good basic dock building book - Expected more based on titl
Review: 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.
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Summary: The one, the only.
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: The one, the only.
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent review of dock types and construction
Review: This is a great overview of dock types and construction techniques. I own a small lake, and after reading this book, I have a good grasp of the type of dock I need, and how to build it if I want. If I have a contractor do it, I will be much more informed. Two negatives: 1) color photographs of docks would be nice 2) the author is from Canada, and so are many of his references for dock material. You'll enjoy this book!
Rating:
Summary: an excellent book on the basics of dock design/construction
Review: This is for sure a very good "do it yourself" book. There is no doubt that it is a "must have" for those building their own dock/jetty. The author, Max Burns, has written an excellent book on the basics of dock design and construction that is surprisingly comprehensive but still practical. It is one of the two "only" books I have ever seen on recreational/residential dock construction. I think the way the book was able to streamline and summarize the various technical bits and pieces, although being targeted at the beginner to intermediate designer/builder, does not stop it from being a very useful and informative book to most people. Each chapter is short and readable; the subject matter is directly applicable to real life situations and is not written in a typical textbook manner. I think Sections 2 and 3 on dock types and building provide a hard-to-find and up-to-date overview on various related issues. The graphs and drawings are easy to interpret, and I believe are essential to understanding the key points. Coming from a construction/environmental background I found the inserts/information boxes on the environmental impacts and construction considerations to be written in a way that is very easy to understand and quick to pick-up. Yes, this for sure a very good book to have on the subject of dock design and construction. It is also a model for writers to follow on how to simplify a technical subject, which in many instances can be gruesomely complex, to an easily "digestible" read so people from different walks of life can enjoy it in a practical way and put it to use.
Rating:
Summary: an excellent book on the basics of dock design/construction
Review: This is for sure a very good "do it yourself" book. There is no doubt that it is a "must have" for those building their own dock/jetty. The author, Max Burns, has written an excellent book on the basics of dock design and construction that is surprisingly comprehensive but still practical. It is one of the two "only" books I have ever seen on recreational/residential dock construction. I think the way the book was able to streamline and summarize the various technical bits and pieces, although being targeted at the beginner to intermediate designer/builder, does not stop it from being a very useful and informative book to most people. Each chapter is short and readable; the subject matter is directly applicable to real life situations and is not written in a typical textbook manner. I think Sections 2 and 3 on dock types and building provide a hard-to-find and up-to-date overview on various related issues. The graphs and drawings are easy to interpret, and I believe are essential to understanding the key points. Coming from a construction/environmental background I found the inserts/information boxes on the environmental impacts and construction considerations to be written in a way that is very easy to understand and quick to pick-up. Yes, this for sure a very good book to have on the subject of dock design and construction. It is also a model for writers to follow on how to simplify a technical subject, which in many instances can be gruesomely complex, to an easily "digestible" read so people from different walks of life can enjoy it in a practical way and put it to use.
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