Rising WI & MN Waterfront and Dock Products and Service Providers in 2024
This article will cover the topics of Unique Dock Accessories, Lake Weed Removal tools, Goose deterrent systems, our highlighted ‘Service Provider of the Summer’, and more. Click on any of the underlined links to learn more. This article may be best viewed on a desktop browser.
Here are 10 unique products and service providers that we have found making a rise as these become more common to Wisconsin and Minnesota Waterfront Owners in 2024.
Brought to you by WaterfrontRefresh.Com, Wisconsin's most comprehensive waterfront management consultant and service provider.
If there's one thing we know, it is that there is always room for innovation. This is especially true when it comes to the technologies involved with waterfront recreation and living. Whether it is a new service provider, a new product developer, a new way to communicate, or to find fish, whatever it may be. And we believe that by no means can anyone “take all the ideas” without there only being room for more unique ways to make lake life a little easier, more safe, and more enjoyable.
As the recent summer of 2024 comes to a close, full of great memories and moments, we wanted to share a handful of unique products and services we witnessed being put to use out on our midwestern lakes that we believe truly made a difference in user experience out there. Our main goal in sharing these is to help more people discover these niche innovations by connecting the products directly to the consumers, and possibly even encourage someone to continue the innovation process!
We are not paid for these promotions. We don’t use AI to write about our reviews either. We simply spend a lot of time on Lakes in the summer, and these are products or services that we have seen either commonly increasing in use, or providing value to customers already putting these to use. Another bonus is that almost all of these products are made in the USA (many of them local to the midwest) and most are backed by an awesome warranty. So check them out, read reviews before purchasing anything for your own waterfront, and contact us at any time for a waterfront consultation to see how you could improve your cabin or waterfront experience for years to come.
Thanks for stopping by, and see you on the water. - Devante, WaterfrontRefresh.Com
1. Dock Accessories of the summer - DockBloxx, LakeLite, SureDock Ropless Docking System, SAFE-T-DECK®
- DockBloxx offers custom systems of unique organizational methods for all waterfront related activities from fishing, kayaking, drink-holding, and more! Buy premade or build your own! Quote from their website here - “DockBloxx was born from a passion for boating and the real need for a better way to organize all things dock-side, proudly made in the U.S.A using only the highest quality marine-grade materials available. DockBloxx are designed to last a lifetime.”
LakeLite Solar Aluminum Post Light
- In a world where square cap lights, dock board mounted lights, and wood piling cap lights dominate the dock and deck market, the aluminum round post mounted Lake Lite is the new underdog and unsung hero of freshwater docks around the midwest. (Square post mounts are also available on LakeLite’s website.)
LakeLite Description - “Tired of searching for your dock at night? Brighten and make it stand out with Lake Lite's Solar Dock Post Light - Aluminum. The light comes installed with white LEDs! Attractively illuminate any pier with our Aluminum Solar Dock Post Light adding a classy touch, and the perfect ambience to any dock or pier.”
SureDock Ropless Docking System
SureDock is a ropeless, and potentially even bumperless, docking system designed for pontoons that allows for quick and easy dock connection without the hassle of ropes, fancy knots, or bumping into the dock. It is a higher end investment as opposed to a $10 rope from the hardware store, but it is one that will save time, energy, and your boat from being scratched.
SureDock Statement - “Pontoons are tough, but a fixed dock is even tougher. Contact with a dock can cause expensive damage to pontoons. But your pontoon will always be protected with SureDock. The mooring arms move up and down with the waves but not in-and-out, securing your pontoon safely away from the dock. No more dents, dings or scratches.”
Safe-T-Deck may just take the trophy for the most niche, effective, and well rounded product when it comes to dock care and maintenance. This is a non-slip dock, stair, and deck stain with a great array of benefits including dock protection, preservation, aesthetic appeal, and slip prevention wrapped all into one. Unlike other stains which may only last a few years and only make docks more slick under wet conditions, Safe-T-Deck has proven to be tough and more slip resistant than basic stains. We think that this idea may be one of the lesser known but most effective products on the dock accessory market to date.
Web statement - “Safe-T-Deck® is an acrylic granulated deck coating designed to preserve, protect & renew decks, patios, walkways, ramps & more. Suitable for use on properly prepared exterior wood, and concrete/masonry surfaces.”
For lowest cost but least selection, please visit Safe-T-Deck Home Depot . For a broader selection of colors please visit their manufacturers website at Amesresearch.com/Safe-T-Deck or find on amazon.
2. Goose Deterrent Systems - Goose D-Fence System, Watch Dog Goose Patrol, and other Various Decoys.
While all of these may vary case by case on their effectiveness, the one clear observation we have made is that goose prevention systems and decoys are quickly rising in use among midwestern lake homeowners. And if you’re unfamiliar with the reasoning behind this, let's just say that geese and other flocking birds tend to leave behind a lot of evidence of their arrival. Evidence that you may be picking up for hours while carefully trying not to step on.
Please be advised that we are unaware of the effectiveness of these products , only the increasing popularity, and recommend you research carefully before purchasing any product listed.
- Goose D-Fence is described as a specially engineered, retractable fence meant for goose control which can be installed or removed in less than 10 minutes. We have seen many homeowners use snowplow stakes and rope lines, or stakes ad fishing line to fend off geese, so we suppose you could say that this product is a modified and improvised version of collective waterfront engineering that was already in the making.
While the Watch Dog decoy is not made to be the most lifelike, we did notice when seeing one in person that they are designed to constantly move under any wind conditions. This gives this decoy a stand-apart aspect that stationary decoys do not, and may even make visitors at the lake jump without prior knowledge of its placement.
Among the Watch Dog are many other kinds of decoys, examples we have seen on waterfront property include rubber snakes placed on the dock, owl decoys, and even floating Swan decoys rising in popularity as word gets out that swans may not get along with geese. Feel free to check out examples of Swan in-water Decoys, Stationary life-like Coyote Decoys or Other goose deterrent products by clicking on any of the links attached, and good luck on your goose battle ahead!
3. Heavy Duty Weed Removal Products - AVG (Aquatic Vegetation Groomer), JetStream AquaBlower, LakeMat Products
Here are three pieces of equipment we found that are just starting to break ground as highly effective tools for those who are looking to save time maintaining the waterfront in exchange for a larger investment than your standard lake weed removal methods (i.e. rake, muck rollers, weed pulling, etc.)
Each of these can be used independently or altogether as an effective solution to being able to access an overgrown or muck ridden waterfront and dock surrounding areas, most often after a cabin has not been in use for years or after a new cabin purchase. As always, we recommend customers do their due diligence on local permitting procedures to determine if a permit is needed for use.
AVG (Aquatic Vegetation Groomer)
- Company description from Weeders Digest - “The Aquatic Vegetation Groomer (AVG) is a gas powered underwater aquatic weed cutting machine designed for cutting every kind aquatic vegetation including cattails, bulrush, lily pads, and more. Powerful enough to cut down and remove any kind of lake or pond weeds no matter how dense or tough they are.”
The JetStream AquaBlower is made right in the USA developed by Admiral Lake and Pond Restoration based out of Excelsior MN. Company Statement - “The JetStream, our best-selling water circulator / “muck blaster” does it all, cleaning the entire water column and helping you achieve a fresh, clean, and aerated pond, lake, or beach in little time. Units come standard with a 1 HP motor, 100 feet of marine-grade power cable, mounting stake, and remote control. We offer our 3-Year Warranty on the motor and Lifetime Warranty on all structural components and hardware.” (JetStream offering end of season sale with $200 off purchase as of Aug/Sept 2024)
You can view also a wide array of Admiral’s fountains, de-icers, ice rink pumps, accessories, and more by visiting https://admirallakeandpondrestoration.com/shop/.
- The LakeMat Product lineup is a full array of reinforced fabric solutions designed to create clear swimming water or muck free lake floors, even in some of the most challenging and weed ridden areas around the dock. We have found that these are also one of the easiest products to install in the waterfront. LakeMat offers a fast and long lasting solution to lake weed removal in areas you want your family and friends to be able to access the water with ease.
Checkout the LakeMat FAQ Section for more information and product details, made right in the USA. (Currently on end of season sale through fall 2024.)
4. Waterfront Refresh ‘Service Provider of the Summer’ - ProWeld Fabrication
Our first Service Provider of the Summer - Starting in August 2024, Waterfront Refresh will now be featuring one product or service provider each season local to Wisconsin or Minnesota that we feel is making a significant impact in the improvement of people's lives among our lakes, rivers, and streams. This recognition will be designated for a business that not only has a great product or service, but also works with excellence. There are certainly many many out there who deserve this recognition, but this year we want to specify the team over at ProWeld Fabrication, based out of Cadott, Wisconsin.
Being service providers ourselves traveling around the state, we have seen hundreds of bodies of water with many different issues that property owners face. One of those primary issues that arises time and again is safely accessing the waterfront for homes and businesses at elevation.
ProWeld fabrication has not only tackled this problem by creating custom made fabricated stairways, but they have also done this by using the highest quality and durable materials, a streamlined customization process, developed a cool looking and highly-practical product, and also have managed to install these stairways in commonly hard to reach places at steep inclines. Not to mention that the customer service is something that the US needs more of - real people who answer the phone ready to serve.
Chances are, if you have keen attention to detail and you have been out for a Saturday cruise on the boat passing by a ProWeld set of stairs you may have thought, “woah! Thats different!”. And thats because among all of the wood stairs, abandoned stair sets, old concrete steps, and dirt paths, you will notice the clean lines, bold step colors, and sturdy overall appearance of the steel reinforced walkways. ProWeld also can and will create fabricated hand railings to fit project needs.
The owner Cody with ProWeld Fabrication has operated this business for 7 years, but has been building lakeside stairways and other fabricated items since he was 18. ProWeld now offers customized fabricated stairways, railings, interior spiral staircases, and more, traveling throughout Western Wisconsin and surrounding areas.
We believe that the team at ProWeld embody what the best of small companies and innovators do living out the American Dream - continuing to look for ways to uniquely make life better and safer for others while providing an unmatched service and product quality. We hope we get to see ProWeld stick around for a long time, and that midwest companies in the Waterfront products and services market follow suit.
So if you’re looking for stair renovation for 2025, we recommend you contact the team now to get ahead of schedule!
ProWeld Contact Information: (715) 226-0344 - Proweld54727@gmail.com - ProWeld Fabrication Facebook
Thank you for reading our Wisconsin and Minnesota Fall 2024 Product and Service update. We hope you found value and enjoyed your time here today on WaterfrontRefresh.Com!
Please let us know if you try any of these products - we want to keep an ongoing research study into what really works out there and what doesn’t in order to keep our customer base and readers well informed. Contact us at anytime if you would like to have your product or service considered for the next article.
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What is Waterfront Refresh? -
Waterfront Refresh started out over 6 years ago in Northwestern Wisconsin simply pulling lake weeds for friends and family up north as a summer gig in between football practices. Now in 2024, we are looking to not only provide the most comprehensive array of ‘cabin duty’ and waterfront maintenance services to date, but also to act as a general consultant for property owners dealing with the wide world of niche waterfront issues.
From boat washes to lake weeds, legal questions, erosion control, or even complete waterfront renovation, we step in to help you or get you started in the right direction with an actionable gameplan towards the waterfront you’ve envisioned with your family. Our number one goal is to help make lake life easy so you can spend less time working on the waterfront and more time enjoying it. We make it clear to present options to attack these goals so customers can choose what they want to do and how they want to do it, with as much or as little involvement from us as desired. Get in contact with us today to discuss how you can improve your waterfront experience to be enjoyed for years ahead.
Email: Devante@waterfrontrefresh.com Phone: 715.309.3177
