Waterfront Projects Done Right
Trent Hollis · July 3, 2026
I want to tell you about a dock I built in 2019 on Perdido Bay. The client wanted to save a few bucks on hardware, so I sourced 304 stainless fasteners instead of 316. I explained the difference. He said “stainless is stainless.” Eighteen months later, I got a call. The decking screws had turned … Read more
Trent Hollis · July 2, 2026
There’s a moment every boater dreads. Your dock line is pulled bar-tight under load, the cleat is buried, and you can’t release the tension without something going very wrong. I’ve been in that exact situation more times than I can count working the Gulf Coast docks, and knowing how to use a rolling hitch knot … Read more
Trent Hollis · July 2, 2026
Three years ago, a neighbor called me in a panic. His dock was rotting through — boards sagging, screws pulling loose, the whole surface a liability. He’d gotten quotes ranging from $4,200 to $7,800 just for labor. I told him to hold off. We planned a redeck dock cost materials weekend project together, knocked it … Read more
Trent Hollis · July 1, 2026
I once pulled apart a three-year-old dock section that a homeowner swore was “marine grade.” Every single fastener had turned into a rusty, crumbling stub. The wood around each screw head was stained orange and starting to rot outward from the penetration point. The culprit? Hardware store screws labeled “stainless” that were actually Type 304 … Read more
Trent Hollis · July 1, 2026
I’ve been building and repairing docks along the Gulf Coast for over twenty years, and I’ll tell you straight — the monkey fist is the knot that earns its keep every single season. If you want to know how to tie a monkey fist heaving line that actually works when you’re trying to get a … Read more