Waterfront Projects Done Right
Trent Hollis · June 21, 2026
Spend enough time at the bait shop or hardware store and you’ll hear it: “Just bolt any old table to your dock rail and you’re good to go.” That advice evaporates the moment saltwater gets involved. I’ve watched dock owners follow that exact guidance, only to call me six months later when their mounting hardware … Read more
Trent Hollis · June 21, 2026
Hurricane season along the Gulf Coast has a way of exposing what your dock really needs. When salt spray picks up and the wind tests every fastener you’ve installed, gaps in design become obvious — and nowhere is that clearer than at a fish cleaning station. Most DIYers bolt down whatever’s handy and hope it … Read more
Trent Hollis · June 20, 2026
Kneeling beside a corroded light fixture I pulled from a Biloxi dock last month, the housing cracked clean through and the lens clouded to near-opacity, I was reminded why this conversation matters. Green versus white underwater dock lighting—which genuinely pulls more fish to your structure? My neighbor two slips over had been evangelizing white for … Read more
Trent Hollis · June 20, 2026
A contractor two docks down from my slip dropped $3,200 on a professional underwater lighting installation last July. His electrician ran conduit from the house, installed a dedicated GFCI panel, and mounted a 12,000-lumen wired submersible. Meanwhile, the dock owner across from him grabbed a solar unit for $120 at a big-box store and had … Read more
Trent Hollis · June 20, 2026
Most waterfront property owners operate under a dangerous assumption: that submersible dock lighting is simply standard household wiring placed underwater. It isn’t. This misconception leads directly to tripping GFCIs, corrosion, and worse — the electrical hazards that kill swimmers every year along the Gulf Coast and beyond. The environment beneath a dock demands electrical practices … Read more
Trent Hollis · June 19, 2026
Galvanic corrosion will destroy your dock box fasteners in months if you don’t pay attention to what metal touches what underwater. After two decades working docks along the Gulf, I can tell you straight: most dock owners don’t think about dock box organization until their gear is ruined. Salt spray humidity doesn’t just rot equipment—it … Read more
Trent Hollis · June 19, 2026
Walk down a waterfront neighborhood and you’ll spot the difference immediately. One dock shows soft, splintering boards and hardware that’s oxidized to orange-brown crust — the result of corner-cutting from three or four years back. Two slips over sits a dock with tight fasteners, clean composite decking, and stainless hardware that catches the light. That … Read more