Dock Rebuild & Replacement on Old Hickory Lake, TN
Every dock reaches a point where repair is throwing money at the water. The frame is rusting in too many places, the flotation goes down faster than it can be swapped, the layout no longer fits the boats you own, and each spring brings a longer list. That is when a rebuild or a full replacement is the honest call. Old Hickory Dock & Lift builds new floating docks across the lake, sized to your shoreline and built to what the Army Corps of Engineers permits on the Cumberland River reservoir.
We build single-well, double-well, and larger multi-well docks with the features this lake actually uses: covered wells, integrated boat and PWC lifts, swim platforms, upper sun decks, and anchoring built for river current and fast level swings. Every dock starts with your permit standing, because a dock the Corps will not approve is not a dock, it is a liability.
Rebuild the Frame, or Replace It
A rebuild keeps the structural steel and renews everything that wears. If your frame is straight and the welds are sound, we can re-float it on new encapsulated billets, re-deck it, re-anchor it, and hang new hardware for a fraction of a full replacement. We inspect the frame honestly first, because re-flooring steel that is about to crack at the welds is wasted money. When the frame is the problem, we tell you.
Sized to Your Shoreline and the Corps Permit
The hard part of a new dock here is not the carpentry. It is fitting the dock to what the Corps Shoreline Management Plan allows on your frontage. Permitted dock size is tied to your lot and the shoreline classification, not to what would physically fit in the cove, and neighbors with different frontage end up with different docks. We pull your classification and permit history, confirm the footprint that can be approved, and draw the dock to it before a single member is cut.
Built for River Current and a Rising Pool
Old Hickory is riverine. The Cumberland keeps a through-current moving past your dock, and because the Corps runs the lake for flood control, an upstream release can lift the pool several feet in a day. We frame for it, float it with enough reserve to carry a loaded lift and a crowd, and anchor it with a cable-and-auger system matched to the bank so the dock tracks the level instead of fighting it. On a steeper bank that means an articulating gangway that rides up and down while you walk it on solid footing.
Wells, Lifts, and Upper Decks
A rebuild is also the moment to fix how the dock works. We add or resize wells to fit your boats, build in boat and PWC lifts so hulls come out of the water, and frame upper decks and swim platforms where the layout and the permit allow. The goal is a dock you use the way you actually spend time on the lake, not a stock box dropped in a cove.
What It Costs
A single-well floating dock to current standard generally starts around $12,000 and rises with wells, lifts, canopies, and upper decking. A rebuild on a sound existing frame costs less. We give a written estimate that shows the rebuild path and the replacement path side by side, with the permit work spelled out, before anything is ordered.
Thinking about a new dock or a full rebuild? Call (615) 555-0162. We will look at what you have, confirm what the Corps will permit on your water, and tell you what can be built there.
What does a new dock cost on Old Hickory Lake?
A single-well floating dock built to current standards generally starts around $12,000 and climbs from there with added wells, a lift, a canopy, and upper decking. A large multi-well dock with a sun deck and two lifts is a different budget entirely. The real drivers are the number of wells, the flotation and frame spec, the anchoring the cove demands, and what the Army Corps will permit on your stretch of shoreline.
Rebuild the old dock or replace it?
We save what is sound and replace what is not. If the steel frame is straight and the welds hold, a rebuild can mean new encapsulated floats, new decking, and fresh anchoring on the existing frame at a real saving. If the frame is rusting through in several spots, or it no longer matches how you use the water, a full replacement costs less over ten years than re-flooring steel that is going to fail. The estimate lays out both paths.
Can I even get a dock permit where I am?
Not every lot on Old Hickory qualifies. The Corps allocates private floating dock permits only on shoreline classified for that use, and long stretches are kept as public or protected shoreline where no private dock is allowed. Before we design anything we confirm your shoreline classification and permit standing, so you are not paying for a dock that cannot be approved.
How long does a dock build take?
Once the Corps permit is in hand, a standard single or double-well dock is usually fabricated and set within a few weeks, weather and lake level allowing. The permit is almost always the long pole, not the build. Spring is the busy window, so a dock you want in the water by Memorial Day is a winter conversation.
Do you remove the old dock?
Yes. Hauling off and disposing of the old dock and its flotation is part of a replacement. Old bare-foam billets in particular have to be handled properly so they do not break apart in the lake, and we take care of that as part of the job.