On Georgian Bay and the Bruce, the lake decides more than you do. Waves get aggressive, water levels swing, and anything left in for winter pays for it. In 2026, plan for adjustability: Great Lakes levels are still fluctuating, and forecasts continue to shift month to month. Your best dock style is the one that fits how you use the shoreline and is built to adapt—season after season.
And of course, if you’re on an inland lake, the considerations are slightly different. In this post, I’ll walk you through the best styles for our region, and how you can choose the one that’s best for you!
What “style” really means here
“Style” isn’t just looks—it’s how the dock works on this water.
Start with use: swims and quick tie-ups, family weekends, or full-blown entertaining with multiple boats. That decides platform size (how many people you host), total length (to reach the depth your boat drafts), and the accessories that make it enjoyable (ladders, cleats, lifts). Then let the lake set the rules.
On Georgian Bay, the reliable baseline is a stationary, removable aluminum dock. Permanent docks are better reserved for calmer inland lakes. That approach matches what we’ve recommended for years, because it survives real wind and chop here.
The three best dock styles for 2026 (pick by how you live)
Personal — simple access, small footprint
For solo users or couples who want safe, quick water access. A clean run with a good ladder or stairs, smart cleat placement, and just enough deck to gear up. Keep it modular so you can add a patio square or extra section later if you need more depth. The win: minimal fuss, easy seasonal handling.
Family — swimming, guests, and a main boat
Add a swim platform or on-dock patio sized to real headcount, plus racks for kayaks and PWCs, and a boat lift for the craft you use most. The layout balances lounging space with circulation, so it still feels solid on a breezy day. The win: a true gathering spot that still installs and removes smoothly each season.
Ultimate — your on-water living room
Scale up to bigger patio zones, dedicated slips, integrated lifts, lighting, and power. The backbone is still modular and removable (because ice and wave energy don’t care what you spent). The win: all-day entertaining that stands up to Great Lakes conditions.
The engineering choices that make any style last
Removable and modular
Seasonal removal protects from ice and winter storm damage; modular sections let you adjust height and layout to that year’s water level. In a region with ongoing level swings, that flexibility is a feature—not a “nice to have.”
Set the right height (freeboard)
Keep the deck high enough that breaking chop isn’t hammering the underside. On big water, target a higher freeboard than you would on an inland lake; it’s one of the simplest ways to extend service life. (Local guidance consistently treats Great Lakes installs differently for this reason.)
Use vented or perforated decking
Open or grated decking helps relieve uplift pressures so wave energy can pass through rather than prying up a solid plate—best practice in high-energy coastal design that applies cleanly to exposed docks.
What to avoid on Georgian Bay (and why)
Wood as the primary frame and decking on big water
Trust me, I am the first to admit wooden docks are beautiful, but experience has shown us they are higher maintenance, slick when wet, and less tolerant of prolonged wave loading than marine-grade aluminum—especially on exposed shorelines.
Permanent/fixed docks
Levels change and ice is unforgiving; fixed builds tend to have shorter lifespans here and often trigger extra approvals. I’ve seen some last as little as a single season. Permanent docks are best for calm inland lakes—but you need to consider that the permits required to install those docks are more involved and vary widely, even within our region.
Big-box “budget” kits
I checked out some dock kits sold at a local big box store and here’s the deal…yes, $999 for a dock may sound enticing, but the light hardware and minimal-grade aluminum flex and fatigue fast in chop—putting you and your boat at risk. On Georgian Bay, buy for the lake you actually have.
What’s the best dock brand in Ontario?
Short answer: it depends on your site and how you use it—Great Lakes exposure vs. inland, how much freeboard you need, whether you want integrated lifts, and how heavy the seasonal handling should be.
Here are the brands we work with most often in our region, and where each tends to shine:
- R & J Machine — Ontario-built pipe, floating, and lift-up docks, plus marine railways and lifts. Known for heavy-duty truss construction and custom capability; strong fit for sites that need durability and local support.
Best for: Great Lakes shorelines that demand stout structure and a made-in-Ontario service base. - Paradise Dock & Lift — Premium modular aluminum docks and hydraulic boat lifts with a focus on clean design and craftsmanship (the “Paradise Advantage”). Excellent when you want the dock–lift package tightly integrated.
Best for: Owners prioritizing an aluminum dock with a matched hydraulic lift system. - Alumidock — Lightweight, marine-grade aluminum sectional systems with simple bracket assemblies, plus gangways and stairs. Good where seasonal install and removal ease matters (smaller crews, tighter accesses), and for calmer inland settings.
- Bulmann Dock & Lift — Aluminum docks and hydraulic and vertical lifts with a dealer network serving the region; strong lift catalog with accessories. A good match when lift performance is the driver, and you want premium lift options.
For convenience, we carry all four—so you can choose the right one for your shoreline, not force the lake to fit a brand. (Hutten is an authorized dealer of R & J Machine, Paradise Dock & Lift, Bulmann Dock & Lift, and Alumidock for Georgian Bay and the Bruce.)
If you’re on the Bruce Peninsula or Georgian Bay this year, your best dock style is a removable, modular aluminum system tailored to how you use the shore, and tuned with the details that make it survive here: higher freeboard, vented decking, and a seasonal plan that respects ice.
Design for the lake first and your lifestyle second, and you’ll spend more summer on the water—and less spring fixing what winter broke. If you want a layout mocked up for your boats, headcount, and water depth, we can map the options and show exactly how each style would look and perform on your shoreline.
