All Hands On 'Dock' For Taunton Lake Family
All Hands On âDockâ For Taunton Lake Family
By Nancy K. Crevier
When weed-infested waters make a dive off of the end of the dock an unpleasant experience, what is a lakeside dweller to do? Rob Lynders found the solution to that problem this spring, when a wild wind broke free his dock from the gangway, and put into motion an idea that the Taunton Lake resident had been mulling over for âat least five years.â
He lag-bolted a 2-by-6 to the side of the 10- by 12-foot now-floating raft and mounted a 38-pound, battery operated, thrust motor onto it. The motorized dock was born.
âYou always see these big floaters advertised for sale in magazines, but they are expensive and we didnât want to leave anything out there [permanently on the lake],â said Cristina Lynders. Her husbandâs motorized dock enables the family to have the fun and freedom of a floating raft, and still be able to dock it safely when it is not in use.
âIt seemed like a no-brainer to me to do something like this,â said Mr Lynders on a recent late summer day, as he unscrewed the oversized bolts that attach the motorized dock to the gangway. âBut it was the storm that really decided it for me.â
Since May the Lynders, including 18-month-old Kathryn, and friends and family have been throwing a couple of Adirondack chairs and a cooler full of cold drinks onto the dock and heading out into the middle of the lake to kick back and enjoy the serenity of the lake.
âWeâll hang out there for hours,â said Mr Lynders, who added that they have puttered quietly away from their landing with up to eight people aboard. They have docked their kayaks to it, and tethered an additional foam roll-out dock to it at times, to create a private flotilla.
âItâs so much nicer out in the middle of the lake. You get away from the weed problem, and itâs very deep there â 30 feet â so we can fish or swim or take the kayak out from it, or just read and relax,â said Mr Lynders.
He has found that it takes two large boat anchors to keep the motorized dock from drifting across the lake, and keeps a set of oars on board, âJust in caseâ¦.â
Six large floats stabilize and keep the dock afloat, and it takes just the most minimal movement of the motor to redirect the float. âDocking it is the hardest, because it doesnât really have a front like a regular boat, so it is hard to steer it in,â Mr Lynders said, but with a little finesse â and preferably an extra pair of hands to guide it in between the metal poles â the motorized dock is eased into âportâ when the day is done.
To Mr Lynders, a sculptor who âplays with toys all dayâ sculpting action figures for companies like DC Comics, a motorized dock seemed an obvious use of the wooden platform, but to others who have lived on Taunton Lake for years, it is a novel idea.
Neighbor Russ Strasburger was so impressed with the Lyndersâ motorized dock that âWe copied it. Itâs Robâs deal, though,â said Mr Strasburger, who mounted a trolling motor onto his dock platform this summer, too. âWe put the lawn chairs on it and head out to enjoy the day,â said Mr Strasburger, adding, âWeâre having a wonderful time doing it.â
The more the merrier, said Mr Lynders. âCan you imagine four or six of these things tethered together out in the center of the lake?â he asked. âYou could have a cook out.â
This summer has been a lot of fun, admitted Mr Lynders, but he has more ideas in store for the future. âMy real plan is to kite surf off of it,â he said. âItâs like windsurfing, but with a kite and wake board. Iâm just waiting for that northwest windâ¦.â