What a new crew member must know by first launch
Lines, lift anatomy, cold-water rules, recording work as they go. The one-page curriculum for green crew, taught in two shop weeks in March.
· 6 min read
The blog
How this work actually runs — the season, the pricing, the handoffs, and the parts of it software has never handled well.
The renewal pass: confirm every customer before the water opens
Every spring some crew ties up at a dock that sold in October. One deliberate February pass — back, gone, or changed — beats finding out afloat.
· 6 min read
Hiring and keeping a seasonal lake crew
Pay honestly for a split season, test hard in week one, and hold your best people across the summer gap. Rebuilding every April is the hidden bill.
· 8 min read
Hiring your spring crew starts now
The seasonal labor pool decides over eight winter weeks. Where the good ones come from, what the ad should say, and the three questions that matter.
· 5 min read
Who regulates your dock work? Permits, shoreline rules, and where to check
The permit is the homeowner’s but the operator gets the call. Who to phone in January — state, county, lake association, and where the Corps begins.
· 6 min read
Rebuild your price list from last season’s minutes
Your measured minutes, times what an hour of boat truly costs, plus the margin you choose. Where per-item, per-section, hourly and flat belong.
· 7 min read
Raising prices for spring: the letter and the timing
Tell them in January, anchor the number to the renewal, give one honest reason, and do not apologize twice. The letter and the calls that follow.
· 6 min read
Plan next year in one afternoon
Five decisions for next season — prices, crew size, which lake to grow, what to stop, what to buy — in one quiet afternoon on an index card.
· 5 min read
The customer list is the business
The same properties, twice a year, until somebody sells the cabin. Why a list of standing seasonal customers outearns any busy summer.
· 6 min read
What a dock install actually costs: minutes per piece
You have the fuel receipts and the payroll. The number joining them to the work is minutes per piece — and your crews’ clocks already hold it.
· 6 min read
Winter maintenance for the work barge and the trailer
The season runs on three machines and December is the only month a breakdown is free. What to tear into now, ordered by parts lead time.
· 5 min read
Closing the books on a season (and why you never delete one)
The water is done — what do you do in the software? Closing a season signs the year without sealing it away. It is next March’s answer key.
· 5 min read
Put your own shoreline on the screen
Create the account yourself, import your customer list, drop a few pins, and you’re looking at your own water this afternoon. No sales call, no setup fee, and nothing charged until your first season generates work.
No card, no sales call, nothing to book — you're in within a minute. Send us a question if you'd rather ask a person first.