Across Harpswell, more than a thousand private docks are being assembled and readied for summer recreation and commercial use.
A small group of contractors performs the work in spring — and the reverse in fall. These massive behind-the-scenes mobilizations make them “unsung heroes” of summer in Harpswell, in the words of one local official.
Bob Waddle, owner of Waddle’s Marine Service, was out on the water with his team on the morning of April 14 to install a dock at the southern end of Pinkham Point Road. Waddle’s is one of several local businesses that offer seasonal dock installation and winterization services.
Waddle and two employees, Derek Coolen and Jesse Field, spent about an hour on land and on the water of Card Cove, assembling and securing a large dock and ramp.
Waddle said he spends much of April, May and June on dock installations, with most jobs completed before Memorial Day weekend. He services about 110 properties and can install five to eight docks on a good day, when the weather cooperates.
“It gets a lot harder if the wind is blowing,” he said.
Tanner Wheeler co-founded Midcoast Dock LLC in 2020 with business partner Jon Munsey. The Woolwich business currently serves about 50 dock owners in Harpswell and surrounding communities.
The business also builds docks, floats and ramps. Wheeler said he started the marine construction firm to supplement his income as a lobsterman.
“I like being on the water, not being constantly stuck behind a desk or anything like that,” he said. “Although it’s not as fun in the winter.”
Wheeler said most dock installations happen around high tide. A team of three is usually needed to do the job properly: “one to drive the boat, one to run the winch, and one to handle the ramp.”
“And if the wind takes you and the boat can’t correct itself, and you drop the ramp, then you’ve got to fish it out of the water,” Wheeler said.
According to the town’s Assessing Office, there are 1,016 private docks in Harpswell. Interim Harbormaster Darcie Couture said local dock installers serve a vital function.
“They’re kind of the unsung heroes,” she said. “You don’t really think about them until it’s time to put the floats in or take the floats out, but they’re a critical piece of the machinery that keeps Harpswell going.”
Couture said there is always a flurry of dock installations in Harpswell prior to Memorial Day, and then a flurry of removals in the fall when customers are ready for their docks to be secured for the winter.
She said Harpswell’s dock installers often remind customers when it’s time to schedule their seasonal installation, so they don’t receive a crush of calls for service at the last minute.
“Otherwise it’s like a logjam, with everybody wanting their stuff done all at once,” Couture said. “That’s just not possible, given the number of floats that are out there.”
Installing a dock may look simple, she said, but it’s a job that’s better left to the professionals. They have the experience to spot damaged floats in need of repairs, and to make sure everything is connected and secured properly.
“You don’t want to have a float or a wharf breaking loose and devastating your neighbor’s property,” Couture said.
Waddle said he enjoys installing docks and floats each spring. He said the key to success is making a plan and talking through it with his team, because every dock is different.
“I grew up on the ocean,” Waddle said. “I’m a native, and working on the water is incredibly satisfying.”
