Custom Boathouses on Lake Dunlap
Entertainment-grade boathouses for a lake held at constant level — open-gable cooling, lifts, lighting and clear-deck roof support.
Lakes We Serve · Guadalupe Valley, TX
Boathouses, docks and bulkheads on Lake Dunlap.
Private waterfront structures are permitted here, and the permit comes from one place. Lake Dunlap is a GBRA lake: a Dock Construction Permit has to be approved before the first pile goes in the ground.
Permitting First
Every Lake Dunlap project starts at GBRA.
One dock permit, submitted before construction, plus whatever the county and city require on top.
The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority owns and operates the Lake Dunlap dam and is the permitting authority for waterfront structures. Owners submit a GBRA Dock Construction Permit to permits@gbra.org, and GBRA approves or denies the proposed location before work begins. That approval is not a formality and it is not retroactive — building first and asking later is how a structure ends up removed.
GBRA's own language puts the rest of the burden on the property owner: any other applicable state or federal approvals, utility locates and fees are yours to obtain. County and city building and floodplain permits apply as well, depending on exactly where the property sits. Shoretech assembles that package as part of the project rather than handing you a stack of forms.
Separately, Lake Dunlap Water Control and Improvement District No. 1 — formed and taxed by lakefront property owners — carries the debt service and the ongoing operation and maintenance of the new dam. It is not the dock permitting body, but it is the reason the lake is a lake again, and its assessment is part of the cost of owning here.
Services on This Lake
Full-scope waterfront work on Lake Dunlap.
Constant water level rewards structures built tight to the shoreline. Explore the dedicated page for each service.
Boat Docks & Piers on Lake Dunlap
Fixed decks and swim piers that can sit low and tight to the water, because the surface does not go anywhere seasonally.
Bulkheads & Seawalls on Lake Dunlap
Full-height walls in galvanized steel, vinyl, FRP composite or heavy timber for yards built right down to the river channel.
Precision Dredging on Lake Dunlap
Slip and shoreline dredging where river sediment has filled in — material pumped for backfill reuse rather than trucked out.
What the Dry Years Left
Four years out of the water changes what a structure needs.
The 90-year-old middle spill gate collapsed on May 14, 2019 and very nearly emptied Lake Dunlap in a single day. Hydraulically actuated steel crest gates replaced it, and GBRA records the lake back in service in October 2023. The structures along that shoreline sat exposed the whole time.
1
Piling and connection assessment
Timber that cycled between dry and wet for four years does not fail evenly. Cutoff elevations, fastener corrosion and bearing at the mud line get checked before anyone decides whether to repair or replace.
2
Bulkheads that lost their water
A wall designed with water in front of it behaves differently with nothing there. Backfill settlement, tieback condition and drainage behind the face are the usual findings, and they are fixable — but not by patching the visible side.
3
Rebuilding to the level that is now permanent
With the new crest gates in service and Canyon Reservoir releases feeding the lake, Dunlap runs at a constant level year-round again. New work is designed to that, with decks and lifts set where they will actually be used.
Know the Water
A narrow, river-like lake that stays flat.
About 410 acres in the northwest corner of Guadalupe County, near the Comal County line.
Lake Dunlap is an impoundment of the Guadalupe River just downstream of New Braunfels — narrow, tree-lined, roughly 40 feet at its deepest, and calm enough that it has been a skiing lake for generations. The shape matters for construction: frontages are river-channel frontages, current is a real design load, and there is rarely room to be careless with where a structure lands.
Because the crest gates hold the level year-round rather than drawing the lake down seasonally, Dunlap is one of the few places in Central Texas where a fixed dock can be built low and tight to the water and still work in August. It is an established waterfront market — homes built right to the water behind bulkheads, private boathouses in front of them — serving New Braunfels, the Lake Dunlap community, McQueeney and Seguin.
Questions We Hear
Lake Dunlap FAQ.
Do I need a GBRA permit for a dock or boathouse?
Yes. A GBRA Dock Construction Permit is submitted to permits@gbra.org and has to be approved before construction starts — GBRA approves or denies the proposed location. Other state, federal, county and city approvals, utility locates and fees remain the owner's responsibility, and Shoretech handles that legwork as part of the project.
Does the lake still get drawn down seasonally?
No. Lake Dunlap is held at a constant level year-round by the dam's crest gates, fed by releases from Canyon Reservoir upstream. That is a design advantage: decks, lifts and bulkhead heights can be set to a level that will still be there next summer.
My dock survived the years the lake was empty. Can it just be put back in service?
Maybe, and maybe not — that is an inspection question rather than an opinion. Structures that spent four years exposed commonly show fastener corrosion, settled backfill behind bulkheads and degraded bearing at the pilings. Dave will tell you plainly which parts are worth keeping.
Is Shoretech available for work on Lake Dunlap?
Yes. Shoretech is based in Trinity, and Dave travels as far as a project warrants across Texas and western Louisiana. Call 936-662-5100 to talk through scope, access and scheduling.
Nearby Water
More lakes on the Guadalupe.
Start With a Conversation
Planning a project on Lake Dunlap?
Tell Dave about the frontage, the condition of what is already there, and what you want the finished waterfront to do. The permit path and the design follow from there.