The plans for this one are simple in design, yet complex structurally. This boathouse near Onalaska, Texas is in shallow enough water that manual piledriving is a must. With 350# of weight and a 120# hammer, its possible to get these 5-6′ or more into the hard clay lake bottom.

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Building this one the old-fashioned way – When the water is shallow and you have limited space – knowledge and skill with a hundred year old traditional pile driving method comes in handy!

The guys do not prefer this highly physical method of beating piles into the lake-bottom by hand and I do not blame them at all. Especially on 100F long summer days.

But it’s how we have to do it and these guys are the best at doing it using a 120# manual hammer. Adding an additional 320-340# of body weight to the process makes it viable and permanent – getting through this difficult phase of shallow-water boathouse construction is something rare these days considering the local labor pool.

But the accuracy and 5-6’ of piling depth it provides is paramount to a boathouse design that features a heavy upstairs deck built over a metal roof.

There are no wimps among these men…. They are strong, in excellent condition and proudly build to the top of the scale in a field that requires strength and endurance and a high level of skill also. Seeing an excellent welder pound pilings into the lake bottom is surreal these days. Thanks Edgar, Gerson, Elias, and Ivan!!! You guys are amazing and awesome!
NO whiners here!!!