Start With the Rule That Decides It For You
Before any discussion of preference, there is a statutory threshold that settles the question on a good many properties:
Permanent docks may be permitted only on lakes larger than 1,000 acres, and only where wind or wave conditions may prevent the use of a seasonal dock.
In our service area that means a permanent structure is simply not available on Lake Waukewan, the Suncook Lakes or Webster Lake. On Winnipesaukee, Squam, Winnisquam, Newfound and Wentworth it is available — but the second half of that sentence still applies, and it is the half people underestimate. The burden is on showing that a seasonal dock would not work at your frontage, not that you would prefer something permanent.
Side by Side
| Seasonal (pipe / roll-in) | Permanent (crib / pile) | |
|---|---|---|
| Installed cost | $18–$34 / sq ft | $40–$75 / sq ft |
| Permitting | Often Permit by Notification | Full wetlands application, lakes >1,000 acres only |
| Lead time | Weeks, if it qualifies | Months |
| Ice exposure | None — it is on the bank | Every winter, for its whole life |
| Annual cost | Install and removal each year | None, but repair when ice wins |
| Lifespan | Long, with components replaced | Decades, if built and maintained well |
| Suits | Sheltered water, moderate depth, workable access | Exposed frontage, rocky bottom, deeper water |
Read that table honestly and the seasonal column wins on most properties. The one row that reverses it is the last, and it is the row that matters — because on genuinely exposed frontage a seasonal system does not merely underperform, it fails.
Three Things to Look At Before Deciding
Fetch, not width
Wave energy is generated over the longest open run of water pointing at your shoreline. Ask what your frontage faces down the lake rather than across it. On Winnisquam in particular this changes completely over a few hundred yards, which is why the neighbour's dock is a poor guide.
How fast depth arrives
On steep frontage like Newfound you reach usable depth close in, which favours a shorter structure and reduces the surface ice can work against. On shallow water like the Suncooks you reach out a long way, which makes a seasonal system considerably more sensible than a long permanent one.
What the bottom is
Sand and silt take driven pipe. Rock and ledge frequently do not, and that single fact pushes a good many Squam and Newfound properties toward crib construction regardless of what the owner would have chosen.
When Permanent Is Genuinely Right
We are not against permanent docks. We are against permanent docks on frontage that does not need one. The cases where they are the correct answer are real and recognisable:
- Exposed frontage on a large lake where a seasonal system would not survive a winter
- Rocky or ledge bottom that will not accept driven pipe footings
- Deep water requiring a fixed, robust berth for a substantial boat
- Shoreline where the annual install and removal is genuinely impractical
- An existing legal crib structure worth maintaining rather than replacing
If two or more of those describe your property, a permanent structure is worth the permitting effort. If none do, a seasonal dock will serve you better and cost you less, and the money saved buys a better lift or better decking.
Questions
Is a permanent dock better?
Not usually, and not on most New Hampshire frontage. It costs several times more per square foot, faces a considerably harder permitting process, and spends every winter resisting ice that a seasonal dock avoids entirely by not being there. It is better where a seasonal dock would fail — exposed frontage, rocky bottoms, deep water needing a fixed berth.
Does a seasonal dock really have to come out every year?
If it is authorised under the seasonal notification route, yes — removal for at least five months a year is a condition of that authorisation rather than a recommendation. And independently of the rules, the removal is why seasonal docks survive: a structure on the bank has no argument with ice.
What about a roll-in dock — is that seasonal?
Yes. Roll-in docks are seasonal systems with wheels that make the annual move easier on a gradually shelving shoreline. They cost a little more per square foot than pipe and are considerably easier to handle. On frontage where the bottom drops away quickly they work less well.
Can I convert a seasonal dock to permanent later?
That is a new permitting question, not a modification — and on a lake under 1,000 acres the answer is generally no regardless. If you think you might eventually want permanent, establish whether it is even available at your frontage before investing heavily in the seasonal route.