And the dock made it real…

A little more than a year ago, my family and I started a new chapter on Smith Lake. That chapter started out stellar, but went downhill after a series of bad real estate experiences with quite possibly the worst seller to ever sell on Smith Lake. To say our happy place was turned upside down would be an understatement  ~ so much to point my husband did not even want to lay eyes on the lake that I love so much. 

Enter Free State Boat Docks 

Slowly our “Happy Place” started to come back to life and the discussion of getting a new dock was broached. Free State Boat Docks was the only name on my uber picky husbands list after his due research. 

To be candid, a new dock was not a priority to me as I didn’t want another headache and was just fine with the existing situation. I lost that battle and got on board.

Justin Hogan made multiple trips to meet us, talk with me and even on a cold, rainy day he came out to simply assure us we were putting the dock in the best spot despite the challenges we were facing. We worked with Justin to custom design our dock, taking multiple things into consideration such as sunsets, waves, sun coverage, how we wanted to use the space … right down to the color of our home. When all was said & done he said we’d picked a color and layout that was a first ~ go figure. 

On the morning of our last visit to the FSBD facility, we ate at Chef Troy’s on the way. I love some Chef Troy’s and recall not eating much as I was mentally preparing to navigate issues with this new boat dock we on our way to see.

Lets just say that what we saw was better than right, our new dock was perfect! It was exactly as designed and better, including the last minute change details. It was just another appointment for Mr. Dan who was most likely wondering if I’d ever seen a dock before as I kept walking around in amazement. Something was finally right.

As we started to leave, I looked up and saw a panic on Justin’s face, an expression I had not seen before through every visit &   ALL  the questions yours truly asked. I was certain we’d just seen the wrong dock and ours had not been built. I quickly realized that was not the case and started to laugh! I conveyed the manors of his children as they had politely asked if my wild ones could go on a golf cart while he & my husband were talking. 

Time to Push

When the FSBD guys came to set our dock, I met Paul Henderson, AKA: HAWG. Working with Hawg was another star for the process with FSBD and yet another reason they are the leading manufacturer of boat docks on Smith Lake. The day Hawg & his crew pushed our dock out was nothing short of an adult Christmas morning. Hawg is a member of the GET IT DONE Club and without a doubt has gone above & beyond to help us get situated! I would like to change his name to Saint Hawg, but he & his crew prefer the Hawg Father. 

There are businesses on the lake and then there are THE businesses on the lake that truly watch after our shores. FSBD is in the “THE” category as they aren’t just another lake business. Their involvement and contributions to Smith Lake extend far beyond the structured pieces of art many of us enjoy as docks. It was a pleasure to see three generations of the Hogan family enjoying the gathering at Trident after the Lake League Poor Man Poker Run the first Saturday in August. The pride on Justin’s son, Evan’s face as he watched his father and Phillip Beasley of HydroHoist hatch a plan to giveback even more than they already had to Alabama Lakewide Charities was one of the best! 

The FSBD Difference

FSBD is the only manufacturer of boat docks using true truss construction on Smith Lake. Put simply, the roof truss runs the entire width of the dock making it a SOLID  piece, not bolted together like most. This detail, combined with the fact FSBD’s are made of 11 - 12 gauge galvanized steel construction, makes them the toughest docks on the lake. 

Justin Hogan, his father; Mr. Dan & the Hawg Father have, without a doubt contributed to 1 of my TOP 3 best experiences on Smith Lake! Thank you for giving me my “Happy Place” back by taking such good care of us every single step of the way, not to mention the most beautiful boat dock I ever did see!