An easy yard
A short walk from the lawn to the water
When the slope is gentle, the crew carries sections down by hand. Each section gets set down, not dropped, and every leg is leveled before we leave.
O'Dowd Lake, Shakopee MN
Dock and Boat Lift Service on O'Dowd Lake
O'Dowd has a lot of shoreline for its size, and no two lots reach the water the same way. Some have an easy lawn down to the dock. Others have a steep bank or a rock wall. We work it either way: down your yard, or in from the lake on our barge. Blake is on every job with his crew.
Getting to your shoreline
Down your yard, or in from the water
Before we quote a job on O'Dowd, we want to know how we will reach your dock. That one answer shapes the whole plan, from how many people come to which equipment we bring.
A steep or rocky lot
The lift comes in on the barge
If the bank is steep, walled with rock, or a long carry from the road, we bring the lift across the lake and set it from the water. It never has to cross your lawn. Blake runs the barge while the crew guides the lift into place.
Tell us your road and roughly where your lot sits on the lake. We will know which way in before we ever pull up.
952-687-1349The lake itself
What O'Dowd's shape means for your dock and lift
9.3 miles of shoreline wrapped around 300 acres of water.
Points and coves
Every lot is different
That much shoreline on a lake this size means it bends in and out the whole way around. A dock tucked in a cove and a dock out on a point sit in different spots, with different slopes behind them. We plan each one where it actually sits.
22 ft at the deepest
Mostly under 15 ft
Most docks and lifts here stand in fairly shallow water near shore. When the lake drops a few inches, you notice it at the lift first: the boat sits wrong on the bunks or scrapes on the way in. Often that is a height change, not new parts.
One city
All of it is in Shakopee
Shoreline rules on O'Dowd come from the City of Shakopee and the Minnesota DNR. Before you add a lift or change a dock layout, check the city's current shoreland rules and the DNR dock page. Our plain-language guide to the DNR rules is a good place to start.
Work we do on O'Dowd
The calls we get from O'Dowd Lake
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My lift sits crooked, or the boat will not sit right on it
Usually the lake moved or a leg settled. Blake checks the legs, the cradle and the cable, then tells you what it needs. A lot of the time it is an adjustment.
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The cable is fraying, or the winch slips
We replace worn cables and fix slipping winches. It does not matter who installed the lift. Plenty of our customers called us about a lift someone else put in.
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It all has to come out before the ice
Before the ice, the dock and lift come out and get parked on your shore in the spot you choose. A lift gets serviced while it is out, so it is ready when spring comes.
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We are ready for a new dock or lift
ShoreMaster, Beach King or Tonka Built. Blake measures your spot, draws up a few options with prices, and you choose what fits your shoreline and your boat.
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The canopy cover is shot
We replace worn and torn lift canopy covers, and we can put the cover on or take it off with your seasonal service.
Two customers, in their own words
“Blake responded promptly to my voice mail message and listened to my unusual winch problem. He and his team drove, by car, to our home, fixed the winch, plus replaced a broken lift cable and did a tune-up on the lift in less than 24 hours after my late afternoon initial voice mail.”
“Big Wave was easy to work with. I was happy with their quote, and the new dock is installed now. It looks great, and I got good value.”
Shakopee and Jordan
From our Prior Lake shop to O'Dowd and beyond
Our shop
Prior Lake
O'Dowd Lake
Shakopee
Jordan
Farther southwest
Shakopee dock and boat lift service
O'Dowd sits entirely inside Shakopee city limits. We repair, level, remove and install docks and lifts all the way around it. Had a lift installed by someone else that never sat level? Blake will come out and take a look.
Jordan dock and boat lift service
Jordan is a short drive past O'Dowd. Lake owners there get the same repair and leveling, fall removal and spring install. There is a fall removal price tool if you want a number before you call.
On a lake nearby? We also work Spring Lake, Fish Lake and Prior Lake, plus Cedar Lake near New Prague. See every lake and town we serve.
Questions
O'Dowd Lake questions
Can you get a lift to my dock if my yard is steep?
Yes. On a steep or rocky lot we bring the lift in on the barge and set it from the water. When you call, tell us your road and which part of the lake you are on.
Why does my lift need adjusting when it was fine last year?
O'Dowd is shallow near shore, so a small change in the water level shows up at the lift. Usually it needs a height change, not new parts. Blake looks it over for $25. See repair prices.
What permits or rules apply to a dock on O'Dowd?
Two sets of rules apply here: the City of Shakopee's shoreland rules and the Minnesota DNR's. Whether you need a permit comes down to the dock's size, its spot, and what you keep at it. Look at the DNR dock guidance and call the city before new work starts.
I am buying a used lift that sat on another lake. Anything to know?
Yes. Minnesota requires docks and lifts to be out of the water and drying for 21 days before they go into a different lake. Check the DNR's current guidance, then plan the install date around it.
How do I get a price for fall removal?
Use the removal price tool. Pick your lift and dock, and the price adds up as you go. Blake goes over the total with you before you are on the schedule.
Tell Blake your road and what is going on at the dock
Photos of the dock and lift help us price it. Most of the time the number lands right where we said, though a few things only show up once we are out on the dock.
Prior Lake, MN 55372
(952) 687-1349
Every lake and town we serve