The Waterdeck

When we designed the 3rd phase of the Beaver Boardwalk I wanted to extend a short section into Maxwell Lake and build in seating so people could relax and enjoy nature. Originally I thought it would have to be a floating structure because I thought the lake bottom would be too soft to support posts. But that assumption was wrong, so the waterdeck is supported by pressure-treated posts just like most of the boardwalk is.

So for those who didn't notice, a little secret. I didn't want the waterdeck to be a great height above the water (remember my "close to nature" desire above). Turns out that I should have been a little more careful with my estimation. When spring came and the lake level began to rise it was pretty obvious the new waterdeck was soon going to be the underwaterdeck. There was nothing to do but admit error and raise the deck, which ended up being an enjoyable Saturday's work. I unscrewed everything and raised the whole structure by the width of a 2 x 8, which turned out to be just about right.

The extra benefit to that beautiful day was the chance to talk with a couple from Austria and a family from England who were enjoying the boardwalk and wanted to know what I was doing. They were very interested in natural history and I enjoyed chatting with them.

By the way, it's called the waterdeck because of a great suggestion by Beth MacCallum. She didn't think we should call it a wharf or a dock because we didn't want to encourage watercraft use of Maxwell Lake. Voila - the waterdeck!