IBEX 365 News
DOCKED Turns Pontoon Boaters Into Docking Pros, Every Time
“Docking remains one of the most stressful and challenging issues for boaters,” says DOCKED Co-founder and COO Joshua Cecot, “and even the most skilled captains can struggle under difficult circumstances.” DOCKED is designed as a pontoon boat docking guide. It attaches underwater to an existing dock or structure connected to the shore. The unit floats 17 feet out into the water, providing a target to point your boat toward, then captures the pontoon as soon as it connects with DOCKED’s entry bar. After that, the boat operator simply glides into place. DOCKED makes docking pontoons and tritoons a smooth, one-person job, every time. DOCKED helps prevent injury to boaters, damage to boats and docks, and helps increase marina dockage utility.
What problems is DOCKED designed to solve?
Docked solves one of the most pervasive issues in boating— the challenge of docking a pontoon or tritoon boat. Even skilled captains can struggle with the process, especially in adverse conditions. A lot of boat operators need a second person around when docking. Docked provides all boaters—novice boaters, experienced boaters, boaters with physical limitations, and anyone that experiences docking anxiety —the ability to dock a boat easily, by themselves.
In addition, we’ve found that we provide significant benefits directly to marinas and boat rental facilities, as their customers often damage the docks, their boats, and other customers’ boats during the docking process.
Boaters also subject themselves and others to injury during the docking process. Docked reduces damage and injury at marina and boat rental facilities.
Finally, one of the biggest problems marinas and boat rental facilities face is limited space to dock boats. With Docked, pontoons and tritoons can dock at the end of a dock that is as narrow as 3 feet, which is something that cannot happen without our product.
In addition, with respect to space, using a row of Docked units instead of finger docks to make individual or double slips, increases dock utility by 15 to 40 percent — 14 boats can fit in the space that would fit only 12 boats with double slips, or 10 boats with single slips. Not only is this setup increasing dock utility, but costs less than the finger docks that would be needed and reduces install and removal time at the beginning and end of the season each year.
How has DOCKED changed the boat maintenance process?
While this isn’t something that we focus on, Docked certainly reduces any maintenance on pontoons that require attention due to docking damage (hitting the dock or another boat). With Docked, your docking experience is so smooth that there’s no longer the worry of drifting away.
Could you describe the innovation found in DOCKED?
Docked is designed as a pontoon boat docking guide that attaches to an existing dock or structure connected to the shore. The unit floats 17 feet out into the water, providing a target to point your boat toward, then captures the pontoons as soon as they connect with Docked’s entry bar. After that, the boat operator simply glides into place at the dock, leisurely steps off the boat, and casually ties off without any stress whatsoever. As evidenced by Docked’s full utility patent and IBEX Innovation Award there is no other product that solves the list of docking issues like Docked does.
Who is the target market for DOCKED?
- Dock builders and dealers. It gives them an option for a smaller dock build when paired with Docked.
- Boat Dealers. It can be used to help with sales to people who view docking or the expense of building a dock as a barrier to purchasing.
- Boat Rentals. It increases renters skills and confidence. In addition, it provides the rental business with a way to lessen the chances of accidents caused by inexperienced boaters.
- Marinas. It helps marinas by giving their slip customers more relief in the docking process in their slips. It can also be used to increase utility of current docks and future docks by lessening the amount of materials needed for new projects.
- Marine Supply Stores. We provide a healthy margin for sales in marine supply stores.
- Waterfront Rental and Property Management. Docked adds the ability to provide a low cost docking option that can easily be installed and uninstalled between rental customers if needed.
Honestly, Docked is for everyone in the pontoon world.
What feedback have you received?
The feedback has been extremely positive. Here are testimonials from a few Docked customers:
“Absolutely love Docked. It’s easy to use and I feel safe that my boat is secure when I leave it. I drive up, tie up and I’m done. Thank you Docked!” – Dan P.
“I’m on the river and no matter which way the current is going I can dock in my slip with no help every time. Love this thing.” – Jim E.
“When I went to boat school years ago I flunked docking – I have an eye issue and I don’t see distance well. Docked makes it so I can safely dock by myself
now.” – Shirley J.
“From a property perspective, just being able to open up a property that is on the lake but doesn’t have a dock, allowing boats to come in safely, not having to beach your boat, it really opens it up.” – Scott S.
Why do you think no one has designed a successful product like DOCKED before?
There is very limited competition in this market. There are currently only two other products that attempt to solve the same issue we are solving – docking assistance for a pontoon or tritoon. In short, these two products help a pontoon boat operator dock, though both require the captain to maneuver the boat very close to the dock and nearly into docking position before the product provides assistance. Also, neither secure the stern of the boat into docking position —the boat can drift away from the dock in windy conditions. Neither of these products provide benefits to marinas and boat rental facilities since their design places their contraptions too far into a marina slip and must be attached to a dock that is parallel to the boat in docking position. There are other tangentially-related products on the market, mostly sticks or hooks that are meant to be used to help the boater grab the dock.
What obstacles arose during the R&D process?
One of the biggest challenges we faced in the initial R&D process was being able to use the product in water as we started in very early Spring 2025. Maine is still very cold, and the lakes are still iced up in early spring. In response to this we traveled to South Carolina to test our product. The testing was a huge success, but having to travel out of state for testing is not a cost-effective way to conduct R&D.
Was there an “aha moment” that led to this design?
There wasn’t one aha moment but more of a series of aha solutions to challenges that we faced in the design process. These include:
- Changing the design to accommodate both tritoon and pontoon boats
- Customizing an aluminum J shaped bracket to upgrade from our previous metal strapping
- Adding custom plugs to the entry bar for buoyancy
- Going from store-bought PVC fittings to custom HDPE for increased strength
What impact do you see DOCKED having on the boating industry?
The impact? The impact can be game changing, we are introducing a product that can change the way that marinas build and the way that they’re structured. By providing a slip-like, drive-on place to dock and exit, marinas can cut down on the need for individual fingers on their docks. It can also change the game in pontoon rentals. Rental companies can change the way they have customers return pontoon boats and gas up. By providing their renters an easy spot for them to dock without the need of assistance, it changes the timing of when the pontoon needs to be dealt with.
What plans are in place for the future DOCKED?
The market opportunity for our product is driven by both the residential pontoon boat owner and marinas and boat rental facilities. The U.S. pontoon boat market alone saw more than 60,000 new boats and 100,000 pre-owned boats purchased in 2023. Twenty-seven percent of purchasers are first time boat buyers – boaters with typically less boating experience— and could benefit even more from our product. And, 37 percent own more than one boat – the increased utility Docked provides could benefit these multi-boat owners.
There are over 1.1 million registered pontoon boats on the water today in the U.S. The pontoon boat market is expected to grow at a rate of 9.5 percent CAGR into 2030, showing the increasing popularity of pontoon boats. The $2.83 billion pontoon boat market is relatively evenly distributed across applications, with family-fun being the primary purpose of boaters owning a pontoon boat, closely followed by fishing, then cruising, and finally water sports. This shows pontoon boats have made their way as a multi-use boat, much different than other boat types that typically specialize in one or two of these areas. This is expected to contribute heavily to the continued growth of this market. For marinas and boat rental facilities, our opportunity is great for the reasons described above. There are over 11,000 marinas in the U.S. and the average number of slips for any given marina is just over 100. With well over 1 million slips in the U.S., and nearly all marinas at capacity, there is a significant opportunity in the marina and boat rental space.
What plans do you have for the future of the product?
As we grow we have a plan to change our fittings from store bought PVC to custom made HDPE for increased strength. We will also explore the use of HDPE in the now PVC pipes. We also have the idea for solar lights and underwater lights for increased nighttime visibility. We’ve also explored the idea of adding a brush system to the entry bar so the pontoons are being brushed as you enter and exit.
